Michael J. Shannon (January 24, 1943 – November 23, 2023), also billed as simply Michael Shannon, was an American actor and playwright.

Life and career

Shannon was best known for appearances in films such as ''Little Shop of Horrors'', ''

Red Dwarf A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...

'', '' Future Cop'' and ''

We'll Meet Again "We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song by English singer Vera Lynn with music and lyrics composed and written by English songwriters Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. The song is one of the most famous of the Second World War era, resonating with ...

,'' the last two being his most substantial television roles, as Officer John Haven and Major James Kiley, respectively. Shannon was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

on January 24, 1943. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre Arts from

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

(whose School of Communication grants Bachelor of Science degrees in all of its programs of study, including theater). He subsequently received a Master of Arts in Oral Interpretation from Northwestern. In addition to his filmography, he has maintained substantial theatrical acting credits throughout his career, including the British premiere of

Arthur Kopit Arthur Lee Kopit (; May 10, 1937 – April 2, 2021) was an American playwright. He was a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist for ''Indians (play), Indians'' and ''Wings (play), Wings''. He was also nominated for three Tony Awards: Best Play for ...

's ''The End of the World'' ''with Symposium to Follow'' in Southampton (Nuffield Theatre) and the London premiere of

A. R. Gurney Albert Ramsdell Gurney Jr. (November 1, 1930 – June 13, 2017) (sometimes credited as Pete Gurney) was an American playwright, novelist and academic. Gurney is known for plays including ''The Dining Room'' (1982), '' Sweet Sue'' (1986/7), '' T ...

's ''

The Dining Room ''The Dining Room'' is a play by the American playwright A. R. Gurney. It was first produced Off-Broadway at the Studio Theatre of Playwrights Horizons, in 1981. Synopsis The play is a comedy of manners, set in a single dining room where 18 s ...

'' (Greenwich Theatre, 1983, directed by Alan Strachan). In 2013 he gave four benefit performances in aid of

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

of the monumental one-man play ''Clarence Darrow'' by David V. Rintels, based on the life of the lawyer and founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union, at the Teahouse Theatre in Vauxhall, London. The first play he authored, ''Deros On the Funny Farm'', was first produced at the

Long Wharf Theater Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared. Fo ...

in New Haven in 1981 with

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. Known for various roles, including leading man characters, Bacon has received numerous accolades such as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Bacon made his featu ...

in the lead.

Theme of the American President

A recurring feature of his career, in acting and writing, is the figure of the American president. He portrayed

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television series ''

'', starred in two episodes of the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

television series ''

Call to Glory ''Call to Glory'' is an American drama that aired for 22 episodes during the 1984–85 television season on ABC. The show focuses on USAF pilot Colonel Raynor Sarnac ( Craig T. Nelson) and his family, living near Edwards Air Force Base, where ...

'' titled 'JFK' (parts 1 and 2, though not as the president) and has written and starred in a one-man play, ''JFK on JFK''.

Hoyt Hilsman Hoyt R. Hilsman is an author, journalist and political figure. He has written novels, non-fiction books, plays and screenplays, and is a regular contributor to national media. He was a candidate for Congress in California in 2006 and 2008, and has ...

, in reviewing the play for ''

Back Stage West Backstage is a prominent global casting platform and entertainment industry publication that connects performers, content creators, and behind-the-scenes professionals with casting directors and production teams across film, television, theate ...

'', wrote, "Shannon's memorable performance captures the soul of the late president like none other in recent memory." Shannon took the role of Harding in James Staley's play about the scandal-plagued American president

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

, ''Everyone's Friend'', which premiered in August 1999 at Whitefire Theatre. ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' critic Philip Brandes wrote that "Shannon makes a heartbreakingly believable case for Harding's ignorance of and outrage at the abuses of his Cabinet." Shannon portrayed

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

in a play he also authored, ''Watching with Lincoln'', produced at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2014. His play ''Liberty Rising'' is set in the Revolutionary War featuring

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

and

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

alongside their wives

Martha Martha (Aramaic language, Aramaic: מָרְתָא‎) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is descr ...

and

Abigail Abigail () was an Israelite woman in the Hebrew Bible married to Nabal; she married the future King David after Nabal's death (1 Samuel ). Abigail was David's third wife, after Ahinoam and Saul's daughter, Michal, whom Saul later married to ...

Personal life

Shannon was the second husband of the late

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

-born actress

Vickery Turner Vickery Turner (3 April 1940 in Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex – 4 April 2006), born Christine Hazel Turner, was a British actress, playwright, author and theatre director. Career She started out on stage and her first breakthrough role was ...

. He and Turner met during the American season of

Frith Banbury Frederick Harold Frith Banbury (4 May 1912 – 14 May 2008) was a British theatre actor and director. Banbury was born in Plymouth, Devon, on 4 May 1912, the son of Rear Admiral Frederick Arthur Frith Banbury and his wife Winifred (née F ...

's production of the play ''The Day After The Fair'' by Frank Harvey, which opened on September 4, 1973 at the Auditorium Theatre in Denver, Colorado and closed January 20, 1974 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Shannon played the role of Bradford and Turner the role of Anna. Their daughter Caitlin is also an actress and writer. Shannon died on November 23, 2023, at the age of 80.

Filmography

Films

TV

References

External links

*
Michael J Shannon webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shannon, Michael J. 1943 births 2023 deaths Northwestern University alumni