Biography
Character actor Michael Shannon earned his reputation as an intense, magnetic performer on the Chicago stage before making the leap to features in the early 1990s. Once there, he captured the attention of audiences with small but significant turns in dramatic features like "Jesus' Son" (1999) and "Vanilla Sky" (2001), while also displaying a knack for offbeat comedy in "Cecil B. Demented" (2000) and "Kangaroo Jack" (2003). His talent for …
Michael Shannon SlideShow
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Career Milestones
2012 | Played a corrupt NYC cop opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the action thriller "Premium Rush" |
2011 | Starred as a young husband and father plagued by apocalyptic visions in "Take Shelter" |
2011 | Cast in the action drama "Machine Gun Preacher," starring Gerard Butler |
2011 | Landed the coveted villain role of General Zod in "Man of Steel," Zack Snyder's reboot of the Superman franchise |
2010 | Cast as Agent Nelson Van Alden on the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire" |
2010 | Appeared in the Western action/drama "Jonah Hex" opposite Josh Brolin and Megan Fox |
2010 | Played the manager and producer of "The Runaways," starring Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett, Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie |
2008 | Portrayed the institutionalized son of the local real estate agent (Kathy Bates) in Sam Mendes' "Revolutionary Road"; earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor |
2008 | Directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the off-Broadway production of Stephen Adly Guirgus' "The Little Flower of East Orange" |
2007 | Cast opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" |
2007 | Reprised his role as a mentally disturbed drifter in William Friedkin's adaptation of "Bug" |
2006 | Made directorial debut at the Red Orchid Theater for Eugene Ionesco's "Hunger and Thirst" |
2006 | Co-starred in Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" |
2004 | Played a therapist treating a convicted child molester (Kevin Bacon) in "The Woodsman" |
2004 | Reprised his role for the off-Broadway production of "Bug" |
2003 | Portrayed the abusive boyfriend of Eminem's mother in "8 Mile" |
2001 | Featured in Michael Bay's epic, "Pearl Harbor" |
2000 | Co-starred in John Waters' "Cecil B. Demented" |
1999 | Cast as a Vietnam-era sergeant in "Tigerland" |
1999 | Appeared as a gun-toting psychopath in "Jesus' Son" |
1998 | Played a drug addict in the indie film "Hellcab" |
1996 | Originated the role of Peter Evans in "Bug" at the Gate Theatre in London |
1993 | Made film debut in Harold Ramis' "Groundhog Day" |
1993 | Co-founded the Red Orchid Theater |
1992 | Made small screen debut in the CBS TV-movie "Angel Street" |
1991 | Made professional theater debut in "Winterset" at the Illinois Theater Center |
Awards
2012 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead in Take Shelter |
2011 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in Boardwalk Empire |
2011 | Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor in Take Shelter |
2009 | Palm Springs International Film Festival for Ensemble Cast Award in Revolutionary Road |
2008 | Academy Award for Actor In a Supporting Role in Revolutionary Road |