Acting
Harry Shannon
EN cinema · 123 credits
Born
12 June 1890
Died
27 July 1964 (aged 74)
Birthplace
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.
Known for
Filmography
The World of Tomorrow
as Pop Middleton (archive footage)
Gypsy
as Grandpa
Wild in the Country
as Sam Tyler (uncredited)
Summer and Smoke
as Dr. Burke (uncredited)
Yellowstone Kelly
as Captain of the Far West (uncredited)
Touch of Evil
as Chief Gould
Man or Gun
as Justin Corley
The Buccaneer
as Tom Carruthers - Captain of the Corinthian
The Lonely Man
as Dr. Fisher
Hell's Crossroads
as Clay Ford
Duel at Apache Wells
as Wayne Shattuck
Written on the Wind
as Hoak Wayne
Come Next Spring
as Mr. Totter
The Peacemaker
as Drunken Cowpuncher
At Gunpoint
as Marshal Pete MacKay
The Marauders
as John Rutherford
The Violent Men
as Purdue
The Tall Men
as Sam
Witness to Murder
as Captain Donnelly
Rails Into Laramie
as Judge Pierce
Phantom Stallion
as Michael Reilly
Executive Suite
as Ed Benedeck
Cry of the Hunted
as Sheriff Brown
Kansas Pacific
as Smokestack the Train Engineer
Jack Slade
as Tom Carter
Roar of the Crowd
as Sam 'Pop' Tracy
High Noon
as Cooper
Flesh and Fury
as Mike Callan
Lure of the Wilderness
as Pat McGowan
The Lemon Drop Kid
as John (Policeman)
The Scarf
as Asylum Warden Anderson
Al Jennings of Oklahoma
as Fred Salter
Blue Blood
as Mr. Buchanan
Pride of Maryland
as Walter Shannon
Where Danger Lives
as Dr. Maynard
The Killer That Stalked New York
as Police Officer Houlihan
The Underworld Story
as George Parker
The Jackie Robinson Story
as Charlie
Hunt the Man Down
as Wallace Bennett
Singing Guns
as Judge Waller
The Flying Missile
as Vice Admiral Williams
Three Little Words
as Clanahan
The Gunfighter
as Chuck (uncredited)
Cow Town
as Sandy Reeves
The Sound of Fury
as Mr. Yaeger
Tarnished
as Kelsey Bunker
Mr. Soft Touch
as Police Sergeant Garrett
Tulsa
as Nelse Lansing
Mary Ryan, Detective
as Sawyer
Rustlers
as Sheriff Harmon
Champion
as Lew
Fighting Father Dunne
as Thomas Lee
Big Town Scandal
as Police Captain Henry (uncredited)
Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'
as Chauncey
The Lady from Shanghai
as Cab Driver
The Red House
as Dr. Jonathan Byrne
Nora Prentiss
as Police Lieutenant
The Devil Thumbs a Ride
as Detective Owens, San Diego Police
The Farmer's Daughter
as Mr. Holstrom
The Invisible Wall
as Det. Capt. R.W. Davis
Exposed
as Severance
Time Out of Mind
as Capt. Rogers
Dangerous Years
as Judge Raymond
Night Editor
as Capt. Lawrence
The Last Crooked Mile
as Police Lieutenant Blake
San Quentin
as Warden Kelly
I Ring Doorbells
as Shannon
Crack-Up
as Cop (Uncredited)
Canyon Passage
as Henry McLane (uncredited)
Crime, Inc.
as Police Commissioner Collins
Captain Eddie
as Simmons
Pride of the Marines
as Uncle Ralph
When the Lights Go On Again
as Tom Cary
The Yellow Rose of Texas
as Sam Weston
The Mummy's Ghost
as Sheriff Elwood
Song of Texas
as Sam Bennett
Idaho
as Judge John Grey
True to Life
as Mr. Mason
The Powers Girl
as Mr. Hendricks
Alaska Highway
as John 'Pop' Ormsby
Someone to Remember
as Tom Gibbons
In Old Oklahoma
as Charlie Witherspoon
Headin' for God's Country
as Albert Ness
This Gun for Hire
as Steve Finnerty
The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine
as Pinky Dolan
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
as Mr. Tim Wiggs
Once Upon a Honeymoon
as Ed Cumberland
In Old California
as Mr. Carlin
The Falcon Takes Over
as Detective Grimes (Uncredited)
The Lady Is Willing
as Barnes
The Big Street
as Florida Doctor (uncredited)
The Mad Martindales
as Policeman
Citizen Kane
as Jim Kane
The Saint In Palm Springs
as Chief R.L. Graves
Hold Back the Dawn
as American Immigration Official (uncredited)
City of Chance
as Passline
Tugboat Annie Sails Again
as Capt. Mahoney
Sailor's Lady
as Father McGann
Parole Fixer
as Randall
Young Tom Edison
as Army Captain Brackett
Too Many Girls
as Mr. Casey
Gambling on the High Seas
as Ed, Chief of Police
Tear Gas Squad
as Lieutenant Sullivan
One Crowded Night
as McDermott
The Girl from Avenue A
as Timson
Alibi Mark
as Railroad Detective
Shake, Mr. Shakespeare
as Macbeth
Smoked Hams
as The Landlord
No More West
as Bank Robber
Take a Chance
1933
Take a Chance
as Bartender
Close Relations
as Harry Wart
The Campus Mystery
1932
The Campus Mystery
as Police Sergeant
Heads Up
as Capt. Denny
Sympathy
as Larry
Faint Heart
as Dynamite Dan