Shia LaBeouf
Born: June 11 1986
Where: Los Angeles, California, USA
The young actor first attracted attention for his portrayal of Stanley Yelnats in Disney's Holes.
Subsequent big screen outings have included a lead role in Michael Bay's Transformers and Indiana Jones' sidekick in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
The son of a Cajun mime artist and a Jewish ballerina, LaBeouf - an only child - was born into a showbiz family (his grandfather was a comedian who worked the Catskill "Borchst Belt".
He enjoyed a happy childhood - despite his father's drug habit - and went on to live with his mother in Los Angeles' Echo Park after his parents got divorced.
LaBeouf, who won an MTV breakthrough award for Holes, had performed his stand-up routines around LA coffee shops.
He was signed up by an agent after being inspired by a friend who landed a part in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman.
His first job of any note was supplying the voice for the Japanese animated film Warriors of the Wind.
LaBeouf then played Joey in the TV series Breakfast With Einstein and made his feature debut in the The Christmas Path.
Next came his breakthrough role of Louis Stevens in the popular Disney Channel series Even Stevens.
In 2003, Andrew Craig cast him in the well-received Holes and he went on to land a minor role in Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd.
The same year he also appeared in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and The Battle of Shaker Heights.
In 2004 he starred in the sci-fi thriller I, Robot with Will Smith and went on to appear alongside Keanu Reeves in Constantine.
Subsequent appearances included Emilio Estevez's historical drama Bobby and he played the young Dito (to Robert Downey Jr's adult version) in A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints.
In 2007, he starred in the American box office smash Disturbia and as Sam "Spike" Witwicky in Michael Bay's CGI extravaganza Transformers.
Recent work includes the role of Indiana Jones's maverick sidekick Mutt Williams in the action caper Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
