Shia LaBeouf Was A Street Performer 5/13/08

Shia LaBeouf had an unusual preparation for his acting career - he spent his childhood working as a street performer with his father.

LaBeouf, whose father is a retired Vietnam War veteran, grew up selling snacks and entertaining strangers before he was spotted and landed a role in 2000 Disney series Even Stevens.

He remembers of his past, "It's pretty colorful. We grew up in Echo Park (California), a real Latin neighborhood. We used to sell hot dogs to get by, that was our thing. (My father) took an old (soap) cart and we painted it; we had these snow cone things and we would all dress up as clowns and sell hot dogs in the park."