
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.
Gallery




Known For
Acting History
2025
Nuremberg as Justice Robert H. Jackson
2025Death by Lightning as James Garfield
2024The End as Father
2024A Different Man as Michael Shannon
2024The Bikeriders as Zipco
2023Making The Flash: Worlds Collide as Self - 'General Zod'
2023The Flash as General Zod
2023Waco: The Aftermath as Gary Noesner
2023A Little White Lie as Shriver
2022George & Tammy as George Jones
2022Amsterdam as Henry Norcross
2022Little Demon as Unshaven Man (voice)
2022Bullet Train as White Death
2022Abandoned as Renner
2022Night's End as Isaac Dees
2021Heart of Champions as Jack Murphy
2021Nine Perfect Strangers as Napoleon
2020Echo Boomers as Mel Donnelly
2020The Quarry as Chief Moore
2020Stars in the House as Self
2019Knives Out as Walt Thrombey
201990 Years of the Music Box Theatre as Self
2019The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts as Don McGahn
2019State Like Sleep as Edward
2018Friedkin Uncut as Self
2018The Little Drummer Girl as Martin Kurtz
2018What They Had as Nick
2018Long Way Back Home as Stanton
2018Poor Boy as Blayde Griggs
2018Fahrenheit 451 as Captain Beatty
2018The Current War as George Westinghouse
2018Waco as Gary Noesner
201812 Strong as Hal Spencer
2017The Shape of Water as Richard Strickland
2017Pottersville as Maynard Greiger
2017Bob Dylan - Trouble No More as Self
2017Ballad of a Righteous Merchant as Self
2017Room 104 as Nathan
2016Frank & Lola as Frank Reilly
2016Salt and Fire as Matt Riley
2016Loving as Grey Villet
2016Nocturnal Animals as Bobby Andes
2016Wolves as Lee Keller
2016Complete Unknown as Tom Brayton
2016Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as Zod
2016Elvis & Nixon as Elvis Presley
2016Midnight Special as Roy Tomlin
2015The Night Before as Mr. Green
2015Freeheld as Dane Wells
201599 Homes as Rick Carver
2015The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
2015She's Funny That Way as Policeman Macy's
2015The Harvest as Richard
2015Lip Sync Battle as Self
2014Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
2014The Final Shot: A Farewell to Boardwalk Empire as Self
2014Young Ones as Ernest Holm
2014They Came Together as Spike
2014Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self - Guest
2014The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
2014Off Camera with Sam Jones as Self
2013Choose You as Avicii
2013Man of Steel as General Zod
2013Mud as Galen
2013Michael Shannon Reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter
2012Happy Hour as Just Mike
2012The Iceman as Richard Kuklinski
2012Premium Rush as Bobby Monday
2012The Broken Tower as Emile
2011Take Shelter as Curtis LaForche
2011Machine Gun Preacher as Donnie
2011Return as Mike
2010Boardwalk Empire as Nelson Van Alden
2010My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done as Brad McCullum
2010I am My Films, Part 2... 30 Years Later as Self
2010Jonah Hex as Doc Cross Williams
2010The Runaways as Kim Fowley
201013 as Henry
2010Herbert White as Herbert White
200913 Scarier Movie Moments as Self
2009Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans as Mundt
2009The Greatest as Jordan Walker
2009The Missing Person as John Rosow
2008Revolutionary Road as John Givings
2008Marvelous as John
2007Shotgun Stories as Son Hayes
2007Before the Devil Knows You're Dead as Dex
2007Lucky You as Ray Zumbro
2007Blackbird as Murl
2007Bug as Peter Evans
2006Let's Go to Prison as Lynard
2006World Trade Center as Dave Karnes
2004The Woodsman as Rosen
2004Water as Bobby Matherson
2004Criminal as Gene
2004Grand Theft Parsons as Larry Oster-Berg
2004Dead Birds as Clyde
2004Zamboni Man as Walt
2003Bad Boys II as Floyd Poteet
2003Kangaroo Jack as Frankie Lombardo
20028 Mile as Greg Buehl
2002High Crimes as Troy Abbott
2001Vanilla Sky as Aaron
2001Crossing Jordan as Philip Corday
2001New Port South as Stanton
2001Pearl Harbor as Gooz Wood
2000Tigerland as Sgt. Filmore
2000Cecil B. Demented as Petie
2000Jesus' Son as Dundun
2000The Photographer as Maurice
2000Mullitt as Phil Kunz
1999Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Avery Shaw
1998Chicago Cab as Crack Head
1997The Ride as Jimmy
1997The View as Self
1996Early Edition
1996Early Edition as Mr. Andrews
1996Early Edition as Merle
1996Chain Reaction as D.C. Flower Delivery Man
1996The Daily Show as Self
1993Groundhog Day as Fred
1992Overexposed as Young Man
—McCarthy as Joseph McCarthy
—Buddy
—Bulls as Alistair Whitman
—Dinner with Audrey
—Mr. Irrelevant as Bill Parcells
—Dead Guy
—The Young King as Mick
—King Snake








