Shia LaBeouf facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shia LaBeouf
LaBeouf at the 2022 Venice Film Festival
Born	Shia Saide LaBeouf (1986-06-11) June 11, 1986 (age 39) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor filmmaker performance artist
Years active	1996–present
Partner(s)	Mia Goth (2012–2018, 2020–present)
Children	1

Shia Saide LaBeouf (ⁱ/ˈʃaɪ.ə ləˈbʌf/ shy-Ə-_-LƏ-buf; born June 11, 1986) is an American actor and filmmaker. He became well-known for playing Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel TV show Even Stevens. For this role, he won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2003.

Shia LaBeouf started his film career in The Christmas Path (1998). He also began directing short films, like Let's Love Hate (2004) and Maniac (2011).

In 2007, LaBeouf starred in the popular movies Disturbia and Surf's Up. From 2007 to 2011, he played the main character, Sam Witwicky, in the Transformers film series, including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. These movies were very successful. In 2008, he appeared as Henry "Mutt Williams" Jones III in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

His other movies include Holes (2003), Constantine (2005), Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), Lawless (2012), Fury (2014), American Honey (2016), Borg vs McEnroe (2017), Honey Boy (2019), and The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019). Since 2014, LaBeouf has also been involved in many public performance art projects with a group called LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner.

Early Life and Background

Shia LaBeouf was born in Los Angeles, California, on June 11, 1986. He is the only child of Shayna Saide and Jeffrey LaBeouf. His mother was an artist and jewelry designer, and his father was a veteran and a former professional clown. His mother passed away in August 2022.

LaBeouf's mother was Jewish, and his father, who has Cajun French roots, is Christian. He has said that he grew up with both religions, having a Bar Mitzvah and also being baptized. His first name, Shia, means 'gift of God' in Hebrew. In 2022, he converted to Catholicism.

Shia has described his parents as "hippies" and his childhood as a "hippy lifestyle." His parents later divorced because of money problems. LaBeouf grew up in Echo Park with his mother, who sold fabrics and brooches. At one point, his parents faced tough financial times, and his uncle considered adopting him to help out. To cope with his parents' divorce, he would perform for his family.

From age 12, Shia lived with his father while filming Even Stevens. His father was his guardian on set. LaBeouf remains close to both of his parents and supports them. He attended 32nd Street Visual and Performing Arts Magnet and Alexander Hamilton High School. He mostly learned from tutors. LaBeouf has said he is grateful for his childhood experiences.

In 2010, LaBeouf completed the Los Angeles Marathon.

Career Highlights

Early Acting Years

Before acting, LaBeouf performed stand-up comedy in his neighborhood. He started performing at The Improv at age 10. He found an agent by looking in the Yellow Pages. LaBeouf has shared that he first became an actor because his family needed money, not because he always dreamed of acting.

In the early 2000s, LaBeouf became popular with young audiences as Louis Stevens on the Disney Channel show Even Stevens. This role earned him a Daytime Emmy Award. He said that he "grew up on that show" and that getting the role was the "best thing" that happened to him.

He then appeared in the film Holes (2003), which was well-received. In 2005, he co-starred in Constantine with Keanu Reeves. That same year, he voiced Asbel in the English version of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. LaBeouf also directed his first short film, Let's Love Hate. He has played real people, like golfer Francis Ouimet and a younger version of Dito Montiel in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006).

Breakthrough and Big Movies

LaBeouf with co-star Megan Fox at the Transformers press conference in Paris in June 2009

Shia LaBeouf starred in the 2007 film Transformers as Sam Witwicky, alongside Megan Fox. His character is a human who gets involved in a war between giant robots called Autobots and Decepticons. The movie was very successful and became LaBeouf's highest-earning film at that time. He also hosted Saturday Night Live twice, in 2007 and 2008.

In Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), LaBeouf played Indiana Jones' son, Mutt Williams. He later said he felt he "dropped the ball" on the legacy of Indiana Jones. His next film was Eagle Eye, released in September.

In 2009, LaBeouf directed a music video for the song "I Never Knew You" by rapper Cage. Through Cage, he met Kid Cudi. The three of them later worked on a short film called Maniac (2011).

He appeared in the 2010 film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, directed by Oliver Stone. In this movie, LaBeouf played a young Wall Street trader. The Hollywood Reporter named him one of the young male actors who were becoming the new "A-List" in Hollywood.

LaBeouf returned as Sam Witwicky in the Transformers sequels, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011). Filming for Revenge of the Fallen was affected by a car accident LaBeouf had, but the director Michael Bay adjusted the script to protect his hand. While Revenge of the Fallen earned a lot of money, it received mostly negative reviews. LaBeouf did not return for the fourth Transformers film.

Recent Work

LaBeouf has also created graphic novels and a webcomic series. In April 2012, he promoted them at Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo. That same year, he played a bootlegger in the crime drama Lawless.

LaBeouf at the premiere of Fury in 2014

In 2013, he was set to make his Broadway debut in a play called Orphans but left due to "creative differences" with co-star Alec Baldwin. A month later, his film The Company You Keep, co-starring Robert Redford, was released.

In 2014, LaBeouf co-starred with Brad Pitt in Fury, a World War II film. Critics praised his performance, with Rolling Stone calling it "outstanding."

In 2015, LaBeouf appeared in Sia's music video for "Elastic Heart" with Maddie Ziegler. He also starred in the war-thriller film Man Down. In 2016, he played the main male role, Jake, in American Honey. Critics noted that he delivered one of his best performances in this film. In 2017, he played tennis player John McEnroe in the film Borg vs McEnroe.

In 2019, LaBeouf starred in The Peanut Butter Falcon and Honey Boy. He also wrote Honey Boy, basing the screenplay on his own experiences as a young actor. Both films received positive reviews. In 2020, LaBeouf starred in The Tax Collector and the Netflix drama Pieces of a Woman with Vanessa Kirby.

In 2023, LaBeouf made his stage debut in the play Henry Johnson. In 2024, he played a lead role in Francis Ford Coppola's film Megalopolis. He is also set to star in the thriller Assassination.

Performance Art Projects

LaBeouf at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival

Since 2014, Shia LaBeouf has worked with artists Luke Turner and Nastja Säde Rönkkö on various public performance art projects. Their group is called LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner. These projects often explore themes of fame and how people see others. Some of their well-known projects include #IAMSORRY (2014), #Allmymovies (2015), and Hewillnotdivide.us (2017–2021).

One famous moment happened on February 9, 2014, at the Berlin Film Festival. LaBeouf walked the red carpet wearing a brown paper bag over his head that said "I am not famous anymore." Later, in their #Iamsorry performance, he spent six days in a Los Angeles gallery wearing the paper bag and sitting silently.

In 2015, LaBeouf appeared in #Introductions, a video where he performed short speeches in front of a green screen. One part, an energetic motivational speech known as "Just Do It", became very popular online. It turned into an Internet meme with many remixes and parodies.

Personal Life

Relationships

Shia LaBeouf met British actress Mia Goth in 2012. In October 2016, they had a ceremony in Las Vegas. Although it was not a legal marriage at first, LaBeouf later confirmed they were married. In September 2018, they announced their separation and filed for divorce. However, in February 2022, it was reported that they had gotten back together, and Goth was expecting their first child. Their daughter was born in March 2022.

LaBeouf also dated British musician FKA Twigs from 2018 to 2019. He then dated American actress Margaret Qualley in 2020 after they worked together on a music video. Their relationship reportedly ended in January 2021.

Religion

LaBeouf has explored his faith throughout his life. He contributed an essay to a 2004 book where he mentioned a "personal relationship with God" within Judaism. In 2014, he said he "found God" while filming Fury and became a Christian.

In August 2022, LaBeouf shared that he became interested in the Catholic faith while studying for his role as Padre Pio in the film Padre Pio. He stayed in a Capuchin monastery during this time. He mentioned that the Traditional Latin Mass was important in his conversion. In May 2023, LaBeouf confirmed he was going through the process to become a Catholic. On December 31, 2023, he was confirmed into the Catholic Church.

Selected Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Music Video

Video Game

Web

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  LaBeouf at the 2022 Venice Film Festival

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  LaBeouf with co-star Megan Fox at the Transformers press conference in Paris in June 2009

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  LaBeouf at the premiere of Fury in 2014

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  LaBeouf at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival

See also

In Spanish: Shia LaBeouf para niños