Harry Shannon

Acting

Born June 12, 1890 — Died July 27, 1964 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.

Movies(122)

The World of Tomorrow

Pop Middleton (archive footage)

1984

Gypsy

Grandpa

1962

Summer and Smoke

Dr. Burke (uncredited)

1961

Wild in the Country

Sam Tyler (uncredited)

1961

Yellowstone Kelly

Captain of the Far West (uncredited)

1959

The Buccaneer

Tom Carruthers - Captain of the Corinthian

1958

Man or Gun

Justin Corley

1958

Touch of Evil

Chief Gould

1958

The Lonely Man

Dr. Fisher

1957

Hell's Crossroads

Clay Ford

1957

Duel at Apache Wells

Wayne Shattuck

1957

The Peacemaker

Drunken Cowpuncher

1956

Written on the Wind

Hoak Wayne

1956

Come Next Spring

Mr. Totter

1956

At Gunpoint

Marshal Pete MacKay

1955

The Marauders

John Rutherford

1955

The Tall Men

Sam

1955

The Violent Men

Purdue

1955

Executive Suite

Ed Benedeck

1954

Witness to Murder

Captain Donnelly

1954

Rails Into Laramie

Judge Pierce

1954

Phantom Stallion

Michael Reilly

1954

Jack Slade

Tom Carter

1953

Roar of the Crowd

Sam 'Pop' Tracy

1953

Cry of the Hunted

Sheriff Brown

1953

Kansas Pacific

Smokestack the Train Engineer

1953

Lure of the Wilderness

Pat McGowan

1952

Flesh and Fury

Mike Callan

1952

High Noon

Cooper

1952

The Scarf

Asylum Warden Anderson

1951

The Lemon Drop Kid

John (Policeman)

1951

Blue Blood

Mr. Buchanan

1951

Pride of Maryland

Walter Shannon

1951

Al Jennings of Oklahoma

Fred Salter

1951

Hunt the Man Down

Wallace Bennett

1950

The Flying Missile

Vice Admiral Williams

1950

The Sound of Fury

Mr. Yaeger

1950

Where Danger Lives

Dr. Maynard

1950

The Killer That Stalked New York

Police Officer Houlihan

1950

The Underworld Story

George Parker

1950

Three Little Words

Clanahan

1950

The Gunfighter

Chuck (uncredited)

1950

Curtain Call at Cactus Creek

Clay

1950

Cow Town

Sandy Reeves

1950

The Jackie Robinson Story

Charlie

1950

Singing Guns

Judge Waller

1950

Tarnished

Kelsey Bunker

1950

Mary Ryan, Detective

Sawyer

1949

Mr. Soft Touch

Police Sergeant Garrett

1949

Tulsa

Nelse Lansing

1949

Champion

Lew

1949

Rustlers

Sheriff Harmon

1949

Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'

Chauncey

1948

Big Town Scandal

Police Captain Henry (uncredited)

1948

Fighting Father Dunne

Thomas Lee

1948

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

Tesander

1948

My Girl Tisa

1948

The Lady from Shanghai

Cab Driver

1947

Dangerous Years

Judge Raymond

1947

The Invisible Wall

Det. Capt. R.W. Davis

1947

Exposed

Severance

1947

Time Out of Mind

Capt. Rogers

1947

The Farmer's Daughter

Mr. Holstrom

1947

Nora Prentiss

Police Lieutenant

1947

The Devil Thumbs a Ride

Detective Owens, San Diego Police

1947

The Red House

Dr. Jonathan Byrne

1947

San Quentin

Warden Kelly

1946

Crack-Up

Cop (Uncredited)

1946

The Last Crooked Mile

Police Lieutenant Blake

1946

Canyon Passage

Henry McLane (uncredited)

1946

Night Editor

Capt. Lawrence

1946

I Ring Doorbells

Shannon

1946

Pride of the Marines

Uncle Ralph

1945

Captain Eddie

Simmons

1945

Crime, Inc.

Police Commissioner Collins

1945

When the Lights Go On Again

Tom Cary

1944

The Mummy's Ghost

Sheriff Elwood

1944

The Yellow Rose of Texas

Sam Weston

1944

True to Life

Mr. Mason

1943

In Old Oklahoma

Charlie Witherspoon

1943

Headin' for God's Country

Albert Ness

1943

Someone to Remember

Tom Gibbons

1943

Alaska Highway

John 'Pop' Ormsby

1943

Song of Texas

Sam Bennett

1943

Idaho

Judge John Grey

1943

The Powers Girl

Mr. Hendricks

1943

Once Upon a Honeymoon

Ed Cumberland

1942

Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

Mr. Tim Wiggs

1942

The Big Street

Florida Doctor (uncredited)

1942

In Old California

Mr. Carlin

1942

The Falcon Takes Over

Detective Grimes (Uncredited)

1942

The Mad Martindales

Policeman

1942

This Gun for Hire

Steve Finnerty

1942

The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine

Pinky Dolan

1942

The Lady Is Willing

Barnes

1942

Hold Back the Dawn

American Immigration Official (uncredited)

1941

Citizen Kane

Jim Kane

1941

The Saint In Palm Springs

Chief R.L. Graves

1941

Tugboat Annie Sails Again

Capt. Mahoney

1940

Too Many Girls

Mr. Casey

1940

One Crowded Night

McDermott

1940

The Girl from Avenue A

Timson

1940

Sailor's Lady

Father McGann

1940

Gambling on the High Seas

Ed, Chief of Police

1940

Tear Gas Squad

Lieutenant Sullivan

1940

Young Tom Edison

Army Captain Brackett

1940

Parole Fixer

Randall

1940

City of Chance

Passline

1940

The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair

Father

1939

Alibi Mark

Railroad Detective

1937

Shake, Mr. Shakespeare

Macbeth

1936

A Peach of a Pair

1934

Smoked Hams

The Landlord

1934

No More West

Bank Robber

1934

Take a Chance

Bartender

1933

Close Relations

Harry Wart

1933

20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang

1933

Wrongorilla

Grogan

1933

The Campus Mystery

Police Sergeant

1932

Heads Up

Capt. Denny

1930

Faint Heart

Dynamite Dan

1929

Sympathy

Larry

1929

Harry Shannon

TV Shows(26)

Movies(122)