Harry Shannon

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

151

Gender

Male

Birthday

1890-06-12

Day of death

1964-07-27 (74 years old)

Place of Birth

Saginaw, Michigan, USA

Harry Shannon

Biography

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.

Known For

  • Lassie

    Lassie

  • Have Gun, Will Travel

    Have Gun, Will Travel

  • Cheyenne

    Cheyenne

  • The Virginian

    The Virginian

  • The Untouchables

    The Untouchables

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • Rawhide

    Rawhide

  • Rawhide

    Rawhide

  • Rawhide

    Rawhide

  • Rawhide

    Rawhide

  • Bat Masterson

    Bat Masterson

  • State Trooper

    State Trooper

  • The Texan

    The Texan

  • Sugarfoot

    Sugarfoot

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • The Real McCoys

    The Real McCoys

  • Citizen Kane

    Citizen Kane

  • High Noon

    High Noon

  • The Millionaire

    The Millionaire

  • The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair

    The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair

  • Navy Log

    Navy Log

  • The Ford Television Theatre

    The Ford Television Theatre

  • Cavalcade of America

    Cavalcade of America

  • Cavalcade of America

    Cavalcade of America

  • Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

    Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

  • Lock-Up

    Lock-Up

  • Wire Service

    Wire Service

  • The Thin Man

    The Thin Man

  • When the Lights Go On Again

    When the Lights Go On Again

  • Champion

    Champion

  • Parole Fixer

    Parole Fixer

  • Tulsa

    Tulsa

  • Faint Heart

    Faint Heart

  • 26 Men

    26 Men

  • San Quentin

    San Quentin

  • The Falcon Takes Over

    The Falcon Takes Over

  • Executive Suite

    Executive Suite

  • Singing Guns

    Singing Guns

  • Dangerous Years

    Dangerous Years

  • The Man Behind the Badge

    The Man Behind the Badge

  • Tarnished

    Tarnished

  • The Gunfighter

    The Gunfighter

  • Idaho

    Idaho

  • Canyon Passage

    Canyon Passage

  • Jack Slade

    Jack Slade

  • Cow Town

    Cow Town

  • The Marauders

    The Marauders

  • Yellowstone Kelly

    Yellowstone Kelly

  • Phantom Stallion

    Phantom Stallion

  • Touch of Evil

    Touch of Evil

  • Written on the Wind

    Written on the Wind

  • The Dakotas

    The Dakotas

  • Crime, Inc.

    Crime, Inc.

  • Three Little Words

    Three Little Words

  • The Tall Men

    The Tall Men

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • The Red House

    The Red House

  • Nora Prentiss

    Nora Prentiss

  • Once Upon a Honeymoon

    Once Upon a Honeymoon

  • Witness to Murder

    Witness to Murder

  • Close Relations

    Close Relations

  • Angel

    Angel

  • Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

    Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

  • The Big Street

    The Big Street

  • The Mummy's Ghost

    The Mummy's Ghost

  • The Sound of Fury

    The Sound of Fury

  • The Lady Is Willing

    The Lady Is Willing

  • Rustlers

    Rustlers

  • Flesh and Fury

    Flesh and Fury

  • The Underworld Story

    The Underworld Story

  • The Lady from Shanghai

    The Lady from Shanghai

  • This Gun for Hire

    This Gun for Hire

  • Sympathy

    Sympathy

  • Mr. Soft Touch

    Mr. Soft Touch

  • Wrongorilla

    Wrongorilla

  • True to Life

    True to Life

  • The Lemon Drop Kid

    The Lemon Drop Kid

  • The Devil Thumbs a Ride

    The Devil Thumbs a Ride

  • My Girl Tisa

    My Girl Tisa

  • Tugboat Annie Sails Again

    Tugboat Annie Sails Again

  • Curtain Call at Cactus Creek

    Curtain Call at Cactus Creek

  • A Peach of a Pair

    A Peach of a Pair

  • The Saint In Palm Springs

    The Saint In Palm Springs

  • In Old Oklahoma

    In Old Oklahoma

  • The Violent Men

    The Violent Men

  • I Ring Doorbells

    I Ring Doorbells

  • Alibi Mark

    Alibi Mark

  • The Lonely Man

    The Lonely Man

  • Captain Eddie

    Captain Eddie

  • Wild in the Country

    Wild in the Country

  • Come Next Spring

    Come Next Spring

  • The Flying Missile

    The Flying Missile

  • The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine

    The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine

  • The Yellow Rose of Texas

    The Yellow Rose of Texas

  • The Mad Martindales

    The Mad Martindales

  • Rails Into Laramie

    Rails Into Laramie

  • The Girl from Avenue A

    The Girl from Avenue A

  • Hold Back the Dawn

    Hold Back the Dawn

  • The Killer That Stalked New York

    The Killer That Stalked New York

  • Take a Chance

    Take a Chance

  • Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'

    Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'

  • Gypsy

    Gypsy

  • 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang

    20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang

  • The Buccaneer

    The Buccaneer

  • Someone to Remember

    Someone to Remember

  • The Farmer's Daughter

    The Farmer's Daughter

  • One Crowded Night

    One Crowded Night

  • The Invisible Wall

    The Invisible Wall

  • Cry of the Hunted

    Cry of the Hunted

  • In Old California

    In Old California

  • Al Jennings of Oklahoma

    Al Jennings of Oklahoma

  • Lure of the Wilderness

    Lure of the Wilderness

  • City of Chance

    City of Chance

  • Kansas Pacific

    Kansas Pacific

  • Pride of the Marines

    Pride of the Marines

  • Mary Ryan, Detective

    Mary Ryan, Detective

  • Summer and Smoke

    Summer and Smoke

  • Fighting Father Dunne

    Fighting Father Dunne

  • Hell's Crossroads

    Hell's Crossroads

  • The Campus Mystery

    The Campus Mystery

  • The Last Crooked Mile

    The Last Crooked Mile

  • Sailor's Lady

    Sailor's Lady

  • Young Tom Edison

    Young Tom Edison

  • The World of Tomorrow

    The World of Tomorrow

  • Song of Texas

    Song of Texas

  • No More West

    No More West

  • Hunt the Man Down

    Hunt the Man Down

  • Too Many Girls

    Too Many Girls

  • Man or Gun

    Man or Gun

  • The Peacemaker

    The Peacemaker

  • The Powers Girl

    The Powers Girl

  • Headin' for God's Country

    Headin' for God's Country

  • Exposed

    Exposed

  • The Scarf

    The Scarf

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • Time Out of Mind

    Time Out of Mind

  • Gambling on the High Seas

    Gambling on the High Seas

  • At Gunpoint

    At Gunpoint

  • Big Town Scandal

    Big Town Scandal

  • Night Editor

    Night Editor

  • Where Danger Lives

    Where Danger Lives

  • The Jackie Robinson Story

    The Jackie Robinson Story

  • Crack-Up

    Crack-Up

  • Tear Gas Squad

    Tear Gas Squad

  • Blue Blood

    Blue Blood

  • Alaska Highway

    Alaska Highway

  • Heads Up

    Heads Up

  • Smoked Hams

    Smoked Hams

  • Duel at Apache Wells

    Duel at Apache Wells

  • Shake, Mr. Shakespeare

    Shake, Mr. Shakespeare

  • Roar of the Crowd

    Roar of the Crowd