Elisabeth Shue

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)
Elisabeth Shue

Elisabeth Shue, 2007
Born Elisabeth Judson Shue
October 6, 1963 (1963-10-06) (age 44)
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Spouse(s) Davis Guggenheim

Elisabeth Judson Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated American film actress.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Shue was born in Wilmington, Delaware. Her mother, Anne Harms (née Wells), was a bank executive who was the vice president of the private division of the Chemical Banking Corporation. Her father, James Shue, is a lawyer and real estate developer who was the president of the International Food and Beverage Corporation and was active in Republican politics, having once unsuccessfully run for the U.S. Senate in New Jersey.[1][2][3][4]

Shue grew up in Bergen and Essex counties in New Jersey. Her parents divorced while she was in the fourth grade.[5] Shue graduated from Columbia High School, in Maplewood, New Jersey, and attended Wellesley College and Harvard University, from which she withdrew to pursue her acting career. She returned to Harvard, 15 years after withdrawing, to finish her degree in Government in 2000.[6] Shue was awarded entrance into Columbia High School's Hall of Fame in 1994, along with her brother, Andrew.[7]

[edit] 1980s

During her studies at Columbia and after her parents' divorce, she found a way to make extra money by acting in television commercials. Shue became a common sight in ads for Burger King, DeBeers diamonds, and Hellman's mayonnaise.

In 1984, she co-starred in The Karate Kid as the onscreen girlfriend of Ralph Macchio and had a role as the teenage daughter of a military family in the short-lived series Call to Glory. She continued with Adventures in Babysitting (her first starring role), Cocktail as the love interest of Tom Cruise and the comedies Soapdish and The Marrying Man. She also appeared in Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III as Jennifer Parker, replacing original actress Claudia Wells, who declined to reprise the role from Back to the Future.

For more details on this topic, see Back_to_the_Future_Part_II#Replacement_of_Claudia_Wells.

[edit] 1990s–present

Although often recognized for her girl next door image[8][9][10][11][12][13][14], Shue starred as a prostitute in the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas with Nicolas Cage. The role earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She was also nominated for a BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG Award for Best Actress, and won the Best Actress awards at the Independent Spirit Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and the National Society of Film Critics Awards.

Since then, she has starred in The Trigger Effect, The Saint, Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry, Palmetto, and Hollow Man. In 1999, Shue starred in Molly as an autistic young woman, who underwent an operation that allowed her to become more "normal." She had strong supporting roles in Hide and Seek opposite Robert De Niro and Mysterious Skin. Shue reportedly was set to co-star with Jim Carrey in The Number 23 but became pregnant just weeks before filming and ended up losing the part to Virginia Madsen[citation needed].

In 2007, Shue and her two brothers produced Gracie. She had a role in the film, which is set in 1978 and loosely based upon Elisabeth's own experiences as the only girl on a boys soccer team.

Shue is currently filming a psychological thriller, Waking Madison, for director Katherine Brooks.[citation needed] It centers on a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder trying to piece back together her life.

She is rumored to be attached to The Hard Ride, which would see her reunited with Val Kilmer (whom she co-starred with on The Saint).[citation needed] The movie follows a legendary gunfighter and his close friends to 1876 Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

[edit] Personal life

Known among her friends and family as "Lisa," Shue is married to Davis Guggenheim, director of the HBO TV series Deadwood, An Inconvenient Truth and Gracie. [15] They have a son and two daughters. Her brother is actor Andrew Shue, who is best known for his role of Billy on Melrose Place and also played professional soccer. Another brother, William, died in 1988 at the age of 26 from a freak swimming accident while on family vacation.[16] Son Miles's second name is in homage to Will. She is currently training to become a professional tennis player.[17]

[edit] Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1984 The Karate Kid Ali Mills
1986 Link Jane Chase
1987 Adventures in Babysitting Chris Parker
1988 Cocktail Jordan Mooney
1989 Back to the Future Part II Jennifer Parker/McFly
1990 Back to the Future Part III Jennifer Parker
1991 Soapdish Lori Craven
1993 Heart and Souls Anne
1994 Radio Inside Natalie
1995 Leaving Las Vegas Sera Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress
1996 The Trigger Effect Annie Kay
1997 The Saint Dr. Emma Russell
1997 Deconstructing Harry Fay
1998 Cousin Bette Jenny Cadine
1998 Palmetto Mrs. Donnelly/Rhea Malroux
1999 Molly Molly McKay
2000 Hollow Man Linda McKay
2004 Mysterious Skin Mrs. McCormick
2005 Hide and Seek Elizabeth
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story Lilly Crane
2007 First Born Laura
Gracie Lindsay Bowen
2008 Waking Madison Dr. Elizabeth Barnes
Hamlet 2 Elisabeth Shue
The Hard Ride

[edit] References

  1. ^ Elisabeth Shue Biography (1963-)
  2. ^ WEDDINGS;Jody Buonanno, John M. Shue - New York Times
  3. ^ Elisabeth Shue - Family and Companions - Yahoo!7 Movies
  4. ^ cantonrep.com - A Personal Turn for Shue
  5. ^ http://www.njmonthly.com/issues/2007/07-Jul/features/willtowin.htm
  6. ^ The Harvard Guide: A Harvard Yearbook, James - Updike
  7. ^ Columbia High School - Library Information Technology Center
  8. ^ Actress Elisabeth Shue shed her girl-next-door image—earning Oscar and Golden Globe nods and a spot on Hollywood's 'A' list—with her performance in Leaving Las Vegas.
  9. ^ Unfortunately, time was catching up with the impressive girl-next-door. Her brother Andrew Shue had almost eclipsed her own fame by landing a starring role in the hit TV series "Melrose Place" (1992). It was at this time that Elisabeth took a chance on a low-budget, high-risk project entitled Leaving Las Vegas (1995), directed by Mike Figgis. Her gutsy portrayal of a prostitute mixed up with a suicidal alcoholic paid off as she was recognized with a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards that year.
  10. ^ "I may look like the girl next door, but you wouldn't want to live next door to me."
  11. ^ Elisabeth Shue may look like the typical, wholesome girl next door, but after her heartfelt portrayal of supportive prostitute Sera in Mike Figgis' Leaving Las Vegas, Elisabeth broke out of the typecast roles she was accustomed to playing.
  12. ^ She finally smashed forever her wholesome girl next door image with her complex, blistering dramatic performance as Sera, an abused prostitute who becomes involved with a dissolute suicidal screenwriter (Nicolas Cage), in Mike Figgis' critically acclaimed "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995).
  13. ^ She continued acting with impressive girl-next-door performances in Adventures in Babysitting (1987), Cocktail (1988), the final two installments of the waning Back to the Future franchise (1989, 1990), Soapdish (1991), and The Marrying Man (1991).
  14. ^ I've been compared to quite a few celeb/pseudo-celeb "girls next door" over the years. One interesting/mysterious example is Elisabeth Shue.
  15. ^ Elisabeth Shue pics and links offered by WomenCelebs.com
  16. ^ Elisabeth Shue - Profile, Latest News and Related Articles
  17. ^ Elisabeth Shue Plans Pro Tennis Career - Starpulse Entertainment News Blog

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
v • d • e
The Karate Kid series
Films
Characters
Cast
Crew
Music
Related