Shia LaBeouf

Shia Saide LaBeouf is an American actor, filmmaker and performance artist whose career has moved from child television comedy to blockbuster stardom, independent film and experimental art projects. Born in Los Angeles on June 11, 1986, he began performing as a child and became known to a young audience as Louis Stevens on the Disney Channel series Even Stevens. The role earned him a Daytime Emmy Award and led quickly to film work, including the lead role of Stanley Yelnats in Holes.

LaBeouf’s move into mainstream film came in the mid-2000s. He starred in Disturbia, provided voice work for Surf’s Up and appeared opposite major stars in films such as Constantine and Bobby. His biggest commercial breakthrough was playing Sam Witwicky in Transformers, a role he reprised in Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon. He also appeared in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Eagle Eye and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, becoming one of the most visible young American actors of that period.

After the Transformers years, LaBeouf shifted increasingly toward riskier independent work. He appeared in Lawless, Nymphomaniac, Fury and American Honey, and later drew strong attention for The Peanut Butter Falcon and Honey Boy. Honey Boy was especially personal: LaBeouf wrote the screenplay, drawing from aspects of his own childhood and early career, and played a character inspired by his father. His work in these films often emphasized volatility, vulnerability and a willingness to blur the line between performance and autobiography.