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 (2010β2014), 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.
Filmography (133)
Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story
2026
Bulls
2026
Buddy
2026
Love Letter to Texas
2026
Nuremberg
2025
Death by Lightning
2025
The End
2024
The Bikeriders
2024
A Different Man
2024
The Flash
2023
Making The Flash: Worlds Collide
2023
A Little White Lie
2023
Waco: The Aftermath
2023
Abandoned
2022
Night's End
2022
Bullet Train
2022
Amsterdam
2022
Little Demon
2022
George & Tammy
2022
Heart of Champions
2021
Nine Perfect Strangers
2021
Echo Boomers
2020
The Quarry
2020
Stars in the House
2020
90 Years of the Music Box Theatre
2019
State Like Sleep
2019
Knives Out
2019
The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts
2019
Poor Boy
2018
The Current War
2018
12 Strong
2018
What They Had
2018
Fahrenheit 451
2018
Friedkin Uncut
2018
Long Way Back Home
2018
Waco
2018
The Little Drummer Girl
2018
The Shape of Water
2017
Pottersville
2017
Bob Dylan - Trouble No More
2017
Ballad of a Righteous Merchant
2017
Room 104
2017
Midnight Special
2016
Elvis & Nixon
2016
Frank & Lola
2016
Nocturnal Animals
2016
Salt and Fire
2016
Loving
2016
Complete Unknown
2016
Wolves
2016
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
2016
The Harvest
2015
99 Homes
2015
Freeheld
2015
She's Funny That Way
2015
The Night Before
2015
Lip Sync Battle
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Final Shot: A Farewell to Boardwalk Empire
2014
They Came Together
2014
Young Ones
2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
Off Camera with Sam Jones
2014
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
2014
Man of Steel
2013
Mud
2013
Choose You
2013
Michael Shannon Reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter
2013
Journey of Discovery: Creating Man of Steel
2013
Premium Rush
2012
The Iceman
2012
The Broken Tower
2012
Happy Hour
2012
Machine Gun Preacher
2011
Take Shelter
2011
Return
2011
Jonah Hex
2010
The Runaways
2010
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
2010
13
2010
Herbert White
2010
I am My Films, Part 2... 30 Years Later
2010
Boardwalk Empire
2010
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
2009
The Missing Person
2009
The Greatest
2009
13 Scarier Movie Moments
2009
Revolutionary Road
2008
Marvelous
2008
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
2007
Shotgun Stories
2007
Bug
2007
Blackbird
2007
Lucky You
2007
World Trade Center
2006
Let's Go to Prison
2006
Dead Birds
2005
The Woodsman
2004
Grand Theft Parsons
2004
Criminal
2004
Zamboni Man
2004
Water
2004
Bad Boys II
2003
Kangaroo Jack
2003
8 Mile
2002
High Crimes
2002
Pearl Harbor
2001
Vanilla Sky
2001
New Port South
2001
Crossing Jordan
2001
Jesus' Son
2000
The Photographer
2000
Mullitt
2000
Cecil B. Demented
2000
Tigerland
2000
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
Chicago Cab
1998
The Ride
1997
The View
1997
Chain Reaction
1996
Early Edition
1996
The Daily Show
1996
Groundhog Day
1993
Late Show with David Letterman
1993
Overexposed
1992
McCarthy
Dead Guy
The Young King
King Snake
Dinner with Audrey
Vegas: A Love Story
Doctor Caligari's Cabinet of Wonders