Shia LaBeouf's Relationship with Dad Jeffrey Craig Who Was Once on the Run from the Police

Talented actor Shia LaBeouf has not had the best relationship with his dad, Jeffrey Craig LaBeouf, a convicted sex offender. However, the father and son seem to have patched things up in recent years.

Former child star Shia LaBeouf rose to fame in the early 2000s while portraying Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel series "Even Stevens." For the role, he earned a Young Artist Award nomination in 2001 and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2003.

In 2007, Shia got his career breakthrough when he starred in the commercially successful movies "Disturbia" and "Surf's Up." That same year, he also portrayed the lead character Sam Witwicky in the box office hit "Transformers."

Despite achieving so much success in such a short time, Shia once admitted he never intended to pursue a career in acting. However, Hollywood provided an escape for the young LaBeouf from his troubled childhood and his drug-addicted father, Jeffrey Craig LaBeouf.

HIS TROUBLED LIFE

Jeffrey Craig LaBeouf is of Cajun descent and was raised in San Francisco. He later trained as a classical clown before becoming a war veteran who served three tours of Vietnam in a gruesome war that took the lives of over a million people.

As per Shia, the war left his father pretty damaged, and he became a hazard to those around him, especially his son, while battling with alcohol and heroin addiction.

In 1981, Jeffrey was convicted of attempted rape of a minor and served time until 1983. Apart from his sex crime, the retiree was also charged with kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon in 1981.

Jeffrey met his ex-wife Shayna Saide LaBeouf, a visual artist and jewelry maker, when he got out of jail. It is not clear when they got married, but the former couple welcomed their son in 1986.

Jeffrey's unemployment and struggles with alcohol and drug addiction eventually led to the end of his marriage five years after his son was born.

The 72-year-old war veteran has reportedly been on the run from US authorities since 2013, after violating his registration requirements as a convicted sex offender.

Jeffrey's social media activity suggests that he is living somewhere in Costa Rica. Besides hiding away from US authorities, Jeffrey uses his time in isolation to teach art.

COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH DAD

Shia LaBeouf did not have a regular upbringing like most children. When he should have been enjoying his childhood, he found himself becoming the breadwinner of a family torn apart by his father's controversial lifestyle.

The actor revealed that his dad was not convinced he could pull off playing him, but his reaction was different after watching the movie.

As a child, Shia allegedly suffered physical and mental abuse at the hands of his father. The 34-year-old actor also claimed that his father supplied him with joints and cigarettes.

Despite the unconventional upbringing he got from his father, the "Transformers" star still has a profound respect for his dad and maintains he learned a lot from him. In his words:

"My dad handed me a lot, and his legacy was an emotional one. And it wasn't scarring. He handed me texture. My dad blessed me that way."

Still, Jeffrey's financial troubles, coupled with his split from his wife, caused Shia to have an unstable childhood as he bounced between his father and mother's homes.

Over the years, Shia's relationship with his father suffered as his career blossomed and the pair grew increasingly distant. In 2010, Jeffrey was conspicuously missing from his son's wedding to fellow actress Mia Goth.

Even though some media reports claim he was able to watch the ceremony via Livestream, it was still a sad reminder of how fragile their relationship was at the time.

Over the years, Shia has been very candid about his complicated relationship with his father. While he readily admits he would love to be closer to his dad, he maintains that he derives some motivation from their on-and-off relationship.

However, the pair seem to have put all their troubles behind them, and Shia was even able to get a nod from his father before the release of his 2019 biopic film "Honey Boy," which sensationally detailed their complicated relationship.

LABEOUF'S TELL-ALL MOVIE

Over the years, Shia LaBeouf has struggled with alcohol addiction and constant run-ins with the law. In 2017, he was admitted into rehab and was diagnosed with PTSD from his childhood.

It was during his time in the court-appointed rehab that he began writing the script for the movie "Honey Boy." The film details Shia's troubled childhood under the care of his alcoholic and drug-addicted father.

The movie is directed by Alma Har'el and depicts Shia's life when he was a child star on the Disney Channel and lived with his dad in a seedy Hollywood motel. It also captures his alleged abusive relationship with his father and how it impacted his life.

Before writing the film's script, Shia had not been in contact with his father in seven years. However, he had to break the silence and get his father to sign off on the movie to make it a reality.

Even though it took some convincing, Shia eventually got his father's blessings. The actor revealed that his dad was not convinced he could pull off playing him, but his reaction was different after watching the movie.

Apart from reuniting the estranged father and son, the movie has done some good for their relationship. While speaking on his current relationship with his dad, Shia said:

"It's complicated still like any relationship with a parent, but we're in a way better place, and he's in a way better place."

It is doubtful that Shia LaBeouf and his dad will ever experience a normal father-son relationship. However, it is clear that there is a lot of love in that space, and hopefully, they can build on it.