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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2009) |
| Charles Shaughnessy | |
|---|---|
 Charles Shaughnessy in 2007 |
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| Born | Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy 9 February 1955 London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Fallender (1983-present) |
| Website | |
| www.charlesshaughnessy.com | |
Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy (born 9 February 1955), simply known as Charles Shaughnessy, is a British peer, and television, theatre and film actor. He is known for his roles on American television, as Shane Donovan on the soap opera Days of our Lives and as Maxwell Sheffield on the sitcom The Nanny. Along with his brother, David Shaughnessy and Ophelia Soumekh, he is a partner in 3S Media Solutions Inc.
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Early life[edit]
Shaughnessy was born on 9 February 1955 in London, the son of Alfred Shaughnessy, a television writer who was the scriptwriter for Upstairs, Downstairs, and the actress Jean Lodge. His brother, David Shaughnessy, is also an actor and a television producer and director. Having been born into a show-business family, he started appearing in plays during primary school. After attending Eton College, he read for a law degree at Magdalene College of University of Cambridge where he wrote a thesis on the House of Lords.[1]
While at Cambridge, he joined the Footlights club. After graduating, he decided to return to acting and enrolled in a London drama school, which led to him touring in a repertory company. He moved to the United States to follow actress Susan Fallender, whom he eventually wed.
Career[edit]
Shaughnessy first became widely known for playing Shane Donovan on the soap opera Days of Our Lives from 1984 to 1992. His Days of our Lives character’s romance with Patsy Pease's character, Kimberly Brady, made the duo into a soap supercouple and revived interest in Days among teenage viewers in the 1980s. In 1986, he appeared with Betty White and Bert Convy on Super Password, and in January 1993, Shaugnessy appeared in an episode of Murphy Brown as the title character's date to a formal occasion.
Shaughnessy is also well known for his portrayal of Maxwell Sheffield opposite Fran Drescher on CBS' The Nanny from 1993 to 1999. He and Drescher resumed acting together on Drescher's next sitcom, Living with Fran, wherein Shaughnessy appeared fairly frequently as her philandering but needy ex-husband, Ted. Living with Fran was canceled on 17 May 2006, after two seasons.
In 1996, Shaughnessy was reunited with another co-star from DOOL - Charlotte Ross, who portrayed Shane's daughter Eve Donovan - for the TV movie A Kiss So Deadly. This time, Ross portrayed the roommate of Shaughnessy's daughter (Dedee Pfeiffer); Shaughnessy's character, although married, forms an obsessive Lolita-esque relationship with Ross. When she tries to break it off, Shaughnessy's character murders Ross'; gradually, his daughter uncovers the truth.
Shaughnessy also appeared in the Disney Channel 2002 made-for-TV movie Get a Clue. He was also seen in the Halloween 2000 made-for-TV movie Mom's Got A Date With A Vampire starring opposite Caroline Rhea (she guest-starred on The Nanny in 1998 as part of a cross-over with Hollywood Squares). That same year, Shaughnessy made two appearances on The WB's Sabrina (this show stars Rhea, Melissa Joan Hart, and Beth Broderick) playing two different characters. He played Alec Colson in the 8th-season episode "Covenant" of Stargate SG-1. He also voiced Dr. Quintaine in the PC game Freelancer.
Shaughnessy appeared on an episode of NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and is also the voice of Dennis the Goldfish on the Disney Channel cartoon series Stanley. On 11 May 2002, Shaughnessy won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for his portrayal of Dennis the Goldfish on Stanley.
On 8 August 2008, Shaughnessy portrayed the murder victim (Samuel, Guru) in Murder 101: The Locked Room Mystery. As of September 2008, his voice was heard in a few television commercials for Range Rover cars. In December 2008, he did the voice of Pietro in The Tale of Despereaux. He also portrayed the Cockney English accent for "The Boss" in the game Saints Row 2, and more recently has voiced more commercials for Land Rover.
On 5 May 2009, Shaughnessy made a guest appearance in the series The Mentalist episode “Miss Red” as the manager of a private club. His voice has been featured in commercials for Land Rover. He also appeared on the popular TV show Hannah Montana as a talent show judge modeled after Simon Cowell in the episode "Judge Me Tender".
Shaughnessy returned to Days of Our Lives in May 2010, in a storyline associated with the funeral of Alice Horton (played by Frances Reid), briefly reuniting him with his former co-star Patsy Pease (Kimberly). This plot development was necessitated by the real-world death of the actress who had long portrayed Mrs. Horton as the producers were aware that the audience would not accept the portrayal of the character by anyone else.
In August–September 2010, Shaughnessy appeared as King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot! at The Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine. In January 2011, he won the Broadway World Boston Theater Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical (Large Theater).
As of September 2010, Shaughnessy took a role in the web soap opera The Bay. On 6 December 2010, he reunited with Fran Drescher as a guest on her limited-run daytime show, The Fran Drescher Show.
In June 2011, Shaughnessy appeared as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts. He made a guest appearance on the first season finale of Fran Drescher's TV Land sitcom, Happily Divorced, first airing on 17 August 2011.
Shaughnessy returned to Days of Our Lives for a limited run in May 2012 as Shane Donovan, in a story line involving his return to the ISA and interacting with Hope and Bo Brady and Stephano DiMera. His co-star, Patsy Pease did not appear as Shane's wife, Kimberly, in this story arc; nor did Charlotte Ross, who had played Shane's daughter, Eve.
Personal life[edit]
Shaughnessy has been married to Susan Fallender since 1983. Together they have two daughters:
- The Hon. Jenny Johanna Shaughnessy (born 18 March 1990)
- The Hon. Madelyn Sarah Shaughnessy (born 8 February 1995)
He is an avid supporter of Chelsea Football Club in the UK.
Shaughnessy is active on the Internet. He maintains his own blog on Blogspot and in the midst of the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election he started a video blog on YouTube supporting Barack Obama.
Peerage[edit]
In December 2007, Shaughnessy became the fifth Baron Shaughnessy, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, upon the death of his second cousin, Michael James Shaughnessy, 4th Baron Shaughnessy. The heir presumptive to the title is his brother David, and David will remain such while both are living unless Charles subsequently fathers a son. The first baron was their great-grandfather, Thomas George Shaughnessy, the president of Canadian Pacific Railway. Although seldom called such, by his baronial title he is also properly styled as The Right Honourable The Lord Shaughnessy.
Awards and nominations[edit]
Soap Opera Digest Awards[edit]
- Won, 1985, for Outstanding New Actor in a Daytime Serials
- Won, 1986, for Favorite Daytime Super Couple on a Daytime Serial (shared with Patsy Pease)
- Won, 1988, for Outstanding Super Couple: Daytime (shared with Patsy Pease)
- Nominated, 1990, for Outstanding Super Couple: Daytime (shared with Patsy Pease)
- Nominated, 1991, for Outstanding Hero: Daytime
- Nominated, 1992, for Outstanding Lead Actor: Daytime
Daytime Emmy Awards[edit]
- Won, 2002, for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program (Stanley)
Broadway World Boston Theater Awards[edit]
- Won, 2011, for Best Lead Actor in a Musical (Large Theater)
Filmography[edit]
- "Victorious" (2012) (Guest Star) - "Robbie Sells Rex" - Mason Thornesmith
- Liz & Dick (2012) (TV Movie) - Anthony Asquith
- Victorious (2012) (Guest Star) - "Tori Goes Platinum" - Mason Thornesmith
- Castle (2012) - "The Limey" - Nigel Wyndham
- Love's Christmas Journey (2011) (TV movie) - Mr. Weaver
- Happily Divorced (2011) - "Torn Between Two Lovetts" - Gregory Sherwood
- William & Kate (2011) (TV movie) - Flight Instructor
- Your Highness (2011) - Narrator/Soul of the Maze
- Ricky and Ravi (Are In Between Jobs) (2011) (Video short) - Richard Paddle
- The Bay (2010) - Capt. Elliot Sanders
- Audrey (2010) - Jacques
- The Suite Life on Deck (2010) - "Rollin' With the Holmsies" - Jean-Claude Benoit
- CSI: NY (2010) - "Sanguine Love" - Mr. Christensen
- The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (2009) - "Fancy Pants" - Mr Pants (voice)
- Wishing Well (2009) (TV movie) - Bosley
- White Knight Chronicles (2009) (Video Game) - Eldore
- Hannah Montana (2009) - "Judge Me Tender" - Byron
- Saints Row 2 (2008) (Video Game) - 3rd Street Saints Boss (Male Voice 1)
- The Tale of Despereaux (2008) - Pietro (voice)
- Mad Men (2008–2009) - St. John Powell
- Polar Opposites (2008) - David
- Saints & Sinners (2007) – August Martin
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Episode 164-Recall)(2006)
- Veronica Mars (2006) – Budd Rose
- Lord of the Pi's (2006) – Budd Rose
- National Lampoon's Dorm Daze 2 (2006) – Professor Rex Cavendish
- Living With Fran (2005–2006) (TV series) - Ted Reeves
- Kids in America (2005) – Sergeant Carmichael
- Stargate SG-1 (2004) – Alec Colson
- Get A Clue (2002) – Detective Meany / Falco
- Stanley (2001–2004) - Dennis the Goldfish
- Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (2001) - "Witchright Hall" - James Hexton
- Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire (2000) – Dimitri Denatos
- Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (2000) - "You Can't Twin" - Alec
- Second Chances (1998) – Dr. Hugh Olson
- The Nanny (1993–1999) (TV series) – Maxwell Sheffield
- Everything to Gain (1996) (made-for-TV) – Andrew Keswick
- A Kiss So Deadly (1996) (made-for-TV) – Tom Deese
- Til We Meet Again (1989) (mini-series) – Armand
- Days of our Lives (1984–1992, 2002, 2010, 2012) (TV series) – Shane Donovan
- Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime (1983) – "The Affair of the Pink Pearl" – John Rennie
Video games[edit]
- White Knight Chronicles: International Edition (2008) - Eldore
- Saints Row 2 (2008) - The Boss (Male Voice 1)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "The Barons Shaughnessy". Montreal Gazette. 2008-09-02.
External links[edit]
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| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by Michael Shaughnessy |
Baron Shaughnessy 2007–present |
Incumbent |
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