Early Life
Shue was born in Wilmington, Delaware. Her mother, Anne Brewster (née Wells), was vice president of the private banking division of the Chemical Banking Corporation. Her father, James William Shue, a lawyer and real estate developer, was the president of the International Food and Beverage Corporation. Shue grew up in Bergen and Essex counties in 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 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.
Shue attended Wellesley College and in her junior year, was inspired by a friend to work in television commercials and as a way to pay for college. She transferred to Harvard University in 1985, from which she withdrew to pursue her acting career with one semester short of earning her degree. The same year she left Harvard, 1988, her brother, William, died from a swimming accident while on a family vacation. She returned to Harvard in 1997 and received her BA in Political Science from Harvard in 2000.
Read more about this topic: Elisabeth Shue
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:
“Although good early childhood programs can benefit all children, they are not a quick fix for all of society’s ills—from crime in the streets to adolescent pregnancy, from school failure to unemployment. We must emphasize that good quality early childhood programs can help change the social and educational outcomes for many children, but they are not a panacea; they cannot ameliorate the effects of all harmful social and psychological environments.”
—Barbara Bowman (20th century)
“You seem to have no real purpose in life and won’t realize at the age of twenty-two that for a man life means work, and hard work if you mean to succeed.”
—Jennie Jerome Churchill (1854–1921)