Elisabeth Shue was born in Wilmington, Delaware, to Anne Brewster
(Wells), who worked for the Chemical Banking Corporation, and James
William Shue, a lawyer and real estate developer. She is of German and
English ancestry, including descent from Mayflower passengers. Shue's
parents divorced while she was in the fourth grade. Owing to the
occupational demands of her parents, Shue and her siblings found plenty
of time to get into trouble in their suburban neighborhood, but
Elisabeth soon enrolled in Wellesley College, an all-female institution
which kept her out of trouble.
During her studies, she found a way to make a little extra money by
acting in television commercials. Elisabeth became a common sight in
ads for Burger King, DeBeers diamonds, and Hellman's mayonnaise. In
1984, she landed a role in the
Karate Kid (1984) as the
on-screen girlfriend of
Ralph Macchio and a role as the
teenage daughter of a military family in the short-lived series
Air Force (1984). At this
time, Shue got herself an acting coach and transferred to Harvard,
where she began studying political science.
She continued her acting work with
Die Nacht der Abenteuer (1987),
Cocktail (1988),
Lieblingsfeinde - Eine Seifenoper (1991) and
Die blonde Versuchung (1991).
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: Liebe bis in den Tod (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. This was the turning point of her career. What followed was a
barrage of film roles, including
The Saint - Der Mann ohne Namen (1997),
Woody Allen's
Harry außer sich (1997),
Palmetto (1998) and
Hollow Man - Unsichtbare Gefahr (2000).
