Michael Shannon grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and began his professional stage career in Chicago. His first acting role was in “Winterset” at the Illinois Theatre Center. Over the next several years, he continued working on the stage with such companies as Steppenwolf, The Next Lab and A Red Orchid Theatre. He subsequently relocated to London for a year, and performed on stage in London’s West End in such productions as “Woyzeck,” “Killer Joe,” and “Bug.”
While in Chicago, Shannon also kept busy in front of movie and television cameras, most notably in William Friedkin’s “Bug” and Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center.” “Kangaroo Jack” (2003) marked the third Jerry Bruckheimer production in which Shannon has appeared. He also appeared in “Bad Boys II” (2003), directed by Michael Bay and starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and in “Grand Theft Parsons” (2003), with Johnny Knoxville and Christina Applegate.
Shannon starred opposite Ashley Judd in a big-screen adaptation of “Bug” for director William Friedkin; the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. He then headlined “Shotgun Stories” which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, and he recently worked with Curtin Hason for a second time in “Lucky You.” His many other credits include “The Woodsman,” “Bad Boys II,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Vanilla Sky,” “8 Mile,” “High Crimes,” “Cecil B. Demented,” “Tigerland,” and “Chicago Cab,” an adaptation of the long-running play, “Hellcab.”
Unity Productions
