Elisabeth Judson Shue was born on October 6, 1963, in Wilmington, Delaware. Her mother, Anne Brewster (née Wells), worked for Chemical Bank Corporation, and her father, James William Shue, was a lawyer and real estate developer. She was raised in South Orange, New Jersey. She attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, and later Wellesley College before transferring to Harvard University. She took a break from her studies to pursue acting and eventually graduated from Harvard in 2000 with a degree in political science.
Shue began her acting career in television commercials, including those for Burger King and De Beers diamonds. Her early television roles included appearances in series like “Royal Match” and “Callahan.” Her film debut was in “Somewhere, Tomorrow” (1983). She gained wider recognition in 1984 with her role as Ali Mills in “The Karate Kid.”
Shue’s career progressed with roles in several popular films throughout the 1980s and 1990s. She received critical acclaim for her performance as Sera in “Leaving Las Vegas” (1995), earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She won several awards for this role, including the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead and awards from various film critics associations.
Other notable film roles include:
In recent years, Shue has