Shawn Elliott (February 24, 1937 – March 11, 2016) was an American actor and singer. He is best known for starring in the original cast of ''
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' is a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. Brel's songs were translated into English by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, who also provided the story. The original 1968 Off-Broadway prod ...
'' onstage and as Paco in the film ''
Short Eyes'' (1977).
Early years
Elliott was born Eliezer Santiago Solis in
Santurce, Puerto Rico, and grew up in New York City's
East Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...
area where he appeared in a community center production of ''
Oklahoma!''
Singing career
Elliott had a #1 hit in Europe and South America with a cover of
Sir Lancelot's "Shame And Scandal In The Family" in 1965. The cover failed to chart in America where English comedian
Lance Percival's version did. However,
Peter Tosh
Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963 ...
and
the Wailers
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
, as well as The Blues Busters, copied the arrangement used by Elliot in preparing their own later covers of the song. Recorded a minor disco hit "Nice and Slow" in 1976.
Elliott originally recorded for
Roulette Records, before moving with his brother Roland to
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
in 1968, though none of his later records matched the success of his 1965 hit.
Selected discography
*”Goodbye My Lover,” 1962
*”Sincerely and Tenderly,” 1963
*"Shame And Scandal In The Family"; B-side "Josephine," 1964
*”You Opened Up My Eyes,” 1967
*”You’ve Turned Away," 1968
*”Little Children,” 1968
*”I Found Myself A Brand New Baby,” 1970
*
"Marieke"
*"Child Is Father To The Man," 1971
*"Mr. Love," 1976
Acting career
After his last single, Elliott turned increasingly to acting. He is known for his roles in the films ''
Short Eyes'', ''
Beat Street'',''
Crossover Dreams
''Crossover Dreams'' is a 1985 film directed by Leon Ichaso. The film follows salsa singer Rudy Veloz (played by musician Rubén Blades) on his rise to fame as he tries to break into the mainstream music scene. The film mostly takes place in Span ...
'', ''
Do The Right Thing
''Do the Right Thing'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson, a ...
'', ''
Impulse'', ''
13 Conversations About One Thing'', ''
Double Take
Double take may refer to:
Films, radio, and television
* ''Double Take'' (1998 film), a 1998 thriller
* ''Double Take'' (2001 film), a 2001 comedy
* ''Double Take'' (2009 film), a 2009 film
* Double Take (American TV series), a 2018 hidden cam ...
'', and ''
Arbitrage
In economics and finance, arbitrage (, ) is the practice of taking advantage of a difference in prices in two or more markets; striking a combination of matching deals to capitalise on the difference, the profit being the difference between the ...
''. His last screen credit was the 2013 film ''
Broken City''.
On TV, Elliott played Eduardo Fernandez, father of main characters Alex and Gaby, on the
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
children's show ''
Ghostwriter''. He also appeared in episodes of
NBC's ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'',
Lifetime
Lifetime may refer to:
* Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey
* ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band
* ...
's ''
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'', ''
Miami Vice
''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...
,
CSI: Miami
''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...
'' and ''
American Family
The traditional family structure in the United States is considered a family support system involving two married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring. However, this two-parent, heterosexual, nuclear family ...
''.
Elliott also appeared on
Broadway in ''
City of Angels'' (1989) and ''Marie Christine'' (1999) and off-Broadway and regionally in ''Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'', ''
Cyrano De Bergerac, Senor Discretion Himself, Teresa's Ecstasy,
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
,
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf'', and ''
Man of La Mancha
''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay ''I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes ...
''.
A lifetime member of
The Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 44th Street (Manhattan), West 44th Street between Ninth Avenue (Manhattan), Ninth and Tenth Avenue (Manhattan), Tenth avenues in the ...
, Elliott received a 1998 ALMA Award for Outstanding Latino Cast for PBS’ ''Foto-Novelas''. In 2000, he was honored with the Rita Moreno Award for Excellence by the Hispanic Organization of Latin Artists (HOLA).
Personal life
Elliott married actress
Donna Murphy in 1990. Elliott has two daughters from a previous relationship, Ivy Kaller and Justine McLaughlin. In 2006, Elliott and Murphy adopted a daughter, Darmia Hope Murphy Elliott.
Death
Elliott died on March 11, 2016 aged 79.
"Actor Shawn Elliott, Husband of Donna Murphy, Dies at 79"
Playbill, March 18, 2016
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Shawn
1937 births
2016 deaths
Male actors from New York City
People from Santurce, Puerto Rico
Place of death missing
People from East Harlem
Singers from New York City
20th-century American singers
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American male singers
21st-century American male actors
Method actors