1890-06-12 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.
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The World of Tomorrow | Pop Middleton (archive footage) | 1984-12-31 |
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Gypsy | Grandpa | 1962-11-01 |
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Summer and Smoke | Dr. Burke (uncredited) | 1961-11-16 |
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Wild in the Country | Sam Tyler (uncredited) | 1961-06-15 |
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Yellowstone Kelly | Captain of the Far West (uncredited) | 1959-11-11 |
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The Buccaneer | Tom Carruthers - Captain of the Corinthian | 1958-12-11 |
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Touch of Evil | Chief Gould | 1958-03-30 |
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Man or Gun | Justin Corley | 1958-05-30 |
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Hell's Crossroads | Clay Ford | 1957-03-08 |
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The Lonely Man | Dr. Fisher | 1957-06-21 |
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Duel at Apache Wells | Wayne Shattuck | 1957-01-25 |
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The Peacemaker | Drunken Cowpuncher | 1956-11-01 |
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Written on the Wind | Hoak Wayne | 1956-10-04 |
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Come Next Spring | Mr. Totter | 1956-03-09 |
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The Tall Men | Sam | 1955-09-22 |
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The Marauders | John Rutherford | 1955-09-26 |
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The Violent Men | Purdue | 1955-01-26 |
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At Gunpoint | Marshal Pete MacKay | 1955-12-25 |
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Witness to Murder | Captain Donnelly | 1954-04-15 |
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Executive Suite | Ed Benedeck | 1954-04-30 |
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Rails Into Laramie | Judge Pierce | 1954-04-14 |
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Phantom Stallion | Michael Reilly | 1954-02-10 |
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Cry of the Hunted | Sheriff Brown | 1953-05-08 |
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Jack Slade | Tom Carter | 1953-11-08 |
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Kansas Pacific | Smokestack the Train Engineer | 1953-02-22 |
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Roar of the Crowd | Sam 'Pop' Tracy | 1953-05-31 |
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Flesh and Fury | Mike Callan | 1952-06-26 |
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Lure of the Wilderness | Pat McGowan | 1952-07-16 |
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High Noon | Cooper | 1952-06-09 |
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The Scarf | Asylum Warden Anderson | 1951-04-06 |
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Al Jennings of Oklahoma | Fred Salter | 1951-01-17 |
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Blue Blood | Mr. Buchanan | 1951-01-28 |
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Pride of Maryland | Walter Shannon | 1951-01-20 |
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The Lemon Drop Kid | John (Policeman) | 1951-04-02 |
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The Underworld Story | George Parker | 1950-07-26 |
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Where Danger Lives | Dr. Maynard | 1950-11-16 |
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Curtain Call at Cactus Creek | Clay | 1950-05-25 |
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Three Little Words | Clanahan | 1950-07-12 |
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The Flying Missile | Vice Admiral Williams | 1950-12-24 |
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Singing Guns | Judge Waller | 1950-02-28 |
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The Killer That Stalked New York | Police Officer Houlihan | 1950-10-06 |
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The Gunfighter | Chuck (uncredited) | 1950-05-26 |
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The Sound of Fury | Mr. Yaeger | 1950-12-12 |
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The Jackie Robinson Story | Charlie | 1950-05-16 |
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Tarnished | Kelsey Bunker | 1950-02-28 |
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Hunt the Man Down | Wallace Bennett | 1950-12-26 |
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Cow Town | Sandy Reeves | 1950-05-19 |
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Rustlers | Sheriff Harmon | 1949-03-03 |
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Tulsa | Nelse Lansing | 1949-04-13 |
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Champion | Lew | 1949-04-09 |
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Mr. Soft Touch | Police Sergeant Garrett | 1949-07-28 |
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Mary Ryan, Detective | Sawyer | 1949-11-03 |
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Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' | Chauncey | 1948-06-01 |
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My Girl Tisa | 1948-02-07 | |
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Big Town Scandal | Police Captain Henry (uncredited) | 1948-05-27 |
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Fighting Father Dunne | Thomas Lee | 1948-05-12 |
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Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House | Tesander | 1948-03-25 |
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The Farmer's Daughter | Mr. Holstrom | 1947-03-26 |
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Dangerous Years | Judge Raymond | 1947-12-07 |
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The Lady from Shanghai | Cab Driver | 1947-12-24 |
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Exposed | Severance | 1947-09-08 |
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Nora Prentiss | Police Lieutenant | 1947-02-22 |
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Time Out of Mind | Capt. Rogers | 1947-05-03 |
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The Invisible Wall | Det. Capt. R.W. Davis | 1947-10-15 |
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The Devil Thumbs a Ride | Detective Owens, San Diego Police | 1947-02-20 |
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The Red House | Dr. Jonathan Byrne | 1947-02-04 |
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Crack-Up | Cop (Uncredited) | 1946-09-06 |
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I Ring Doorbells | Shannon | 1946-02-28 |
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Night Editor | Capt. Lawrence | 1946-03-29 |
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The Last Crooked Mile | Police Lieutenant Blake | 1946-08-09 |
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San Quentin | Warden Kelly | 1946-12-16 |
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Canyon Passage | Henry McLane (uncredited) | 1946-07-17 |
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Crime, Inc. | Police Commissioner Collins | 1945-04-15 |
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Pride of the Marines | Uncle Ralph | 1945-08-24 |
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Captain Eddie | Simmons | 1945-06-18 |
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The Yellow Rose of Texas | Sam Weston | 1944-06-24 |
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When the Lights Go On Again | Tom Cary | 1944-10-22 |
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The Mummy's Ghost | Sheriff Elwood | 1944-06-30 |
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True to Life | Mr. Mason | 1943-12-24 |
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Someone to Remember | Tom Gibbons | 1943-08-21 |
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Idaho | Judge John Grey | 1943-03-10 |
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Song of Texas | Sam Bennett | 1943-06-14 |
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In Old Oklahoma | Charlie Witherspoon | 1943-12-06 |
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Alaska Highway | John 'Pop' Ormsby | 1943-06-24 |
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The Powers Girl | Mr. Hendricks | 1943-01-15 |
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Headin' for God's Country | Albert Ness | 1943-08-26 |
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This Gun for Hire | Steve Finnerty | 1942-04-24 |
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Once Upon a Honeymoon | Ed Cumberland | 1942-11-27 |
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The Lady Is Willing | Barnes | 1942-02-12 |
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The Mad Martindales | Policeman | 1942-05-15 |
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The Falcon Takes Over | Detective Grimes (Uncredited) | 1942-05-29 |
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The Big Street | Florida Doctor (uncredited) | 1942-08-13 |
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In Old California | Mr. Carlin | 1942-05-31 |
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The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine | Pinky Dolan | 1942-03-27 |
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Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch | Mr. Tim Wiggs | 1942-10-01 |
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Hold Back the Dawn | American Immigration Official (uncredited) | 1941-09-26 |
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The Saint In Palm Springs | Chief R.L. Graves | 1941-01-24 |
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Citizen Kane | Jim Kane | 1941-04-17 |
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The Girl from Avenue A | Timson | 1940-08-09 |
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City of Chance | Passline | 1940-01-13 |
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One Crowded Night | McDermott | 1940-08-09 |
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Too Many Girls | Mr. Casey | 1940-10-08 |
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Tear Gas Squad | Lieutenant Sullivan | 1940-05-04 |
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Sailor's Lady | Father McGann | 1940-07-05 |
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Tugboat Annie Sails Again | Capt. Mahoney | 1940-10-26 |
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Young Tom Edison | Army Captain Brackett | 1940-03-15 |
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Parole Fixer | Randall | 1940-02-02 |
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Gambling on the High Seas | Ed, Chief of Police | 1940-06-22 |
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The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair | Father | 1939-04-30 |
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Alibi Mark | Railroad Detective | 1937-12-25 |
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Shake, Mr. Shakespeare | Macbeth | 1936-08-21 |
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Smoked Hams | The Landlord | 1934-10-20 |
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No More West | Bank Robber | 1934-03-29 |
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A Peach of a Pair | 1934-12-29 | |
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20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang | 1933-08-12 | |
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Close Relations | Harry Wart | 1933-09-30 |
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Take a Chance | Bartender | 1933-11-25 |
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Wrongorilla | Grogan | 1933-03-04 |
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The Campus Mystery | Police Sergeant | 1932-07-01 |
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Heads Up | Capt. Denny | 1930-10-10 |
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Sympathy | Larry | 1929-08-29 |
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Faint Heart | Dynamite Dan | 1929-12-21 |
