Michael Shannon
Biography
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.
Known For
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
The Daily Show
1996
Late Show with David Letterman
1993
The View
1997
Crossing Jordan
2001
Filmography
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self · 2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self - Guest · 2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
· 2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self - Guest · 2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self · 2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Ringo Starr · 2015
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Avery Shaw · 1999
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self - Guest · 2014
The Daily Show
as Self · 1996
Late Show with David Letterman
as Self - Guest · 1993
The View
as Self - Guest · 1997
Crossing Jordan
as Philip Corday · 2001
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
as Self · 2014
Boardwalk Empire
as Nelson Van Alden · 2010
Early Edition
· 1996
Early Edition
as Mr. Andrews · 1996
Early Edition
as Merle · 1996
Man of Steel
as General Zod · 2013
Off Camera with Sam Jones
as Self · 2014
Bullet Train
as White Death · 2022
Stars in the House
as Self · 2020
Lip Sync Battle
as Self · 2015
Knives Out
as Walt Thrombey · 2019
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
as Zod · 2016
Buddy
as Willie (voice) · 2026
The Flash
as General Zod · 2023
Groundhog Day
as Fred · 1993
Nine Perfect Strangers
as Napoleon · 2021
Room 104
as Nathan · 2017
The Shape of Water
as Richard Strickland · 2017
Bad Boys II
as Floyd Poteet · 2003
Pearl Harbor
as Gooz · 2001
Revolutionary Road
as John Givings · 2008
12 Strong
as Hal Spencer · 2018
Vanilla Sky
as Aaron · 2001
8 Mile
as Greg Buehl · 2002
Little Demon
as Unshaven Man (voice) · 2022
Nuremberg
as Justice Robert H. Jackson · 2025
The Bikeriders
as Zipco · 2024
Nocturnal Animals
as Bobby Andes · 2016
Chain Reaction
as D.C. Flower Delivery Man · 1996
Waco
as Gary Noesner · 2018
A Different Man
as Michael Shannon · 2024
High Crimes
as Troy Abbott · 2002
Machine Gun Preacher
as Donnie · 2011
Premium Rush
as Bobby Monday · 2012
The Little Drummer Girl
as Martin Kurtz · 2018
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
as Mundt · 2009
Jonah Hex
as Doc Cross Williams · 2010
Death by Lightning
as James Garfield · 2025
Kangaroo Jack
as Frankie Lombardo · 2003
The Night Before
as Mr. Green · 2015
They Came Together
as Spike · 2014
Waco: The Aftermath
as Gary Noesner · 2023
Amsterdam
as Henry Norcross · 2022
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
as Dex · 2007
Take Shelter
as Curtis LaForche · 2011
World Trade Center
as Dave Karnes · 2006
George & Tammy
as George Jones · 2022
Let's Go to Prison
as Lynard · 2006
Mr. Irrelevant
as Bill Parcells · 2026
The Current War
as George Westinghouse · 2018
Midnight Special
as Roy Tomlin · 2016
99 Homes
as Rick Carver · 2015
Mud
as Galen · 2013
She's Funny That Way
as Policeman Macy's · 2015
Tigerland
as Sgt. Filmore · 2000
13
as Henry · 2010
Lucky You
as Ray Zumbro · 2007
Fahrenheit 451
as Captain Beatty · 2018
What They Had
as Nick · 2018
A Little White Lie
as Shriver · 2023
The Iceman
as Richard Kuklinski · 2012
Elvis & Nixon
as Elvis Presley · 2016
Loving
as Grey Villet · 2016
Cecil B. Demented
as Petie · 2000
Bug
as Peter Evans · 2007
The Runaways
as Kim Fowley · 2010
Young Ones
as Ernest Holm · 2014
The End
as Father · 2024
Echo Boomers
as Mel Donnelly · 2020
Heart of Champions
as Jack Murphy · 2021
Complete Unknown
as Tom Brayton · 2016
The Woodsman
as Rosen · 2004
The Greatest
as Jordan Walker · 2009
Dead Birds
as Clyde · 2005
Freeheld
as Dane Wells · 2015
Frank & Lola
as Frank Reilly · 2016
Criminal
as Gene · 2004
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
as Brad McCullum · 2010
Abandoned
as Renner · 2022
Ballad of a Righteous Merchant
as Self · 2017
Wolves
as Lee Keller · 2016
The Quarry
as Chief Moore · 2020
Grand Theft Parsons
as Larry Oster-Berg · 2004
Salt and Fire
as Matt Riley · 2016
Chicago Cab
as Crack Head · 1998
Jesus' Son
as Dundun · 2000
Shotgun Stories
as Son Hayes · 2007
State Like Sleep
as Edward · 2019
Poor Boy
as Blayde Griggs · 2018
Journey of Discovery: Creating Man of Steel
· 2013
The Harvest
as Richard · 2015
Pottersville
as Maynard Greiger · 2017
Water
as Bobby Matherson · 2004
Bulls
as Alistair Whitman · 2026
The Missing Person
as John Rosow · 2009
Friedkin Uncut
as Self · 2018
13 Scarier Movie Moments
as Self · 2009
Making The Flash: Worlds Collide
as Self - 'General Zod' · 2023
Blackbird
as Murl · 2007
The Final Shot: A Farewell to Boardwalk Empire
as Self · 2014
Vegas: A Love Story
Love Letter to Texas
· 2026
Bob Dylan: Trouble No More
as Self · 2017
Zamboni Man
as Walt · 2004
Mullitt
as Phil Kunz · 2000
New Port South
as Stanton · 2001
Overexposed
as Young Man · 1992
Night's End
as Isaac Dees · 2022
The Broken Tower
as Emile · 2012
Marvelous
as John · 2008
Return
as Mike · 2011
The Photographer
as Maurice · 2000
Dinner with Audrey
I am My Films, Part 2... 30 Years Later
as Self · 2010
90 Years of the Music Box Theatre
as Self · 2019
Doctor Caligari's Cabinet of Wonders
as Doctor Caligari
Michael Shannon Reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter
· 2013
Dead Guy
McCarthy
as Joseph McCarthy
The Young King
as Mick
Last Meals
as Governor George Callahan
King Snake
Choose You
as Avicii · 2013
Herbert White
as Herbert White · 2010
The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts
as Don McGahn · 2019
Happy Hour
as Just Mike · 2012
The Ride
as Jimmy · 1997