Michael Shannon

Overview

Born
August 7, 1974 · Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Birth name
Michael Corbett Shannon
Nickname
- Mike
Height
6′ 3¼″ (1.91 m)

Biography

Family

Spouse
Children
Parents
Relatives

Trademarks

Often plays crazed characters
Deep authoritative voice
Towering, imposing stature
Square jaw and wild blue eyes
Frequently works with Jeff Nichols

Trivia

His favorite films are Alphaville (1965), The King of Comedy (1982), Dekalog (1989), Crumb (1994) and I Stand Alone (1998).
Partner of actress Kate Arrington and father of their daughters, Sylvia and Marion.
One of his favorite shows is Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1995).
Is the first non-British actor to play Superman's enemy General Zod.
He was awarded the 2013 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Principal Actor in a Play for "Simpatico" at the A Red Orchid Theater in Chicago, Illinois.

Quotes

[on his early acting days] I would work at Chicago store-front theaters that were little rooms with folding chairs. I did it for free and never really had the ambition to become a movie actor. I just loved acting and never had a desire to move to L.A. But I was fortunate to tell some great stories and I wound up taking shows on the road to London and New York.
[on filming My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009)] I certainly did a lot of traveling with this film. I went to Peru with Werner, and that alone made the experience worth it. Because first of all, I went to Peru, which I would have never done. I don't travel for fun, because I travel so much with my work; when I'm not working, I mostly want to stay home. So I went to Peru and China, to Kashgar. I saw the old city in Kashgar, which 10 years from now probably won't even be there anymore. Those are the fond memories. You know, standing up at Machu Picchu and Werner (Herzog) pointing to the various places, like "I shot the opening of Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) over there. When were shooting Fitzcarraldo (1982), we stayed in those shacks down there by the river." It's like his own personal playground.
[on if he's inherently drawn to unhinged characters, or is this what people just tend to cast him in] It's probably a combination of things. When people are casting things, movies and what not, they go on impressions they have of people, you know. The impressions they have of you are based on what they've seen you in. But I also think I find a lot of differences in the characters I've played, regardless of whether they may be violent or angry or act out or, you know, have lapses of control. I still find them all pretty interesting in their own regard, and not incredibly similar. I think if you took scenes from each of the films and put them on a loop, or played them back to back, you would maybe see more of the subtle differences between them. I think part of the reason I got into this was because I'm generally in touch with the uneasy side of myself and things in general, probably. I think the world's an uneasy place, filled with anxiety and problems, so maybe the voices of the characters I play are representative of that.
[on what makes him smile] My daughter. She makes me smile, and my family. I think a lot of times what makes you smile is unexpected, it catches you off guard, surprises you; something may make you smile one day and it may not necessarily make you smile the next. It's a mystery what makes any of us happy and [happiness is] usually fleeting.
[on if he feels he has an "intense" or conflicted-looking face as seemingly others do] 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.