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.
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Recent movies
| # | Name | Character | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gypsy (1962) | Grandpa | - | - |
| 2 | Summer and Smoke (1961) | Dr. Burke (uncredited) | - | - |
| 3 | Wild in the Country (1961) | Sam Tyler (uncredited) | 7 | |
| 4 | Touch of Evil (1958) | Chief Gould | 7.2 | |
| 5 | The Buccaneer (1958) | Tom Carruthers - Captain of the Corinthian | - | - |
| 6 | Written on the Wind (1956) | Hoak Wayne | 7.5 | |
| 7 | The Tall Men (1955) | Sam | 5 | |
| 8 | The Violent Men (1955) | Purdue | 7 | |
| 9 | Witness to Murder (1954) | Captain Donnelly | 7.3 | |
| 10 | Executive Suite (1954) | Ed Benedeck | 3 | |
| 11 | Cry of the Hunted (1953) | Sheriff Brown | 7 | |
| 12 | High Noon (1952) | Cooper | 7.3 | |
| 13 | The Scarf (1951) | Asylum Warden Anderson | 4 | |
| 14 | The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) | Police Officer Houlihan | 5 | |
| 15 | Where Danger Lives (1950) | Dr. Maynard | 4 | |
| 16 | Three Little Words (1950) | Clanahan | - | - |
| 17 | The Gunfighter (1950) | Chuck (uncredited) | - | - |
| 18 | The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) | Charlie | 2 | |
| 19 | Hunt the Man Down (1950) | Wallace Bennett | 5 | |
| 20 | The Sound of Fury (1950) | Mr. Yaeger | 4 | |
| 21 | The Underworld Story (1950) | George Parker | 5 | |
| 22 | Champion (1949) | Lew | 5 | |
| 23 | Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) | Tesander | 7 | |
| 24 | The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947) | Detective Owens, San Diego Police | 7 | |
| 25 | The Farmer's Daughter (1947) | Mr. Holstrom | - | - |
| 26 | Nora Prentiss (1947) | Police Lieutenant | 5 | |
| 27 | The Red House (1947) | Dr. Jonathan Byrne | 4 | |
| 28 | The Lady from Shanghai (1947) | Cab Driver | 7.5 | |
| 29 | Time Out of Mind (1947) | Capt. Rogers | - | - |
| 30 | Canyon Passage (1946) | Henry McLane (uncredited) | 5.5 | |
| 31 | Crack-Up (1946) | Cop (Uncredited) | 4 | |
| 32 | Night Editor (1946) | Capt. Lawrence | 4 | |
| 33 | The Mummy's Ghost (1944) | Sheriff Elwood | 7 | |
| 34 | The Falcon Takes Over (1942) | Detective Grimes (Uncredited) | - | - |
| 35 | In Old California (1942) | Mr. Carlin | 6 | |
| 36 | The Big Street (1942) | Florida Doctor (uncredited) | 5 | |
| 37 | This Gun for Hire (1942) | Steve Finnerty | 7.5 | |
| 38 | Hold Back the Dawn (1941) | American Immigration Official (uncredited) | 5 | |
| 39 | Citizen Kane (1941) | Jim Kane | 7.8 | |
| 40 | The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair (1939) | Father | 1 |
