Michael Shannon

Shannon was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and is a grandson of entomologist Raymond Corbett Shannon.[3] His father, Donald Sutherlin Shannon, was an accounting professor at DePaul University, and his mother, Geraldine Hine, is a lawyer.[4][5][6] He was raised by his divorced parents in both Lexington, Kentucky, and Chicago, Illinois.[7][8] He attended New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Illinois for two years, then moved back to Kentucky his junior year, then back to Chicago for his senior year, attending Evanston Township High School for a semester before dropping out.[9]

Shannon's first film role was as the main character in the music video for the Every Mother's Nightmare song "House of Pain", in which he played a troubled teenager who was running away from his abusive home. He later became a stage actor in Chicago. He helped found A Red Orchid Theatre, where he still regularly performs.[3] He has since worked with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, and other acting companies.[10] Shannon originated the role of Peter Evans in Bug in 1996 and also starred in the 2006 film adaptation with Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr., directed by William Friedkin. His roles in Bug and Killer Joe were written by Steppenwolf ensemble member Tracy Letts.[8]

Shannon made his film debut with a small role in Groundhog Day in 1993 as a wedding groom.[11] Later, he had roles in Jesus' Son, Pearl Harbor, 8 Mile and Vanilla Sky. He played the villain in Kangaroo Jack. After a role in Bad Boys II, he had a major role in Grand Theft Parsons as the hippie, Larry Oster-Berg. In 2006, he played Lynard, the leader of a prison white supremacist group, in Let's Go to Prison. Shannon has appeared in several shows in the West End in London, including a production of Woyzeck directed by Sarah Kane.[12] In 2008, Shannon was featured in the off-Broadway production of Stephen Adly Guirgis's The Little Flower of East Orange, presented by LAByrinth Theater Company and The Public Theater, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman and also featuring Ellen Burstyn.[13]

Shannon (far right) with Robert Davi and Stephen Dorff at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2008, he starred in the romantic drama film Revolutionary Road, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. His performance as the clinically insane son earned him universal acclaim,[14][15][16][17] and won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture[18] and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.[19] In 2010, he portrayed Doc Cross Williams in the film adaptation of Jonah Hex.[20] Shannon played Federal Prohibition agent Nelson Van Alden in the HBO television show Boardwalk Empire, which began in 2010. In November of that year, he began starring in the one man play Mistakes Were Made at the Barrow Street Theatre in New York City, with performances having run through February 27, 2012.[21] Shannon had previously performed the show in 2009 at A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago.[22]

In 2011, Shannon starred in the drama film Take Shelter. He received rave reviews for his performance,[23][24] and a Saturn Award for Best Actor.[25] In 2012, he played a corrupt cop in the film Premium Rush, written and directed by David Koepp,[26] and appeared on Broadway along with Paul Rudd and Ed Asner in Grace written by Craig Wright. In 2013, he starred as legendary mob hitman Richard Kuklinski in The Iceman, which was distributed in May 2013. His performance received much acclaim from critics. Also that year, Shannon portrayed General Zod, the main antagonist in Zack Snyder's film Man of Steel.[27] Shannon portrayed music icon Elvis Presley alongside Kevin Spacey as President Richard Nixon in Elvis & Nixon.[28]

In 2015, he was seen in the biographical drama film Freeheld, as well as the independent drama film 99 Homes as housing agent Rick Carver, a role that earned him widespread critical acclaim, and nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.[29][30] 2015 was also the release year for The Night Before where Shannon played Mr. Green alongside Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The following year, he starred in the psychological thriller film Nocturnal Animals, alongside Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal. His performance as a detective investigating a double homicide garnered him critical acclaim,[31][32][33][34] and he received his second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[35]

He played Col. Richard Strickland in Guillermo del Toro's romantic fantasy film The Shape of Water.[36] The film had its world premiere at the 74th Venice International Film Festival,[37] where it won the Golden Lion.[38][39] In 2018, he played the lead role as Gary Noesner in Waco on Paramount Network. He also featured in the short film "Long Way Back Home", which serves as an extended film-clip for the song of the same name by Memphis country-punk rock band, Lucero from their album Among The Ghosts. Frontman of Lucero, Ben Nichols, is the older brother of frequent Shannon collaborator, Jeff Nichols.[40] Shannon also contributed spoken world vocals to Lucero's "Back To The Night", also from Among The Ghosts.[41]

In 2002, Shannon formed the indie rock band Corporal, along with Ray Rizzo and Rob Beitzel. Shannon sings and writes lyrics for the band. In 2010, Corporal released their self-titled debut album.[42] Following the album's release two MP3 tracks have been released for download. The first track "Glory" was released in 2011 and the second song titled "Obama" was released in June 2012 as the band's way of endorsing President Obama's run for reelection.[43]

Shannon at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

Shannon married actress Kate Arrington in 2018; they have two daughters, Sylvie and Marion. They live in the neighborhood of Red Hook located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.[44]

• List of actors with Academy Award nominations

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Michael Shannon.

• Corporal (official website)
• Michael Shannon at IMDb
• Michael Shannon at the Internet Broadway Database
• Michael Shannon at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Michael Shannon on "Larry King Now"
• Michael Shannon biography at A Red Orchid Theatre, Chicago
• The Onion A.V. Club interview
• Michael Shannon Reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter