
Michael Shannon
Acting
Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor, producer, musician, and theatre director. He has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his roles in the Sam Mendes period drama Revolutionary Road (2008) and the Tom Ford psychological thriller Nocturnal Animals (2016). He earned Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for his role in 99 Homes (2014), and a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play for the Broadway revival of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night (2016). Shannon made his film debut in 1993 with Groundhog Day and received widespread attention for his performance in 8 Mile (2002). He is known for his on-screen versatility, performing in both comedies and dramas such as Pearl Harbor (2001), Bad Boys II (2003), Bug (2006), Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009), The Iceman (2012), Premium Rush (2012), The Night Before (2015), The Shape of Water (2017) and Knives Out (2019). He played Superman's Kryptonian adversary General Zod in Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and is set to reprise the role in The Flash (2022). Shannon is a frequent collaborator of Jeff Nichols, appearing in all of his films: Shotgun Stories (2007), Take Shelter (2011), Mud (2012), Midnight Special, and Loving (both 2016). He is also known for his role as Nelson Van Alden in the HBO period drama series Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014), for which he was nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2021, he had a main role in the Hulu drama miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers.
TV Shows(22)

Death by Lightning
James Garfield
2025

Waco: The Aftermath
Gary Noesner
2023

George & Tammy
George Jones
2022

Little Demon
Unshaven Man (voice)
2022

Nine Perfect Strangers
Napoleon
2021

Stars in the House
Self
2020

The Little Drummer Girl
Martin Kurtz
2018

Waco
Gary Noesner
2018

Room 104
Nathan
2017

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015

Lip Sync Battle
Self
2015

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self
2014

Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self - Guest
2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self
2014

Off Camera with Sam Jones
Self
2014

Boardwalk Empire
Nelson Van Alden
2010

Crossing Jordan
Philip Corday
2001

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Avery Shaw
1999

The View
Self
1997

Early Edition
1996

The Daily Show
Self
1996

Late Show with David Letterman
Self - Guest
1993
Movies(111)

Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story
Bill Parcells
2026

Buddy
Charlie the Train (voice) / Willie (voice)
2026

Love Letter to Texas
2026

Bulls
Alistair Whitman
2026

Nuremberg
Justice Robert H. Jackson
2025

The End
Father
2024

A Different Man
Michael Shannon
2024

The Bikeriders
Zipco
2024

Making The Flash: Worlds Collide
Self - 'General Zod'
2023

The Flash
General Zod
2023

A Little White Lie
Shriver
2023

Amsterdam
Henry Norcross
2022

Bullet Train
White Death
2022

Abandoned
Renner
2022

Night's End
Isaac Dees
2022

Heart of Champions
Jack Murphy
2021

Echo Boomers
Mel Donnelly
2020

The Quarry
Chief Moore
2020

Knives Out
Walt Thrombey
2019

90 Years of the Music Box Theatre
Self
2019

The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts
Don McGahn
2019

State Like Sleep
Edward
2019

Friedkin Uncut
Self
2018

What They Had
Nick
2018

Long Way Back Home
Stanton
2018

Poor Boy
Blayde Griggs
2018

Fahrenheit 451
Captain Beatty
2018

The Current War
George Westinghouse
2018

12 Strong
Hal Spencer
2018

The Shape of Water
Richard Strickland
2017

Pottersville
Maynard Greiger
2017

Bob Dylan - Trouble No More
Self
2017

Ballad of a Righteous Merchant
Self
2017

Frank & Lola
Frank Reilly
2016

Salt and Fire
Matt Riley
2016

Nocturnal Animals
Bobby Andes
2016

Loving
Grey Villet
2016

Wolves
Lee Keller
2016

Complete Unknown
Tom Brayton
2016

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Zod
2016

Elvis & Nixon
Elvis Presley
2016

Midnight Special
Roy Tomlin
2016

The Night Before
Mr. Green
2015

Freeheld
Dane Wells
2015

99 Homes
Rick Carver
2015

She's Funny That Way
Policeman Macy's
2015

The Harvest
Richard
2015

The Final Shot: A Farewell to Boardwalk Empire
Self
2014

Young Ones
Ernest Holm
2014

They Came Together
Spike
2014

Journey of Discovery: Creating Man of Steel
Self
2013
Choose You
Avicii
2013

Man of Steel
General Zod
2013

Mud
Galen
2013

Michael Shannon Reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter
2013

Happy Hour
Just Mike
2012

The Iceman
Richard Kuklinski
2012

Premium Rush
Bobby Monday
2012

The Broken Tower
Emile
2012

Take Shelter
Curtis LaForche
2011

Machine Gun Preacher
Donnie
2011

Return
Mike
2011

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
Brad McCullum
2010

I am My Films, Part 2... 30 Years Later
Self
2010

Jonah Hex
Doc Cross Williams
2010

The Runaways
Kim Fowley
2010

13
Henry
2010
Herbert White
Herbert White
2010

13 Scarier Movie Moments
Self
2009

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Mundt
2009

The Greatest
Jordan Walker
2009

The Missing Person
John Rosow
2009

Revolutionary Road
John Givings
2008

Marvelous
John
2008

Shotgun Stories
Son Hayes
2007

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Dex
2007

Lucky You
Ray Zumbro
2007

Blackbird
Murl
2007

Bug
Peter Evans
2007

Let's Go to Prison
Lynard
2006

World Trade Center
Dave Karnes
2006

Dead Birds
Clyde
2005

The Woodsman
Rosen
2004

Water
Bobby Matherson
2004

Criminal
Gene
2004

Grand Theft Parsons
Larry Oster-Berg
2004

Zamboni Man
Walt
2004

Bad Boys II
Floyd Poteet
2003

Kangaroo Jack
Frankie Lombardo
2003

8 Mile
Greg Buehl
2002

High Crimes
Troy Abbott
2002

Vanilla Sky
Aaron
2001

New Port South
Stanton
2001

Pearl Harbor
Gooz Wood
2001

Tigerland
Sgt. Filmore
2000

Cecil B. Demented
Petie
2000

Jesus' Son
Dundun
2000

The Photographer
Maurice
2000

Mullitt
Phil Kunz
2000

Chicago Cab
Crack Head
1998
The Ride
Jimmy
1997

Chain Reaction
D.C. Flower Delivery Man
1996

Groundhog Day
Fred
1993

Overexposed
Young Man
1992

McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Dead Guy
The Young King
Mick
King Snake
Dinner with Audrey
Vegas: A Love Story
Doctor Caligari's Cabinet of Wonders
Doctor Caligari