Being born into a well-established and well-educated family doesn't necessarily mean much. Despite such family accolades, Shue's parents divorced while she was in the fourth grade. Owing to the occupational demands of her parents, Shue and her siblings found plenty of time to get into trouble in their suburban neighborhood, but Elisabeth soon enrolled in Wellesley College, an all-female institution which kept her out of trouble.During her studies, she found a way to make a little extra money by acting in television commercials. Elisabeth became a common sight in ads for Burger King, DeBeers diamonds, and Hellman's mayonnaise. In 1984, she landed a role in the Karate Kid (1984) as the on-screen girlfriend of Ralph Macchio and a role as the teenage daughter of a military family in the short-lived series "Air Force" (1984). At this time, Shue got herself an acting coach and transferred to Harvard, where she began studying political science.She continued her acting work with Die Nacht der Abenteuer (1987), Cocktail (1988), Lieblingsfeinde - Eine Seifenoper (1991) and Die blonde Versuchung (1991). Unfortunately, time was catching up with the impressive girl-next-door. Her brother Andrew Shue had almost eclipsed her own fame by landing a starring role in the hit TV series "Melrose Place" (1992). It was at this time that Elisabeth took a chance on a low-budget, high-risk project entitled Leaving Las Vegas - Liebe bis in den Tod (1995), directed by Mike Figgis. Her gutsy portrayal of a prostitute mixed up with a suicidal alcoholic paid off as she was recognized with a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards that year. This was the turning point of her career. What followed was a barrage of film roles, including Der Mann ohne Namen (1997), Woody Allen's Harry außer sich (1997), Palmetto (1998) and Hollow Man - Unsichtbare Gefahr (2000).Over forty years of age, Elisabeth still continues to impress with a variety of film and television roles that show off her versatility as an actress and not just her good looks and girl-next-door persona.
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