Elisabeth Shue - Early Life

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.