Being born into a well-established and well-educated family doesn't necessarily mean much. Despite such family accolades, 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 The Karate Kid as the on-screen girlfriend of Ralph Macchio and a role as the teenage daughter of a military family in the short-lived series Call to Glory. 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 Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail, Soapdish and The Marrying Man. 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. It was at this time that Elisabeth took a chance on a low-budget, high-risk project entitled Leaving Las Vegas, 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, Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry, Palmetto and Hollow Man.

Over forty years of age, Elisabeth still continues to impress with a variety of film and television roles that show off her versatility as an actress and not just her good looks and girl-next-door persona.



Son, Miles William, with Davis Guggenheim was born. [11 November 1997] Got started in commercials as "The Burger King Girl.". Majored in Government at Wellesley College; transferred to Harvard University in 1985; planned to become an attorney. Daughter, Stella Street, was born weighing 6 lbs. 7 oz. [19 March 2001] Auditioned for the Sherilyn Fenn role in Of Mice and Men (1992). Sister-in-law of Jonathan Guggenheim and Grace Guggenheim. Was cast as the female lead in the Jim Carrey movie The Number 23 (2007) but had to drop out just weeks before shooting because of her pregnancy. Shue was replaced by Virginia Madsen. She was amongst the final candidates for the female lead in Say Anything... (1989). According to director Cameron Crowe, "Elisabeth Shue did an amazing version of the graduation speech". Jennifer Connelly was runner-up to Ione Skye, who got the role in the end. Elisabeth replaced Claudia Wells as Jennifer Parker, Michael J. Fox' girlfriend, in the two sequels to Back to the Future (1985). Claudia's mother was dying from cancer, requiring the re-casting.