Early life

Shue was born in Wilmington, Delaware, the daughter of Anne Brewster (née Wells; b.1938), and James William Shue (1936-2013), a one-time congressional candidate, lawyer, and real estate developer, who was president of the International Food and Beverage Corporation. Her mother was a vice president in the private banking division of the Chemical Banking Corporation Shue grew up in South Orange, New Jersey. Her parents divorced when she was nine. Shue's mother was a descendant of Pilgrim leader William Brewster, while her father's family emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in the early 19th century. Shue was raised with her three brothers, Will, Andrew, and John, and was very close to her siblings. Her younger brother, Andrew, is also an actor, best known for his role as Billy Campbell in the Fox series Melrose Place. Shue graduated from Columbia High School, in Maplewood, New Jersey, where she and Andrew were inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1994. She has two half-siblings from her father's remarriage, Jenna and Harvey Shue.

Shue attended Wellesley College and, in her junior year, was inspired by a friend to work in television commercials as a way to pay for college. She transferred to Harvard University in 1985, from which she withdrew to pursue her acting career one semester short of earning her degree. The same year she left Harvard, 1988, her older brother, William, died in a swimming accident while on a family vacation. She returned to Harvard in 1997 and completed her BA in political science in 2000.

Career

1980s and early 1990s

During her studies at Columbia High School and after her parents' divorce, Shue acted in television commercials. Shue became a common sight in ads for Burger King, DeBeers diamonds, and Hellmann's mayonnaise.

Shue made her feature film debut in 1984, when she co-starred opposite Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid as the love interest of Macchio's character. Shue had a role as the teenage daughter of a military family in the short-lived series Call to Glory and, in 1986, starred alongside Terence Stamp in the British simian horror film Link. She continued with Adventures in Babysitting (her first starring role), Cocktail as the love interest of Tom Cruise's character and the comedies Soapdish and The Marrying Man with Sally Field and Alec Baldwin, respectively. She appeared as Jennifer Parker in the 1989 Back to the Future Part II and the 1990 Back to the Future Part III, succeeding Claudia Wells, who declined to reprise the role from Back to the Future because of a family illness.

In May 1990, Shue made her Broadway debut in Some American Abroad at the Lincoln Center. Also on Broadway, in 1993, she performed in Tina Howe's production of Birth and After Birth. Also in 1993, she played Robert Downey Jr.'s girlfriend in the romantic comedy Heart and Souls.

1995-present

Although often cast as a girl-next-door type, Shue starred as a prostitute in the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas with Nicolas Cage. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She was also nominated for a BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG Award for Best Actress, and won Best Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and the National Society of Film Critics Awards. Her career flourished after her Oscar nomination, landing her diverse roles. She starred in The Trigger Effect in 1996. Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry showcased her comedic abilities amongst heavyweight co-stars Billy Crystal, Demi Moore, Robin Williams and Stanley Tucci. Shue also displayed some action movie skills in the 1997 spy remake The Saint as Val Kilmer's love interest. The thriller Palmetto (1998) afforded her the chance to play a film noir-ish femme fatale opposite Woody Harrelson; and Paul Verhoeven's Hollow Man (2000) with Kevin Bacon proved another summer blockbuster.

In 1999, Shue starred with Aaron Eckhart in Molly as an autistic young woman who undergoes an operation that allows her to become more "normal." She played a mother that reveals her dark past to her teenaged daughter in the 2001 ABC movie Oprah Winfrey Presents: Amy and Isabelle. Shue also had supporting roles in Cousin Bette with Jessica Lange, Hide and Seek opposite Robert De Niro, and Mysterious Skin opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

In 2007, Shue and her two brothers produced Gracie. She had a role in the film loosely based on her own experiences as the only girl on a boys' soccer team. Andrew initially conceived of it as a story about their late brother William, the oldest Shue sibling, who was the captain of the high school soccer team; he died in a freak accident, while the family was on a vacation in 1988. The character of Johnny was based on Will.

In 2008, Shue starred in Hamlet 2 as a fictionalized version of herself. In the film, she has quit acting to become a nurse and is the favorite actress of Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan). In 2009, Shue appeared on the seventh season of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm as an actress competing with Cheryl Hines's character for the part of George's ex-wife for the Seinfeld reunion. In 2010, Shue top-lined the horror flick Piranha 3D as Sheriff Julie Forester.

In early 2012, Shue joined the cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Julie Finlay, replacing Marg Helgenberger, who played Catherine Willows. Finlay is the newest CSI, who just finished anger-management classes. Also in 2012, Shue appeared in three wide-release theatrical films: the thriller House at the End of the Street with Jennifer Lawrence; Curtis Hanson's Chasing Mavericks opposite Gerard Butler; and David Frankel's Hope Springs as Kay the bartender in a cameo scene with Meryl Streep.

Personal life

Known to her friends and family as Lisa, Shue is married to film director Davis Guggenheim. Their son, Miles William, was born on November 11, 1997. She gave birth to her first daughter, Stella Street, on March 19, 2001. Her third child, Agnes Charles, was born on June 18, 2006. Her son's middle name is in honor of her eldest brother, William.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	Somewhere, Tomorrow	Margie
1984	Karate Kid, TheThe Karate Kid	Ali Mills
1986	Link	Jane Chase
1987	Adventures in Babysitting	Chris Parker
1988	Cocktail	Jordan Mooney
1989	Body Wars	Dr. Cynthia Lair	Disney attraction
1989	Back to the Future Part II	Jennifer Parker
1990	Back to the Future Part III	Jennifer Parker
1991	Marrying Man, TheThe Marrying Man	Adele Horner
1991	Soapdish	Lori Craven / "Angelique"
1993	Twenty Bucks	Emily Adams
1993	Heart and Souls	Anne
1994	Radio Inside	Natalie
1995	Underneath, TheThe Underneath	Susan Crenshaw
1995	Leaving Las Vegas	Sera
1996	Set It Off	Daniela Williams
1996	Trigger Effect, TheThe Trigger Effect	Annie Kay
1997	Saint, TheThe Saint	Dr. Emma Russell
1997	Deconstructing Harry	Fay
1998	Palmetto	Mrs. Donnelly / Rhea Malroux
1998	Cousin Bette	Jenny Cadine
1999	Molly	Molly McKay
2000	Hollow Man	Linda McKay
2002	Tuck Everlasting	Narrator (voice)
2004	Mysterious Skin	Mrs. McCormick
2005	Hide and Seek	Elizabeth Young
2005	Dreamer	Lilly Crane
2007	Gracie	Lindsay Bowen
2007	First Born	Laura
2008	Hamlet 2	Herself
2009	Don McKay	Sonny
2010	Piranha 3D	Julie Forester
2010	Janie Jones	Mary Ann Jones
2010	Waking Madison	Dr. Elizabeth Barnes
2012	Hope Springs	Karen
2012	House at the End of the Street	Sarah Cassidy
2012	Chasing Mavericks	Kristy Moriarity
2014	Behaving Badly	Pamela Bender
2017	Battle of the Sexes		Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, TheThe Royal Romance of Charles and Diana	Lynn Osborne	Movie
1984-85	Call to Glory	Jackie Sarnac	Main role (23 episodes)
1987	Wonderful World of Color	Kathy Shelton	Episode: "Double Switch"
1992	General Motors Playwrights Theater, TheThe General Motors Playwrights Theater	Alice Adams	Episode: "Hale the Hero"
1993	Dream On	Maura Barish	Episode: "Oral Sex, Lies and Videotape"
2001	Amy & Isabelle	Isabelle Goodrow	Movie
2009	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Virginia	Episodes: "Officer Krupke", "Seinfeld"
2012-15	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Julie Finlay	Main role (71 episodes)
2015	Blunt Talk	Suzanne Mayview	Episode: "The Queen of Hearts"

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1984	Young Artist Awards	Best Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical, Comedy, Adventure or Drama	The Karate Kid	Won
1986	Saturn Awards	Best Actress	Link	Nominated
1995	Awards Circuit Community Awards	Best Actress	Leaving Las Vegas	Won
	Independent Spirit Awards	Best Female Lead		Won
	Los Angeles Film Critics Association	Best Actress		Won
	National Society of Film Critics	Best Actress		Won
	Academy Awards	Best Actress		Nominated
	BAFTA Awards	Best Actress in a Leading Role		Nominated
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama		Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role		Nominated

Charities

Elisabeth Shue supports the following charitable cause: Children.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]