Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy (born 9 February 1955) is a French actor. He is known for his roles on American television, including Shane Donovan on the soap opera ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

'', and

Maxwell Sheffield ''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom which originally aired on CBS from 1993 to 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a fashion queen from Flushing, New York who becomes the nanny of three children from the New York/British high soc ...

on the sitcom ''

The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three ch ...

'', and as the voice of Dennis the Goldfish on ''

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

'' for which he won a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

. He is also more recently known for his recurring roles as Christopher Plover on '' The Magicians'' and St. John Powell on ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its fict ...

''. Shaughnessy is currently a series regular on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

daytime soap opera ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' in the role of villain Victor Cassadine; he signed a long-term contract to remain part of the show indefinitely. Along with his brother,

David Shaughnessy David Shaughnessy is an English actor, producer and director best known for his voice-work in '' Big Hero 6'', '' Big Hero 6: The Series'', ''Fallout 4'', ''Labyrinth'', ''Mass Effect'', ''Peter Pan and the Pirates'', ''Star Wars Rebels'', '' T ...

, and Ophelia Soumekh, he is a partner in 3S Media Solutions Inc.

Early life

Shaughnessy was born on 9 February 1955 in London, the son of

Alfred Shaughnessy Alfred James Shaughnessy (19 May 1916 – 2 November 2005) was an English scriptwriter, film director and producer best known for being the script editor of '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. Early life Alfred Shaughnessy was born in London, his father, ...

, a television writer who was the scriptwriter for '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', and actress

Jean Lodge Jean Margaret Lodge (born 4 August 1927) is an English stage, film and television actress. Career In 1952 she appeared alongside Claude Hulbert in the West End in Constance Cox's ''Lord Arthur Savile's Crime''. In 1954 she starred in William ...

. His brother,

, is also an actor and a television producer and director. His great-grandfather

Thomas Shaughnessy Thomas George Shaughnessy, 1st Baron Shaughnessy, (6 October 1853 – 10 December 1923) was an American-Canadian railway administrator who rose from modest beginnings as a clerk and bookkeeper for the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (a prede ...

, the 1st

Baron Shaughnessy Baron Shaughnessy, of the City of Montreal in the Dominion of Canada and of Ashford in the County of Limerick, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1916 for the Milwaukee born businessman Thomas Shaughnessy, preside ...

, was an American-Canadian railway administrator of Irish descent. Charles inherited the title when his second cousin Michael (1946–2007), the 4th Baron Shaughnessy, died without issue. Having been born into a show-business family, Shaughnessy started appearing in plays during primary school. After attending

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

, he read for a law degree at

Magdalene College Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...

at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

where he wrote a thesis on the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. While at Cambridge, he joined the

Footlights Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University. History Footlights' inaugural ...

club. After graduating, he decided to return to acting and enrolled in a London drama school, which led to his touring in a repertory company. He moved to the United States and married the actress Susan Fallender in 1983, with whom he had two daughters, Jenny (born 1990) and Maddy (born 1995).

Career

Shaughnessy first became widely known for playing

Shane Donovan A list of notable characters from the NBC soap opera '' Days of Our Lives'' that significantly impacted storylines and debuted between January 1, 1980, and the end of 1989, in order of first appearance. DJ Craig Donald Craig Jr., known as "DJ" ...

on the soap opera ''

'' from 1984 to 1992. His character's romance with

Patsy Pease Patsy Pease is an American actress. She is most known for her role as Kimberly Brady on the soap opera '' Days of Our Lives''. Early life Pease was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. She attended the North Carolina School of the Arts four year ...

'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 Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of Golden Age of Television, early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work i ...

and

Bert Convy Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy (July 23, 1933 – July 15, 1991) was an American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for hosting '' Tattletales'', ''Super Password'' and ''Win, Lose or Draw''. Early life Convy was born in St. Loui ...

on ''Super Password'', and in January 1993, Shaughnessy appeared in an episode of '' Murphy Brown'' as the title character's date to the inaugural ball. Shaughnessy is also well known for his portrayal of

opposite

Fran Drescher Francine Joy Drescher (born September 30, 1957) is an American actress, comedian, writer, activist, and trade union leader. She is known for her role as Fran Fine in the television sitcom '' The Nanny'' (1993–1999), which she created and prod ...

on CBS's ''

'' from 1993 to 1999. He and Drescher resumed acting together in Drescher's next sitcom, ''

Living with Fran ''Living with Fran'' is an American television sitcom that aired on The WB. It starred Fran Drescher and Ryan McPartlin, and was co-created by Jamie Kennedy. The series debuted on April 8, 2005, and ran two seasons before ending on March 24, 2006 ...

'', wherein Shaughnessy appeared fairly frequently as her philandering but needy ex-husband, Ted. ''Living with Fran'' was cancelled on 17 May 2006, after two seasons. In 1996, Shaughnessy reunited with another ''Days of Our Lives'' co-star—

Charlotte Ross Charlotte Ross (born January 21, 1968) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Eve Donovan on the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' from 1987 to 1991, and as Det. Connie McDowell on the ABC police procedural drama seri ...

, who portrayed Shane's daughter, Eve Donovan—in the TV movie ''A Kiss So Deadly''. Ross played the roommate of Shaughnessy's daughter (

Dedee Pfeiffer Dorothy Diane "Dedee" Pfeiffer (born January 1, 1964) is an American actress, the younger sister of Michelle Pfeiffer. She began her career appearing in films include '' Vamp'' (1986), '' The Allnighter'' (1987) and '' The Horror Show'' (1989). ...

); Shaughnessy's character, although married, forms an obsessive, ''

Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humber ...

''-esque relationship with Ross. When she tries to break it off, Shaughnessy's character murders Ross's character; gradually, his daughter uncovers the truth. Shaughnessy appeared (in a dual role) in the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

2002

made-for-TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

Get a Clue ''Get a Clue'' is a 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Lindsay Lohan as Lexy Gold, a teenage high school student who investigates a mystery after one of her teachers goes missing. The film premiered on the Disney Channel on June 28, 200 ...

''. He was also seen in the 2000 made-for-TV Halloween movie ''

Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire ''Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire'' is a 2000 American made-for-television horror-comedy film directed by Steve Boyum and starring Caroline Rhea, Matt O'Leary, Charles Shaughnessy, Laura Vandervoort, and Robert Carradine. It aired as a Disney C ...

'' starring

Caroline Rhea Caroline Gilchrist Rhea (; born April 13, 1964) is a Canadian actress and stand-up comedian, who is best known for her role as Hilda Spellman on the ABC series ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch''. She has performed numerous comedy specials, including t ...

; she guest-starred on ''

'' in 1998 as part of a cross-over with ''

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show Television pilot, piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debut ...

''. That same year, Shaughnessy made two appearances on The WB's ''

Sabrina Sabrina may refer to: * Sabrina (given name), a feminine given name, including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name People * Sabrina (actress), stage name of Norma Ann Sykes (1936–2016), a British glamour model and actres ...

'' (starring Rhea, Melissa Joan Hart, and

Beth Broderick Elizabeth Alice Broderick (born February 24, 1959) is an American actress. She portrayed Zelda Spellman in the ABC/ WB television sitcom ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1996–2003).

), playing two different characters. He played Alec Colson in the 8th-season episode "

Covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

" of ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction Adventure fiction, adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wrigh ...

''. He also voiced Dr. Quintaine in the PC game ''

Freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

''. Shaughnessy appeared on an episode of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and is also the voice of Dennis the Goldfish on the

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

series ''

''. On 11 May 2002, Shaughnessy won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for his portrayal of Dennis. 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 television commercials for

Range Rover Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to ...

cars. In December 2008, he provided the voice of Pietro in ''

The Tale of Despereaux ''The Tale of Despereaux'' (, ) is a 2003 children's fantasy book written by Kate DiCamillo. The main plot follows the adventures of a mouse named Despereaux Tilling, as he sets out on his quest to rescue a beautiful human princess from the r ...

''. He also portrayed the

Cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...

English accent for "The Boss" in the game '' Saints Row 2''. On 5 May 2009, Shaughnessy made a guest appearance in the series ''

The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, the show fol ...

'' episode "Miss Red" as the manager of a private club. He also appeared on the popular TV show ''

Hannah Montana ''Hannah Montana'' is an American teen sitcom created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll and Barry O'Brien that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between March2006 and January2011. The series centers on Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), a ...

'' as a talent show judge modeled after

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of ''The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on t ...

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 Alice Horton is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', portrayed by Frances Reid from the show's debut on November 8, 1965 until December 26, 2007. In her role as matriarch of the Horton family, Alice's storylines foc ...

(played by

Frances Reid Frances Reid (December 9, 1914 – February 3, 2010) was an American dramatic actress. Reid acted on television for nearly all of the second half of the 20th century. Her career continued into the early 2000s. Although she starred in ma ...

), briefly reuniting him with his former co-star

(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). Since 2010, Shaughnessy has starred on the soap opera

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...

'' The Bay'' as Elliot Sanders. On 6 December 2010, he reunited with

as a guest on her limited-run daytime show, ''

The Fran Drescher Show ''The Fran Drescher Show'' (also called ''The Fran Drescher Tawk Show'') is an American talk show hosted by actress Fran Drescher. The series premiered on November 26, 2010, in six cities on Fox owned stations: New York on WNYW, Los Angeles on KT ...

.'' In June 2011, Shaughnessy appeared as Henry Higgins in ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...

'' at the

North Shore Music Theatre North Shore Music Theatre is the largest operating regional theater in New England. It is located in Beverly, Massachusetts and is one of the few remaining theatre-in-the-round stages left in the United States. The theater is owned by Massachuset ...

Beverly, Massachusetts Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly incl ...

, and returned there to play Georges in '' La Cage aux Folles'' in fall 2013 . He made a guest appearance on the first-season finale of Fran Drescher's

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...

sitcom, ''

Happily Divorced ''Happily Divorced'' is an American sitcom created by Fran Drescher and Peter Marc Jacobson. Inspired by their own experiences as a formerly married couple, the series, which became TV Land's third original scripted series following ''Hot in Clev ...

'', 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 storyline involving his return to the ISA and interacting with Hope and Bo Brady and Stefano 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. He also returned in November 2013 for a three-episode arc, in which Shane and Kimberly deal with their daughter's drug use. On 23 January 2014, it was announced that Shaughnessy would assume the lead role in the play ''

Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

'' at the New Theatre in Overland Park, Kansas, after original star

Judge Reinhold Edward Ernest "Judge" Reinhold Jr. (born May 21, 1957) is an American actor who has starred in several Hollywood movies, such as '' Ruthless People'', '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High'', '' Stripes'' and '' Gremlins'', and co-starred in all of the ...

was offered the opportunity to leave the production. In August 2014, Shaughnessy made a guest appearance on the Disney Channel show ''

Dog with a Blog ''Dog with a Blog'' is an American comedy television series that aired on Disney Channel from October 12, 2012 to September 25, 2015. The series stars G Hannelius, Blake Michael, Francesca Capaldi, Regan Burns, and Beth Littleford, and also feat ...

'' as business tycoon Tom Fairbanks, a man who wanted to buy Stan, the title character, and use him as the spokes-dog for his animal rescue campaign.

Filmography

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

Soap Opera Digest Awards

* Won, 1985, for Outstanding New Actor in a Daytime Serials * Won, 1986, for Favorite Daytime Super Couple on a Daytime Serial (shared with

) * 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

* Won, 2002, for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program (

)

Broadway World Boston Theater Awards

* Won, 2011, for Best Lead Actor in a Musical (Large Theater)

Arms

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaughnessy, Charles People educated at Eton College Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge Shaughnessy, Charles Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Daytime Emmy Award winners English people of American descent English people of Canadian descent English people of Irish descent English male film actors English male soap opera actors English male video game actors English male voice actors Living people Male actors from London 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors 1955 births