Popular American actor Shia Labeouf is also a director, and performance artist. His foray into acting was more of a necessity rather than a passion for it. He considered it just as an option to earn a living.
However, he realized his innate talent in the process and made the most out of it. Performing as a stand-up comedian at a very early age of 10, he went on to become a very successful actor and filmmaker. He considers himself a self-propelled go-getter.
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Early life
Born on 11th July 1986 as the only child for Jeffrey Craig LaBeouf- a Vietnam war veteran and Shayna- a dancer and designer, he grew up in Los Angeles. His mother is Jewish while his father is a Christian. His family was financially ridden. His father used to be an alcoholic and that just made things worse for the family.
Considering their condition, Shia had to find a source of income to support his mother. He started performing as a stand-up comedian in the nearby clubs when he was just 10. Shia was auditioned and got selected to play the character, Louis Stevens, in the show “Even Stevens” run by Disney channel in the year 2000. This marked his rise to fame.
Personal
His parents are divorced, but he still supports both of them financially. He married his longtime girlfriend Mia Goth, but they got separated in the year 2018. Mia is an English actress who worked with Shia in the movie “Nymphomaniac” released in 2013.
Shia has been very vocal about his stand against Donald Trump. He even went ahead and set up an art installation to demonstrate his protest against Trump.
Shia Labeouf Age, Height, and Weight
Shia is 34 years as of now. His height is 1.76 meters and he weighs about 72 kgs.
Shia Labeouf Career
Shia’s parents’ divorce forced him and his mother to struggle financially. He couldn’t bear his mother waging a lone battle to make the ends meet. He wanted to support her somehow. That was when he met a boy of his age who used to earn well from his acting assignments. Shia decided to give it a shot.
His stand-up comedy gigs not only helped him in supporting his mother, but they also made him realize that he was quite skilled as a performance artist. Shia has always had a fierce determination to pursue whatever he wanted.
When he came to know about the Disney audition for the show “Even Stevens”, he didn’t think twice to give it a try. His talent and confidence helped him win the audition and he was cast as Louis Stevens. The show, which ran during the 2000-2003 period was his big-ticket to stardom. His performance in the show won him a Daytime Emmy Award.
This was followed by roles in various Hollywood projects like “Holes”- released in 2003 and “Constantine”- released in 2005. He was cast alongside Keanu Reeves in the movie “Constantine”.
He gave a shot at film direction by making the short film “Let’s Love Hate” in the year 2005.
Shia is known for his willingness to learn. He has been a quick learner and he kept improving all through his career. His performance in the movie “Disturbia” was much appreciated.
In between, he also tried his hand in anchoring shows, by hosting “Saturday Night Live” in the year 2007.
Being cast as the protagonist Sam Witwicky in the blockbuster “Transformers” series catapulted him to superstardom. After the release of the first movie in the “Transformers” series, he acted in ace director Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the Crystal Skull” released in the year 2008.
His other major movies are “Wallstreet: Money Never Sleeps”- released in 2010, “Lawless” and “The Company You Keep”- released in 2012, “Nymphomaniac”- released in 2013, “Fury”- the Brad Pitt starrer released in 2014, “Borg vs McEnroe”- released in 2017 in which he was cast as John McEnroe, “Peanut Butter Falcon”- a comedy-drama released in 2019 and “Honey Boy”- he wrote and acted in this movie released in 2019.
Always interested in exploring uncharted territories, he went on to direct a music video in the year 2009. The video, titled “I Never Knew You” was a single from the album “Depart From Me” by rapper Cage. He also created three graphic novels and a web series. As a performance artist, he collaborated with renowned artists like Luke Turner and Nastja Säde Rönkkö.
Shia Labeouf’s Net Worth
His role in the movie “Bobby”- a period drama released in the year 2006, fetched him $400,000. However, he shot into the list of Hollywood A-graders with his role in the blockbuster “Transformers” franchise. Earning $750,000 for the first movie in the series, he went on to earn $5 million for the second movie and $15 million for the third one. His ask for being cast in the fourth movie of the franchise was $18 million, but the studio was ready to pay only $15 million, which he did not accept. He opted out of the franchisee.
Shia was never bogged down by the challenges he faced. Despite financial struggles so early in his life, he didn’t give up. Challenges only strengthened his resolve to bounce back. His success story is a classic demonstration of the power of determination. With a net worth of about $25 million, Shia is not just one of the most talented actors but one of the richest as well.
