Born and raised on a farm in Michigan in 1890, Irish-American character actor Harry Shannon had the credentials for becoming a staple player in westerns. He started off his career traveling around with repertory and stock companies and developed his musical abilities in tent shows, burlesque houses and such tuneful Broadway shows as "Oh, Kay!" (1926), "Hold Everything" (1928), "Simple Simon" (1931), and "Pardon My English" (1933). A company member of Joseph Schildkraut's Hollywood Theater Guild, Shannon broke into films at the advent of sound and started things off in comedy film shorts opposite such celebrated players as Bert Lahr, Shemp Howard, and Leon Errol. In the 1940s Shannon established himself in feature-length movies and although he remained a minor, second-string player, he proved himself a durable presence in westerns usually remaining on the good side of the law as sheriffs and bucolic dads. In lighthearted entertainment he could be found as a friendly Irish cop or bartender. He made a slight but memorable impression as Kane's alcoholic father in the classic Citizen Kane (1941), while his last role would be as the grandfather in the musical Gypsy (1962). In between were small parts in such notable films as The Fighting Sullivans (1944), The Jolson Story (1946), High Noon (1952), Touch of Evil (1958), and The Buccaneer (1958). 1950s TV westerns such as Cheyenne (1955), Have Gun - Will Travel (1957), Rawhide (1959), and Gunsmoke (1955) made consistent use of his rustic demeanor. Shannon died in 1964 at age 74.
Born and raised on a farm in Michigan in 1890, Irish-American character actor Harry Shannon had the credentials for becoming a staple player in westerns. He started off his career traveling around with repertory and stock companies and developed his musical abilities in tent shows, burlesque houses and such tuneful Broadway shows as "Oh, Kay!" (1926), "Hold Everything" (1928), "Simple Simon" (1931), and "Pardon My English" (1933). A company member of Joseph Schildkraut's Hollywood Theater Guild, Shannon broke into films at the advent of sound and started things off in comedy film shorts opposite such celebrated players as Bert Lahr, Shemp Howard, and Leon Errol. In the 1940s Shannon established himself in feature-length movies and although he remained a minor, second-string player, he proved himself a durable presence in westerns usually remaining on the good side of the law as sheriffs and bucolic dads. In lighthearted entertainment he could be found as a friendly Irish cop or bartender. He made a slight but memorable impression as Kane's alcoholic father in the classic Citizen Kane (1941), while his last role would be as the grandfather in the musical Gypsy (1962). In between were small parts in such notable films as The Fighting Sullivans (1944), The Jolson Story (1946), High Noon (1952), Touch of Evil (1958), and The Buccaneer (1958). 1950s TV westerns such as Cheyenne (1955), Have Gun - Will Travel (1957), Rawhide (1959), and Gunsmoke (1955) made consistent use of his rustic demeanor. Shannon died in 1964 at age 74.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0788288
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3127914
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Filmography (Movies)
The World of Tomorrow
Character:Pop Middleton (archive footage)
Release Date:31/12/1984
Gypsy
Character:Grandpa
Release Date:01/11/1962
Summer and Smoke
Character:Dr. Burke (uncredited)
Release Date:16/11/1961
Wild in the Country
Character:Sam Tyler (uncredited)
Release Date:15/06/1961
Yellowstone Kelly
Character:Captain of the Far West (uncredited)
Release Date:11/11/1959
The Buccaneer
Character:Tom Carruthers - Captain of the Corinthian
Release Date:11/12/1958
Man or Gun
Character:Justin Corley
Release Date:30/05/1958
Touch of Evil
Character:Chief Gould
Release Date:30/03/1958
The Lonely Man
Character:Dr. Fisher
Release Date:21/06/1957
Hell's Crossroads
Character:Clay Ford
Release Date:08/03/1957
Duel at Apache Wells
Character:Wayne Shattuck
Release Date:25/01/1957
The Peacemaker
Character:Drunken Cowpuncher
Release Date:01/11/1956
Written on the Wind
Character:Hoak Wayne
Release Date:04/10/1956
Come Next Spring
Character:Mr. Totter
Release Date:09/03/1956
At Gunpoint
Character:Marshal Pete MacKay
Release Date:25/12/1955
The Marauders
Character:John Rutherford
Release Date:26/09/1955
The Tall Men
Character:Sam
Release Date:22/09/1955
The Violent Men
Character:Purdue
Release Date:26/01/1955
Executive Suite
Character:Ed Benedeck
Release Date:30/04/1954
Witness to Murder
Character:Captain Donnelly
Release Date:15/04/1954
Rails Into Laramie
Character:Judge Pierce
Release Date:14/04/1954
Phantom Stallion
Character:Michael Reilly
Release Date:10/02/1954
Jack Slade
Character:Tom Carter
Release Date:08/11/1953
Roar of the Crowd
Character:Sam 'Pop' Tracy
Release Date:31/05/1953
Cry of the Hunted
Character:Sheriff Brown
Release Date:08/05/1953
Kansas Pacific
Character:Smokestack the Train Engineer
Release Date:22/02/1953
Lure of the Wilderness
Character:Pat McGowan
Release Date:16/07/1952
Flesh and Fury
Character:Mike Callan
Release Date:26/06/1952
High Noon
Character:Cooper
Release Date:09/06/1952
The Scarf
Character:Asylum Warden Anderson
Release Date:06/04/1951
The Lemon Drop Kid
Character:John (Policeman)
Release Date:02/04/1951
Blue Blood
Character:Mr. Buchanan
Release Date:28/01/1951
Pride of Maryland
Character:Walter Shannon
Release Date:20/01/1951
Al Jennings of Oklahoma
Character:Fred Salter
Release Date:17/01/1951
Hunt the Man Down
Character:Wallace Bennett
Release Date:26/12/1950
The Flying Missile
Character:Vice Admiral Williams
Release Date:24/12/1950
The Sound of Fury
Character:Mr. Yaeger
Release Date:12/12/1950
Where Danger Lives
Character:Dr. Maynard
Release Date:16/11/1950
The Killer That Stalked New York
Character:Police Officer Houlihan
Release Date:06/10/1950
The Underworld Story
Character:George Parker
Release Date:26/07/1950
Three Little Words
Character:Clanahan
Release Date:12/07/1950
The Gunfighter
Character:Chuck (uncredited)
Release Date:26/05/1950
Curtain Call at Cactus Creek
Character:Clay
Release Date:25/05/1950
Cow Town
Character:Sandy Reeves
Release Date:19/05/1950
The Jackie Robinson Story
Character:Charlie
Release Date:16/05/1950
Singing Guns
Character:Judge Waller
Release Date:28/02/1950
Tarnished
Character:Kelsey Bunker
Release Date:28/02/1950
Mary Ryan, Detective
Character:Sawyer
Release Date:03/11/1949
Mr. Soft Touch
Character:Police Sergeant Garrett
Release Date:28/07/1949
Tulsa
Character:Nelse Lansing
Release Date:13/04/1949
Champion
Character:Lew
Release Date:09/04/1949
Rustlers
Character:Sheriff Harmon
Release Date:03/03/1949
Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'
Character:Chauncey
Release Date:01/06/1948
Big Town Scandal
Character:Police Captain Henry (uncredited)
Release Date:27/05/1948
Fighting Father Dunne
Character:Thomas Lee
Release Date:12/05/1948
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
Character:Tesander
Release Date:25/03/1948
My Girl Tisa
Character:
Release Date:07/02/1948
The Lady from Shanghai
Character:Cab Driver
Release Date:24/12/1947
Dangerous Years
Character:Judge Raymond
Release Date:07/12/1947
The Invisible Wall
Character:Det. Capt. R.W. Davis
Release Date:15/10/1947
Exposed
Character:Severance
Release Date:08/09/1947
Time Out of Mind
Character:Capt. Rogers
Release Date:03/05/1947
The Farmer's Daughter
Character:Mr. Holstrom
Release Date:26/03/1947
Nora Prentiss
Character:Police Lieutenant
Release Date:22/02/1947
The Devil Thumbs a Ride
Character:Detective Owens, San Diego Police
Release Date:20/02/1947
The Red House
Character:Dr. Jonathan Byrne
Release Date:04/02/1947
San Quentin
Character:Warden Kelly
Release Date:16/12/1946
Crack-Up
Character:Cop (Uncredited)
Release Date:06/09/1946
The Last Crooked Mile
Character:Police Lieutenant Blake
Release Date:09/08/1946
Canyon Passage
Character:Henry McLane (uncredited)
Release Date:17/07/1946
Night Editor
Character:Capt. Lawrence
Release Date:29/03/1946
I Ring Doorbells
Character:Shannon
Release Date:28/02/1946
Pride of the Marines
Character:Uncle Ralph
Release Date:24/08/1945
Captain Eddie
Character:Simmons
Release Date:18/06/1945
Crime, Inc.
Character:Police Commissioner Collins
Release Date:15/04/1945
When the Lights Go On Again
Character:Tom Cary
Release Date:22/10/1944
The Mummy's Ghost
Character:Sheriff Elwood
Release Date:30/06/1944
The Yellow Rose of Texas
Character:Sam Weston
Release Date:24/06/1944
True to Life
Character:Mr. Mason
Release Date:24/12/1943
In Old Oklahoma
Character:Charlie Witherspoon
Release Date:06/12/1943
Headin' for God's Country
Character:Albert Ness
Release Date:26/08/1943
Someone to Remember
Character:Tom Gibbons
Release Date:21/08/1943
Alaska Highway
Character:John 'Pop' Ormsby
Release Date:24/06/1943
Song of Texas
Character:Sam Bennett
Release Date:14/06/1943
Idaho
Character:Judge John Grey
Release Date:10/03/1943
The Powers Girl
Character:Mr. Hendricks
Release Date:15/01/1943
Once Upon a Honeymoon
Character:Ed Cumberland
Release Date:27/11/1942
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
Character:Mr. Tim Wiggs
Release Date:01/10/1942
The Big Street
Character:Florida Doctor (Uncredited)
Release Date:13/08/1942
In Old California
Character:Mr. Carlin
Release Date:31/05/1942
The Falcon Takes Over
Character:Detective Grimes (Uncredited)
Release Date:29/05/1942
The Mad Martindales
Character:Policeman
Release Date:15/05/1942
This Gun for Hire
Character:Steve Finnerty
Release Date:24/04/1942
The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine
Character:Pinky Dolan
Release Date:27/03/1942
The Lady Is Willing
Character:Barnes
Release Date:12/02/1942
Hold Back the Dawn
Character:American Immigration Official (uncredited)
Release Date:26/09/1941
Citizen Kane
Character:Jim Kane
Release Date:17/04/1941
The Saint In Palm Springs
Character:Chief R.L. Graves
Release Date:24/01/1941
Tugboat Annie Sails Again
Character:Capt. Mahoney
Release Date:26/10/1940
Too Many Girls
Character:Mr. Casey
Release Date:08/10/1940
One Crowded Night
Character:McDermott
Release Date:09/08/1940
The Girl from Avenue A
Character:Timson
Release Date:09/08/1940
Sailor's Lady
Character:Father McGann
Release Date:05/07/1940
Gambling on the High Seas
Character:Ed, Chief of Police
Release Date:22/06/1940
Tear Gas Squad
Character:Lieutenant Sullivan
Release Date:04/05/1940
Young Tom Edison
Character:Army Captain Brackett
Release Date:15/03/1940
Parole Fixer
Character:Randall
Release Date:02/02/1940
City of Chance
Character:Passline
Release Date:13/01/1940
The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair
Character:Father
Release Date:30/04/1939
Alibi Mark
Character:Railroad Detective
Release Date:25/12/1937
Shake, Mr. Shakespeare
Character:Macbeth
Release Date:21/08/1936
A Peach of a Pair
Character:
Release Date:29/12/1934
Smoked Hams
Character:The Landlord
Release Date:20/10/1934
No More West
Character:Bank Robber
Release Date:29/03/1934
Take a Chance
Character:Bartender
Release Date:25/11/1933
Close Relations
Character:Harry Wart
Release Date:30/09/1933
20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang
Character:
Release Date:12/08/1933
Wrongorilla
Character:Grogan
Release Date:04/03/1933
The Campus Mystery
Character:Police Sergeant
Release Date:01/07/1932
Heads Up
Character:Capt. Denny
Release Date:10/10/1930
Faint Heart
Character:Dynamite Dan
Release Date:21/12/1929
Sympathy
Character:Larry
Release Date:29/08/1929
Television Appearances
The Dakotas
Character:
The Virginian
Character:Uncle Josh
Angel
Character:
The Untouchables
Character:Michael Shaw
Lock-Up
Character:
Rawhide
Character:Claggert
Rawhide
Character:Kilo
Rawhide
Character:Sheriff Blanton
Rawhide
Character:Jeffries
Bat Masterson
Character:Jobe Crail
The Texan
Character:
26 Men
Character:
The Real McCoys
Character:
The Thin Man
Character:
Sugarfoot
Character:Henry Shipman
Have Gun, Will Travel
Character:Jesse
Wire Service
Character:Harris Ellerby
State Trooper
Character:
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Character:Dr. Harner
Cheyenne
Character:
Navy Log
Character:
Gunsmoke
Character:Bowers
The Millionaire
Character:Judge William Jennings Westholme
Lassie
Character:
The Man Behind the Badge
Character:
Letter to Loretta
Character:Tom
The Ford Television Theatre
Character:Judge Varney
Cavalcade of America
Character:
Cavalcade of America
Character:Samuel Morse
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character:Big Jim Heywood
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