Career

Elisabeth Shue : A Harvard Degree Holder Before Becoming An Actress

By

You may have seen Elisabeth Shue in movies like the 1984 "The Karate Kid" or "Leaving Las Vegas." She also starred in "Hollow Man." Not a lot of people know however, that this veteran actress is a Harvard graduate.

If you are following "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" back in 2012 to 2015, you may have seen her as Julie Finlay. But according to KR CR Tv, she completed her higher education in 2000.

Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Elisabeth Shue attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey. She was inducted in the school's Hall of Fame in 1994. After graduating high school, she attended Wellesley College. During her junior year, she worked her way through college by working in television commercials which became her first exposure in the realms of show business.

She was a common commercial actress. You can spot her in Burger King ads, DeBeers diamonds commercials and even Hellmann's mayonnaise ads.

It was in 1984 however that she made her film debut. She starred in "The Karate Kid." Her movie exposure prompted her to make a career decision.

In 1985, she transferred to Harvard University. She was close to finishing her degree. She was not able to finish her studies at that time as she took off a semester before graduating to pursue her acting career. In 1997, she again returned to Harvard University.

She took a four year course in Political Science. She was able to complete her degree and was able to graduate in 2000. Afterwards, she started focusing on her acting career full time.

Now, she is known for her multiple "girl next door" type movie roles. Later on, she starred in many movies that earned her nominations (Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe, SAG Award) and won Best Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards. It was only after she received her Oscar nomination that her career soared.

© 2024 University Herald, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics