Shawn Michael Phelan (January 7, 1975 – September 27, 1998) was an American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Early life and acting career

Phelan was born in

Stoughton, Massachusetts Stoughton (official name: Town of Stoughton) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 29,281 at the 2020 census. The town is located approximately from Boston, from Providence, Rhode Island, and from Cape ...

, to Dan and Bonnie Phelan. He moved to

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Texas, with his mother and grandmother Beverly at the age of seven. He began his acting career in various stage productions at the Unicorn Theatre in Houston at age 9. His first national television role was in an episode of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

'' Sister Kate'' in 1989 at the age of 13 and followed by small roles in television series such as ''

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age story, coming-of-age situation comedy, comedy/Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol L. Black, Carol Black. It ran on American Broadcasting Company ...

'', ''

Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers ...

'' and ''

Grand Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

''. His first studio film role was in the 1991 drama ''Toy Soldiers'' opposite actors

Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (né Duke; February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Samwise Gamgee in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003), Mikey Walsh in ''The Goonies'' (1985), Daniel Ruettiger in ''Rudy'' (1993), Doug ...

Wil Wheaton Richard William Wheaton III (born July 29, 1972) is an American actor. He portrayed Wesley Crusher on the television series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', Gordie Lachance in the film ''Stand by Me (film), Stand by Me'', Joey Trotta in '' ...

and

Louis Gossett Jr. Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (born May 27, 1936) is an American actor. Born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, He had his stage debut at the age of 17, in a school production of '' You Can't Take It with You.'' Shortly after he successfully ...

Automobile accident and death

On March 29, 1994, at age 19, Phelan was involved in an automobile collision when his

Toyota Corolla The is a series of compact cars (formerly subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in ...

was broadsided three blocks from his home. He suffered a

traumatic brain injury A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity (ranging from mild traumatic brain injury TBI/concussionto severe traumatic b ...

which left him comatose for over four years. Phelan died on September 27, 1998, at the age of 23.Official site
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Selected filmography

*''Telling Secrets'' (1993) *''Do Not Bring That Python in the House'' (1992) *'' Breaking the Rules'' (1992) *''

The Secret of Lost Creek ''The Secret of Lost Creek'' is an American adventure television series that aired on the Disney Channel from February 1 to March 1, 1992. Premise Two siblings spend the summer at their grandparents' house where Jeannie finds clues to a buried ...

'' (1992) *''Miles from Nowhere'' (1992) *''

Toy Soldiers A toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. The term applies to depictions of uniformed military personnel from all eras, and includes knights, cowboys, American Indians, pirates, samurai, and other subjects that involve c ...

'' (1991) *''

Caroline? ''Caroline?'' is a 1990 American made-for-television drama film based on E. L. Konigsburg's novel ''Father's Arcane Daughter'' starring Stephanie Zimbalist, Pamela Reed and George Grizzard. The film is directed by Joseph Sargent and aired on CBS ...

'' (1990) *''The All New Mickey Mouse Club (unaired pilot)'' (1989)

References

External links

* 1975 births 1998 deaths American male child actors American male film actors 20th-century American male actors Road incident deaths in Texas {{US-actor-stub