Michael Shannon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Shannon
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Shannon in 2019
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| Born |
Michael Corbett Shannon
August 7, 1974 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor, producer |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Kate Arrington
(m. 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Raymond Corbett Shannon (grandfather) |
| Awards | Full list |
Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing many different types of characters in movies and TV shows. Michael Shannon has been nominated for important acting awards, like the Academy Award twice. He was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award for his acting.
Michael Shannon's first movie was Groundhog Day in 1993. He has been in many popular films such as Pearl Harbor (2001), Kangaroo Jack (2003), The Shape of Water (2017), and Knives Out (2019). He is also famous for playing the villain General Zod in the superhero movies Man of Steel (2013) and The Flash (2023).
On TV, Michael Shannon played Nelson Van Alden in the HBO show Boardwalk Empire. For this role, he won two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He also starred in Nine Perfect Strangers (2021) and George & Tammy (2022).
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Early life and growing up
Michael Shannon was born on August 7, 1974, in Lexington, Kentucky. His father, Donald Sutherlin Shannon, was a professor, and his mother, Geraldine Hine, was a lawyer. His grandfather, Raymond Corbett Shannon, was a scientist who studied insects.
After his parents divorced, Michael spent time living with his mother in Lexington and with his father in Chicago, Illinois. He went to different high schools, including New Trier High School and Henry Clay High School. While in Lexington, he joined a summer camp for children's theater. He also played bass guitar in his first band, The Jehovah Suspects. He later left high school during his senior year.
Acting career highlights
Michael Shannon started his acting journey on stage in Chicago. He even helped start a theater group called A Red Orchid Theatre. He also worked with other famous theater companies.
His first movie role was in Groundhog Day in 1993. He then appeared in many other films like Pearl Harbor, 8 Mile, and Kangaroo Jack.
In 2007, Michael Shannon began working often with director Jeff Nichols. They have made several movies together, including Shotgun Stories (2007), Take Shelter (2011), and Mud (2012).
Big movie roles
In 2008, Michael Shannon starred in the movie Revolutionary Road with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. His performance in this movie was highly praised. It earned him a nomination for an Academy Award.
He also played a corrupt police officer in the 2012 film Premium Rush. In 2013, he took on the role of the famous mob hitman Richard Kuklinski in The Iceman. That same year, he became well-known to superhero fans as General Zod in Man of Steel.
In 2014, he starred in 99 Homes, playing a housing agent. This role earned him nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2016, he received another Academy Award nomination for his role as a detective in Nocturnal Animals. He also played music legend Elvis Presley in the movie Elvis & Nixon.
In 2017, Michael Shannon was in the fantasy film The Shape of Water, which won many awards. In 2019, he joined the cast of the mystery movie Knives Out. He returned as General Zod in The Flash in 2023.
Television and stage work
Michael Shannon played Federal Prohibition agent Nelson Van Alden in the HBO TV series Boardwalk Empire from 2010 to 2014. He won two Screen Actors Guild Awards for this role.
He made his first appearance on Broadway in the play Grace in 2012. He later returned to Broadway in 2016 for Long Day's Journey into Night, which earned him a Tony Award nomination.
In 2018, he played Gary Noesner in the miniseries Waco. He also starred in Nine Perfect Strangers on Hulu in 2021. In 2022, he played country music star George Jones in the show George & Tammy.
Personal life
In 2002, Michael Shannon started an indie rock band called Corporal with Ray Rizzo and Rob Beitzel. He sings and writes the lyrics for the band. They released their first album in 2010.
Michael Shannon married actress Kate Arrington in 2017. They had been together since 2002. They have two daughters named Sylvia (born in 2008) and Marion (born in 2011). The family lives in New York.
Filmography
Movies
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Groundhog Day | Fred | |
| 1996 | Chain Reaction | D.C. Flower Delivery Man | Credited as "Mike Shannon" |
| 1997 | Chicago Cab | Crack Head | |
| 1999 | Jesus' Son | Dundun | |
| The Ride | Jimmy | ||
| 2000 | The Photographer | Maurice | |
| Tigerland | Sergeant Filmore | ||
| Cecil B. Demented | Petie | ||
| Mullitt | Phil Kunz | Short film | |
| 2001 | Pearl Harbor | Lt. Gooz Wood | |
| New Port South | John Stanton | ||
| Vanilla Sky | Aaron | ||
| 2002 | High Crimes | Troy Abbott | |
| 8 Mile | Greg Buehl | ||
| 2003 | Kangaroo Jack | Frankie Lombardo | |
| Bad Boys II | Floyd Poteet | ||
| Grand Theft Parsons | Larry Oster-Berg | ||
| 2004 | Water | Bobby Matherson | |
| Criminal | Gene | ||
| Dead Birds | Clyde | ||
| Zamboni Man | Walt, Zamboni Man | Short film | |
| The Woodsman | Rosen | ||
| 2006 | Bug | Peter Evans | |
| World Trade Center | Dave Karnes | ||
| Let's Go to Prison | Lynard | ||
| Marvelous | John | ||
| 2007 | Shotgun Stories | Son Hayes | |
| Blackbird | Murl | ||
| Lucky You | Ray Zumbro | ||
| Before the Devil Knows You're Dead | Dex | ||
| 2008 | Revolutionary Road | John Givings Jr. | |
| 2009 | The Missing Person | John Rosow | |
| Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans | Mundt | ||
| The Greatest | Jordan Walker | ||
| My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? | Brad McCullum | ||
| 2010 | The Runaways | Kim Fowley | |
| Herbert White | Herbert White | Short film | |
| 13 | Henry | ||
| Jonah Hex | Dr. Cross Williams | ||
| 2011 | Take Shelter | Curtis LaForche | |
| Return | Mike | ||
| The Broken Tower | Emile Opffer | ||
| Machine Gun Preacher | Donnie | ||
| 2012 | Mud | Uncle Galen | |
| Premium Rush | Bobby Monday | ||
| The Iceman | Richard Kuklinski | ||
| 2013 | Man of Steel | General Zod | |
| The Harvest | Richard Young | ||
| 2014 | Young Ones | Ernest Holm | |
| They Came Together | Spike | Cameo | |
| She's Funny That Way | Policeman Macy's | Cameo | |
| 99 Homes | Rick Carver | ||
| 2015 | Freeheld | Dane Wells | |
| The Night Before | Mr. Green | ||
| 2016 | Complete Unknown | Tom | |
| Frank & Lola | Frank Reilly | ||
| Midnight Special | Roy Tomlin | ||
| Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | General Zod | Credit only | |
| Wolves | Lee Keller | ||
| Poor Boy | Blayde Griggs | ||
| Elvis & Nixon | Elvis Presley | Also executive producer | |
| Loving | Grey Villet | ||
| Salt and Fire | Matt Riley | ||
| Nocturnal Animals | Det. Bobby Andes | ||
| 2017 | The Shape of Water | Col. Richard Strickland | |
| The Current War | George Westinghouse | ||
| Pottersville | Maynard Greiger | ||
| 2018 | 12 Strong | CWO. Hal Spencer | |
| What They Had | Nicky Everhardt | Also executive producer | |
| State Like Sleep | Edward | ||
| 2019 | Knives Out | Walt Thrombey | |
| 2020 | The Quarry | Chief Moore | Also executive producer |
| Echo Boomers | Mel Donnelly | ||
| 2021 | Heart of Champions | Jack Murphy | Also producer |
| 2022 | Night's End | Isaac Dees | |
| Abandoned | Renner | ||
| Bullet Train | White Death | ||
| Amsterdam | Henry Norcross | ||
| A Little White Lie | Shriver | ||
| 2023 | Eric Larue | N/A | Director |
| The Flash | General Zod | ||
| The Bikeriders | Zipco | ||
| 2024 | A Different Man | Himself | Cameo |
| The End | Father | ||
| 2025 | Nuremberg  |
Robert H. Jackson | Post-production |
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Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television shows
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Overexposed | Young Man | Television film |
| Angel Street | Patrick Mulligan | Television film | |
| 1998, 1999 | Early Edition | Merle / Mr. Andrews | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Turks | Man #1 | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Avery Shaw | Episode: "Quarry" |
| 2009 | Delocated | Mark | Episode: "Sick of It!" |
| 2010–2014 | Boardwalk Empire | Nelson Van Alden/George Mueller | 35 episodes |
| 2017–2020 | At Home with Amy Sedaris | Various | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Waco | Gary Noesner | 6 episodes; also executive producer |
| Fahrenheit 451 | Captain Beatty | Television film | |
| The Little Drummer Girl | Martin Kurtz | 6 episodes | |
| Our Cartoon President | Narrator (voice) | Episode: "Election Special 2018" | |
| Room 104 | Nathan | Episode: "Swipe Right" | |
| 2021 | Nine Perfect Strangers | Napoleon Marconi | 8 episodes |
| 2022 | Little Demon | Unshaven Man (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 2022–2023 | George & Tammy | George Jones | 6 episodes |
| 2023 | Waco: The Aftermath | Gary Noesner | 5 episodes; also executive producer |
| TBA | Death by Lightning |
James A. Garfield | Upcoming miniseries |
Stage plays
| Year | Title | Role | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Loving Little Egypt | Humberhill | Griffin Theatre Company | |
| 1992 | Fun and Nobody | Denny | Next Theatre Company | |
| 1993–1994 | Killer Joe | Chris Smith | Next Theatre Company, EFF | |
| 1995 | Victims of Duty | The Detective | A Red Orchid Theatre | |
| 1996 | Bug | Peter Evans | Gate Theatre | |
| 1998 | Killer Joe | Chris Smith | SoHo Playhouse | |
| 1999 | The Killer | Berenger | A Red Orchid Theatre | |
| 1999 | The Idiot | Parfyon Rogozhin | Lookingglass Theatre | |
| 2001 | Bug | Peter Evans | A Red Orchid Theatre | |
| 2002 | Finer Noble Gases | Lynch | Actors Theatre of Louisville | |
| 2004–2005 | Bug | Peter Evans | Barrow Street Theatre | |
| 2005 | Gagarin Way | Eddie | A Red Orchid Theatre | |
| 2006 | The Pillowman | Michal | Steppenwolf Theatre Company | |
| 2006 | Hunger and Thirst | Director | A Red Orchid Theatre | |
| 2006 | Grace | Sam | Northlight Theatre | |
| 2007 | Lady | Kenny | Northlight Theatre | |
| 2008 | The Little Flower of East Orange | Danny | The Public Theater | |
| 2008 | The Metal Children | Tobin Falmouth | Vineyard Theatre | |
| 2008 | Lady | Kenny | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater | |
| 2009 | Mistakes Were Made | Felix Artifex | A Red Orchid Theatre | |
| 2010 | Our Town | Stage Manager | Barrow Street Theatre | |
| 2010–2011 | Mistakes Were Made | Felix Artifex | Barrow Street Theatre | |
| 2012 | Uncle Vanya | Mikhail Lvovich Astrov | Soho Repertory Theatre | |
| 2012–2013 | Grace | Sam | Cort Theatre | |
| 2013 | Simpatico | Lyle Carter | A Red Orchid Theatre | |
| 2014 | The Killer | Berenger | Theatre for a New Audience | |
| 2015 | Pilgrim's Progress | Jim McKee | A Red Orchid Theatre | |
| 2016 | Long Day's Journey into Night | James Tyrone Jr. | American Airlines Theatre | |
| 2017 | Simpatico | Lyle Carter | McCarter Theatre Center | |
| 2018 | Traitor | N/A | A Red Orchid Theatre | As director |
| 2018 | Victims of Duty | The Detective | A Red Orchid Theatre | |
| 2019 | Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune | Johnny | Broadhurst Theatre | |
| 2022–2023 | Des Moines | Father Michael | Theatre for a New Audience | |
| 2023 | Waiting for Godot | Estragon | Theatre for a New Audience | |
| 2024 | Turret | Green | A Red Orchid Theatre | |
| 2025 | A Moon for the Misbegotten | N/A | Almeida Theatre |
Awards and recognition
Michael Shannon has won and been nominated for many awards for his acting. These include nominations for the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Tony Award.
On August 7, 2023, the city of Chicago even declared it "National Michael Shannon Day" to celebrate him!
See also
In Spanish: Michael Shannon para niños
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
