Acting
Harry Shannon
Born Jun 12, 1890 · Saginaw, Michigan, USA · Died Jul 27, 1964
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.
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Acting
The World of Tomorrow
1984
Documentary
The Dakotas
1963
Western
Gypsy
1962
Comedy · Drama · Music
The Virginian
1962
Western · Drama
Summer and Smoke
1961
Drama · Romance
Wild in the Country
1961
Drama
Angel
1960
Comedy
Yellowstone Kelly
1959
Adventure · Western
The Untouchables
1959
Drama · Crime
Lock-Up
1959
Drama
Rawhide
1959
Western · Drama
The Buccaneer
1958
Adventure · Drama · War
Bat Masterson
1958
Western · Drama
The Texan
1958
Western
Man or Gun
1958
Action · Western
Touch of Evil
1958
Crime · Thriller · Drama
26 Men
1957
Western · Crime
The Real McCoys
1957
Comedy
The Thin Man
1957
Drama
Sugarfoot
1957
Western
Have Gun, Will Travel
1957
Western · Action & Adventure · Drama
The Lonely Man
1957
Western
Hell's Crossroads
1957
Western
Duel at Apache Wells
1957
Western
The Peacemaker
1956
Western
Written on the Wind
1956
Drama · Romance
Wire Service
1956
Drama
State Trooper
1956
Action & Adventure · Drama · Western
Come Next Spring
1956
Drama
At Gunpoint
1955
Western
Crossroads
1955
Drama
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
Mystery · Drama · Crime
The Marauders
1955
Western
The Tall Men
1955
Western · Adventure · Romance
Cheyenne
1955
Western · Drama
Navy Log
1955
War & Politics · Drama
Gunsmoke
1955
Western · Action & Adventure · Drama
The Violent Men
1955
Western
The Millionaire
1955
Drama
Lassie
1954
Action & Adventure · Drama · Family
Executive Suite
1954
Drama
Witness to Murder
1954
Crime · Drama · Thriller
Rails Into Laramie
1954
Western
Phantom Stallion
1954
Western
Jack Slade
1953
Western
The Man Behind the Badge
1953
Crime · Drama
Letter to Loretta
1953
Drama
Roar of the Crowd
1953
Action · Drama
Cry of the Hunted
1953
Crime · Thriller
Kansas Pacific
1953
Western · Action
The Ford Television Theatre
1952
Drama
Cavalcade of America
1952
Drama
Lure of the Wilderness
1952
Adventure · Drama · Romance
Flesh and Fury
1952
Drama
High Noon
1952
Western
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
Drama · Comedy
The Scarf
1951
Drama · Mystery · Thriller
The Lemon Drop Kid
1951
Comedy · Crime
Blue Blood
1951
Drama
Pride of Maryland
1951
Al Jennings of Oklahoma
1951
Western
Hunt the Man Down
1950
Mystery · Crime
The Flying Missile
1950
Drama
The Sound of Fury
1950
Crime · Drama
Where Danger Lives
1950
Thriller
The Killer That Stalked New York
1950
Thriller
The Underworld Story
1950
Drama · Crime
Three Little Words
1950
Music · Comedy · Romance
The Gunfighter
1950
Western
Curtain Call at Cactus Creek
1950
Comedy · Romance · Western
Cow Town
1950
Western
The Jackie Robinson Story
1950
Drama · Family
Singing Guns
1950
Western
Tarnished
1950
Crime · Action · Adventure
Mary Ryan, Detective
1949
Crime · Mystery · Action
Mr. Soft Touch
1949
Crime · Drama · Romance
Tulsa
1949
Drama
Champion
1949
Drama
Rustlers
1949
Western
Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'
1948
Comedy · Music
Big Town Scandal
1948
Crime · Drama
Fighting Father Dunne
1948
Drama
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
1948
Comedy
My Girl Tisa
1948
Drama
The Lady from Shanghai
1947
Mystery · Crime · Thriller
Dangerous Years
1947
Drama
The Invisible Wall
1947
Crime
Exposed
1947
Crime · Drama · Thriller
Time Out of Mind
1947
Drama
The Farmer's Daughter
1947
Comedy · Romance
Nora Prentiss
1947
Drama
The Devil Thumbs a Ride
1947
Thriller · Crime
The Red House
1947
Mystery · Thriller · Drama
San Quentin
1946
Crime
Crack-Up
1946
Thriller · Mystery
The Last Crooked Mile
1946
Crime · Drama · Thriller
Canyon Passage
1946
Western
Night Editor
1946
Crime · Drama
I Ring Doorbells
1946
Mystery
Pride of the Marines
1945
Drama · War
Captain Eddie
1945
Drama
Crime, Inc.
1945
Drama · Thriller
When the Lights Go On Again
1944
War · Drama · Romance
The Mummy's Ghost
1944
Horror · Fantasy
The Yellow Rose of Texas
1944
Western · Action
True to Life
1943
Comedy
In Old Oklahoma
1943
Western
Headin' for God's Country
1943
Action · Drama · War
Someone to Remember
1943
Drama
Alaska Highway
1943
Drama
Song of Texas
1943
Action · Western
Idaho
1943
Western
The Powers Girl
1943
Comedy · Music
Once Upon a Honeymoon
1942
Comedy · Romance · Drama
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
1942
Comedy · Drama · Romance
The Big Street
1942
Romance · Drama
In Old California
1942
Action · Romance · Western
The Falcon Takes Over
1942
Crime · Mystery
The Mad Martindales
1942
Comedy
This Gun for Hire
1942
Crime · Thriller · Mystery
The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine
1942
Comedy · Crime · Drama
The Lady Is Willing
1942
Romance · Comedy
Hold Back the Dawn
1941
Drama · Romance
Citizen Kane
1941
Mystery · Drama
The Saint In Palm Springs
1941
Crime · Mystery
Tugboat Annie Sails Again
1940
Comedy · Drama · Romance
Too Many Girls
1940
Comedy
One Crowded Night
1940
Drama
The Girl from Avenue A
1940
Comedy
Sailor's Lady
1940
Comedy
Gambling on the High Seas
1940
Crime
Tear Gas Squad
1940
Drama · Crime
Young Tom Edison
1940
Drama
Parole Fixer
1940
Action · Crime · Drama
City of Chance
1940
Crime · Drama
The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair
1939
Drama · History
Alibi Mark
1937
Crime · Drama
Shake, Mr. Shakespeare
1936
Comedy
A Peach of a Pair
1934
Smoked Hams
1934
Comedy
No More West
1934
Comedy
Close Relations
1933
Comedy
20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang
1933
Comedy · Music
Heads Up
1930
Music · Comedy
Faint Heart
1929
Sympathy
1929
Comedy