Elizabeth Shue Biography

Elisabeth Shue is one of those Hollywood actors whose fan base is loyal, whose work is respected, but whose status remains just short of superstar.

A troubled teen of Delaware, U.S.A., blue blood stock (with maternal lineage traceable to Mayflower settlers) Shue began modeling and commercial work at age 15. She augmented her junior year at the family alma mater, Wellesley College, filming commercials, and it was her athleticism that caused her to stand out in those days -- some of the parts required gymnastics, and Shue was quite capable of impressive flips and cartwheels. At age 16, the fresh-faced teen was an on-camera spokesclerk for Burger King advertisements.

In 1984, five years and many commercials later, the versatile young actor broke into Hollywood with the feature film The Karate Kid and the television series Call To Glory. She began studying acting after those first roles and switched schools. Many actors lighten their academic load in order to pursue their career but hers got tougher; she transferred to Harvard. Over the years, Shue has continued to work on her Political Science degree as her schedule allows, but all in all there hasn’t been much time to hit the books, with the steady string of movie roles that followed her debut.

The actor was cast in Switching Places (TV - 1987), Adventures in Babysitting (1987 - Shue’s brother, actor Andrew Shue of Melrose Place fame appeared in the film as well), Link (1986), Cocktail (1988 - again, with Andrew), Back to the Future II and III (1989 and 1990), Soapdish (1991), The Marrying Man (1991), Heart and Souls (1993), Twenty Bucks (1993), Blind Justice (1994), Radio Inside (1994), and The Underneath (1995). Those parts, mostly as girlfriend of the lead, offered little depth, and, as Shue was to prove with her next outing, depth was what she needed to shine. A gutsy performance in Leaving Las Vegas (1995) netted the actor a Los Angeles Film Critics’ award, a National Society of Film Critics’ award, a Chicago Film Critics’ award, an Independent Spirit award and an Oscar nomination.

Shue continued to work steadily, now being offered lead roles in bigger pictures, but none of the parts were up to the Vegas standards. The Trigger Effect (1996), The Saint (1997), Deconstructing Harry (1997), Palmetto (1998), Cousin Bette (1998), and Madly (1999) were disappointments to all but hard core Shue fans.

The actor married Davis Guggenheim in 1994, and son, Miles, was born in 1997. Motherhood and work on that Harvard degree share time with her big-screen schedule. Upcoming are roles in The House of Mirth and The Hollow Man.

Shue has the talent, the ambition, the looks and, at 37, the experience to take on anything Hollywood can offer. If her career peaked with Leaving Las Vegas, she’s done all right. Her real peak, though, may be just around the corner.