George Shannon

Shannon was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and is a grandson of entomologist Raymond Corbett Shannon. His father, Donald Sutherlin Shannon, was an accounting professor at DePaul University, and his mother, Geraldine Hine, is a lawyer. He was raised by his divorced parents in both Lexington, Kentucky, and Chicago, Illinois.

Shannon's first film role was as the main character in the music video for the Every Mother's Nightmare song "House of Pain", in which he played a troubled teenager who was running away from his abusive lifestyle. He later became a stage actor in Chicago. He helped found A Red Orchid Theatre, where he still regularly performs. He has since worked with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, and other acting companies. Shannon originated the role of Peter Evans in Bug in 1996 and also starred in the 2006 film adaptation with Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr., directed by William Friedkin. His roles in Bug and Killer Joe were written by Steppenwolf ensemble member Tracy Letts.

Shannon made his film debut with a small role in Groundhog Day in 1993 as a wedding groom. Later, he had roles in Jesus' Son, Pearl Harbor, 8 Mile and Vanilla Sky. He played the villain in Kangaroo Jack. After a role in Bad Boys II, he had a major role in Grand Theft Parsons as the hippie, Larry Oster-Berg. In 2006, he played the leader of a prison white supremacist group, Lynard, in Let's Go to Prison. Shannon has appeared in several shows in the West End in London, including a production of Woyzeck directed by Sarah Kane. In 2008, Shannon was featured in the off-Broadway production of Stephen Adly Guirgis's The Little Flower of East Orange, presented by LAByrinth Theater Company and The Public Theater, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman and also featuring Ellen Burstyn.

Shannon (far right) with Robert Davi and Stephen Dorff at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

Shannon's role in Revolutionary Road, also starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He portrayed Doc Cross Williams in the film adaptation of Jonah Hex. Shannon appeared in the 2011 film Take Shelter and received rave reviews for his performance, as well as a Saturn Award for Best Actor. In the 2010 HBO television show Boardwalk Empire, Shannon plays the role of Federal Prohibition agent Nelson Van Alden. In November 2010, he began starring in the one man play Mistakes Were Made at the Barrow Street Theatre in New York City, with performances having run through February 27, 2012. Shannon had previously performed the show in 2009 at A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago.

Shannon played a corrupt cop in the film Premium Rush (2012), written and directed by David Koepp. In 2012, Shannon appeared on Broadway in Grace along with actors Paul Rudd and Ed Asner. In 2013, he starred as legendary mob hitman Richard Kuklinski in The Iceman, which was distributed in May 2013. His performance received much acclaim from critics. Also that year, Shannon portrayed General Zod, the main antagonist in Zack Snyder's film Man of Steel. Shannon portrayed music icon Elvis Presley alongside Kevin Spacey as President Richard Nixon in Elvis & Nixon.

In 2015, he was seen in the biographical drama film Freeheld, as well as the independent drama film 99 Homes as housing agent Rick Carver, a role that earned him widespread critical acclaim, and nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

The following year, he starred in the psychological thriller film Nocturnal Animals, alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams. His performance as a dying detective investigating the violent incident garnered him critical acclaim, and was nominated for his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

He is set to appear in the romantic fantasy film The Shape of Water and as George Westinghouse in the biographical historical film The Current War. Both films screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and are set for release in late 2017.

In 2002, Shannon formed the indie rock band Corporal, along with Ray Rizzo and Rob Beitzel. Shannon sings and writes lyrics for the band. In 2010, Corporal released their self-titled debut album. Following the album's release two MP3 tracks have been released for download. The first track "Glory" was released in 2011 and the second song titled "Obama" was released in June 2012 as the band's way of endorsing President Obama's run for reelection.

Shannon at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

Shannon is in a relationship with actress Kate Arrington; they have two daughters, Sylvie and Marion. They live in the neighborhood of Red Hook located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

In a November 2016 interview with newspaper, Metro New York, Shannon voiced his political disdain for both U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and those senior citizens who voted for him with the following statement:

"There's a lot of old people who need to realize they've had a nice life, and it's time for them to move on because they're the ones who go out and vote for these assholes. If you look at the young people, between 18 and 25, if it was up to them, Hillary [Clinton] would have been president. No offense to the seniors out there. My mom's a senior citizen. But if you're voting for Trump, it's time for the urn."

Film

Television