
Acting
Community Rating
5.8
TMDB estimate
Born
June 12, 1890
Died
July 27, 1964 (age 74)
Born in
Saginaw, Michigan, USA
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.

The World of Tomorrow
as Pop Middleton (archive footage)
1984

The Dakotas
1963

Gypsy
as Grandpa
1962

The Virginian
as Uncle Josh
1962

Summer and Smoke
as Dr. Burke (uncredited)
1961

Wild in the Country
as Sam Tyler (uncredited)
1961

Angel
1960

Yellowstone Kelly
as Captain of the Far West (uncredited)
1959

The Untouchables
as Michael Shaw
1959

Lock-Up
1959

Rawhide
as Claggert
1959

The Buccaneer
as Tom Carruthers - Captain of the Corinthian
1958

Bat Masterson
as Jobe Crail
1958

The Texan
1958

Man or Gun
as Justin Corley
1958

Touch of Evil
as Chief Gould
1958

26 Men
1957

The Real McCoys
1957

The Thin Man
1957

Sugarfoot
as Henry Shipman
1957