Michael Shannon



Michael Shannon is an American stage, film, and television actor. His best known performances are as John Givings in Revolutionary Road and Nelson Van Adden in Boardwalk Empire.

Born in Kentucky to a single mother, he got his first work as an actor on the Chicago stage, at various times working for such theatre companies as Steppenwolf, The Next Lab and the Red Orchid Theatre. He eventually started to get small parts in Hollywood movies, too, notably the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced films such as Bad Boys 2, Pearl Harbor, and Kangaroo Jack. This recogition (along with his Academy Award nomination for Revolutionary Road) has led to him recieving larger and more acclaimed roles in (mostly independent) films, such as Bug, The Runaways, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans, Shotgun Stories, and Take Shelter.

He is best known for his virtuoso ability to play repressed, unstable, and otherwise crazed characters. He has also been compared to Christopher Walken for his ability to completely steal a movie simply by showing up. He will soon be seen playing General Zod in the upcoming Superman reboot Man of Steel and the legendary Career Killer Richard Kuklinski in The Iceman.

Despite the large number of villainous roles to his name, Shannon is very much known to be a Nice Guy who loves his daughter and has a great sense of humor.

His Notable Films:

 * Cecil B Demented (2000)
 * 8 Mile (2002)
 * Bad Boys 2 (2003)
 * Bug (2006)
 * World Trade Center (2006)
 * Shotgun Stories (2007)
 * Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2008)
 * Revolutionary Road (2008)
 * Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans (2009)
 * My Son My Son What Have Ye Done (2009)
 * The Runaways (2010)
 * Jonah Hex (2010)
 * Machine Gun Preacher (2011)
 * Take Shelter (2011)
 * The Iceman (2012)
 * Man of Steel (2013)

This actor provides examples of:
""Well, there seems to be something inherently intense about my face - I guess my bone structure. Even if I'm just sitting in a totally neutral state, not thinking about anything in particular, that [intensity] is projected on my face. I have wondered over the years why that is. A friend of mine once said it looks like I have psychic baggage, which I guess is true to a certain extent - although I have a hard time imagining anybody who doesn't. I guess it just comes through maybe more clearly on my face than other people's faces. I don't know.""
 * Breakout Role: His scene-stealing turn in Revolutionary Road.
 * Lantern Jaw of Justice: Though he's never really played a macho hero type. See Uncanny Valley below.
 * Mean Character Nice Actor
 * Money Dear Boy: The only reason we can think he appeared in movies like Jonah Hex, and 13.
 * One Scene Wonder
 * Playing Against Type: Despite being so well known for crazy guys, he's earned equal acclaim playing more conventional types in Shotgun Stories and Return.
 * Production Posse: Often works with director Jeff Nichols and actor James Franco.
 * Retroactive Recognition: BIG time. Before he made it in Hollywood, he had small roles in films like Groundhog Day, Cecil B Demented, Pearl Harbor, Vanilla Sky, 8Mile, and Grand Theft Parsons.
 * Rule of Sean Connery
 * Self Deprecation: He's completely aware of how Type Cast he is as crazy types, and isn't afraid to have fun with that, such as in this this video where he talks about adorable things.
 * Uncanny Valley: One of the reasons he's so good at playing mentally ill characters is that there's something just a little bit... off about him. It's tough to explain, but you can tell it when you watch him.


 * Younger Than They Look: He's always looked quite a few years older, especially when compared to co-stars who are younger. Though on the plus side, he doesn't seem to have aged much in the last ten years or so.