Wallace Shawn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wallace Shawn
Shawn in May 2014
Born	Wallace Michael Shawn (1943-11-12) November 12, 1943 (age 81) New York City, U.S.
Education	Harvard University (AB) Magdalen College, Oxford
Occupation	Actor essayist playwright screenwriter
Years active	1965–present
Partner(s)	Deborah Eisenberg (1972–present)
Parent(s)	William Shawn Cecille Lyon
Relatives	Allen Shawn (brother)

Wallace Michael Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor, writer, and playwright. He is famous for his roles like Vizzini in The Princess Bride (1987) and Mr. Hall in Clueless (1995). You might also know his voice as Rex the dinosaur in the Toy Story movies (starting 1995).

Wallace Shawn has appeared in many other films, including The Bostonians (1984) and Marriage Story (2019). He has also been in several Woody Allen films. On TV, he played Jeff Engels in The Cosby Show, Grand Nagus Zek in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Cyrus Rose in Gossip Girl. He also played Dr. John Sturgis in Young Sheldon.

Besides acting, Shawn is a talented playwright. Some of his well-known plays include Aunt Dan and Lemon (1985) and The Designated Mourner (1996). He also wrote and starred in the unique film My Dinner with Andre (1981). He has written books like Essays (2009) and Night Thoughts (2017).

Wallace Shawn's Early Life

Wallace Shawn was born on November 12, 1943, in New York City. His parents were Cecille Lyon and William Shawn, who was a famous editor for The New Yorker magazine. He has two younger twin siblings, including his brother Allen Shawn, who is a composer.

Wallace went to The Putney School for high school. He later studied history at Harvard College. He also studied philosophy and Latin at Magdalen College, Oxford, in England. For a while, he taught English in India and Latin in Manhattan. Since 1979, he has mostly worked as an actor.

Wallace Shawn's Career Journey

Wallace Shawn's career includes writing plays and acting in many films and TV shows.

Becoming a Playwright

Shawn's first plays, like Marie and Bruce (1978), showed strong feelings in a very unusual way. He once said these plays showed "my interior life as a raging beast." Some critics loved his writing, while others did not. He won an Obie Award for his play Our Late Night in 1975.

Later, his plays became more about politics and how people's feelings connect to governments and social groups. Aunt Dan and Lemon (1985) and The Designated Mourner (1997) are examples. Shawn often shows different viewpoints in his plays. He called Aunt Dan and Lemon a warning against fascism. His play The Fever is about a person who gets sick trying to live a good life when facing unfairness. This play criticizes how the United States supported harsh governments.

Shawn has also written political articles for The Nation magazine. In 2004, he created his own political magazine called Final Edition. He also translated Bertolt Brecht's play The Threepenny Opera for a New York City show. In 2009, he published his first book of essays, sharing his thoughts on politics and life.

Acting Roles and Appearances

Wallace Shawn started acting in theater in 1970. He met Andre Gregory, who has directed many of his plays. He first appeared in films in 1979, in movies like Manhattan and All That Jazz.

Some of his most famous film roles include Earl in Strange Invaders (1983) and Mr. Hall in Clueless (1995). After seeing him in My Dinner with Andre, a casting director loved how he said "inconceivable." This led to him being cast as Vizzini in The Princess Bride (1987), where that word became his character's catchphrase. Other roles include Cyrus Rose on Gossip Girl and Ezra in The Haunted Mansion.

He has also been in two special films with Andre Gregory: My Dinner with Andre and Vanya on 42nd Street. Wallace Shawn appears often on television. He played Grand Nagus Zek on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Jeff Engels on The Cosby Show. He also played Charles Lester on The Good Wife and The Good Fight. In 2018, he joined Young Sheldon as Dr. John Sturgis, a physics professor.

Voice Acting Work

Wallace Shawn is also a popular voice actor for cartoons and animated movies. He is the voice of Rex the dinosaur in the Toy Story movies. He also voiced characters in Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles, A Goofy Movie, and Family Guy.

He once said that the director of Toy Story, John Lasseter, might have chosen him because he seemed "excitable" like Rex. He was originally supposed to voice a character in The Fox and the Hound but was replaced. He also voiced Calico in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore and Mr. Mustela in The Addams Family 2.

Wallace Shawn's Activism

Wallace Shawn has written many plays that explore ideas about fairness and how people's lives connect to society. He calls himself a socialist and has written about why he believes in these ideas.

In 2013, Shawn appeared in a video supporting Chelsea Manning, a U.S. Army soldier. In 2014, he spoke out to support the Palestinian people during a conflict. He is also a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, a group that works for peace and justice.

In October 2023, Shawn spoke at a rally in Washington D.C. The rally, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, called for a ceasefire in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. He also signed a letter with other artists asking President Joe Biden to support a ceasefire. In 2024, he narrated a political ad for groups that oppose certain political influences.

Personal Life

Wallace Shawn's long-term partner is the writer Deborah Eisenberg. He is a Jewish atheist, meaning he comes from a Jewish family but does not believe in God. As of 2012, he lived in the Chelsea area of Manhattan.

Filmography

Films

Television Shows

Video Games

Theatre Performances

Musicals

Awards and Nominations

Written Works

See Also

In Spanish: Wallace Shawn para niños

• List of Jewish atheists and agnostics