Shane West | |
|---|---|
.jpg) West in 2015 | |
| Born | Shannon Bruce Snaith (1978-06-10)June 10, 1978 (age 47) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Punk rock |
| Instrument | Vocals |
Musical artist | |
Shannon Bruce Snaith[1][2] (born June 10, 1978),[3] better known asShane West, is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He is known for his portrayal of Eli Sammler in theABC family dramaOnce and Again, Landon Carter inA Walk to Remember,Dr. Ray Barnett in theNBC medical dramaER,Michael Bishop inThe CW spy dramaNikita and in theWGN fantasy adventure historical dramaSalem asJohn Alden. West received critical acclaim for his performance portrayingDarby Crash in the biopicWhat We Do Is Secret.
As well as acting, West has performed with punk rock bands theGerms, Jonny Was, and the Twilight Creeps.
West was born inBaton Rouge, Louisiana, the son of Leah Catherine (née Launey), a lawyer, and Don Snaith, a drugstore owner.[4][5] Both his parents were musicians and had their own punk rock bands.[6] His mother is ofCajun French descent. His father was born inJamaica, of English and Portuguese-Jewish origin.[7][8][9] He is the eldest of three children, with a sister Simone and a half-sister Marli Ann. His parents divorced in 1982 when he was four years old.[10] Influenced by his parents, he grew up listening tothe Clash,the Jam,Blondie,Elvis Costello, andthe Kinks.[6] He said, "I always thought I would be doing music rather than acting."[6]
At age ten, West, his mother and his sister Simone relocated toCompton, California, as his mother was pursuing job opportunities. They later moved toNorwalk, California.[10][11] Embarrassed by his feminine first name, West went by his middle name Bruce but changed his name to Shane West in high school when he took up acting.[12]
West struggled to land acting work for two years and resided at his manager's house[11][13] before making his acting debut in 1995, playing Dave Lattimore in theCBS dramaPicket Fences (season 4, episode 6, "Heart of Saturday Night")
In 1998, West guest-starred in several television series, includingBuffy the Vampire Slayer, and played Mark Tapper in the stage production ofThe Cider House Rules.[14] He landed his first major role in 1999 in theABC family dramaOnce and Again, playing Eli Sammler for three seasons. West's feature film debut was inLiberty Heights, a film about aJewish family inBaltimore, directed byBarry Levinson. He also co-starred in teen comediesWhatever It Takes (2000) andGet Over It (2001).
West was cast as Landon Carter opposite singer and actressMandy Moore in 2002's adaptation ofNicholas Sparks' novelA Walk to Remember.Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times found him "quietly convincing".[15] His performance in the film earned him aTeen Choice Award for Choice Chemistry with Moore. He also appeared in the Mandy Moore music video "Cry". That year, West won theYoung Hollywood Award Male Superstar of Tomorrow.
In 2003, West starred as an adult version ofMark Twain'sTom Sawyer inThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen alongsideSean Connery. A year later, he joined the cast of theNBC medical drama,ER in the eleventh-season premiere, playing resident Ray Barnett. In May 2007, West leftER at the end of the thirteenth season after winning a role inSupreme Courtships,[16] but the series was not picked up by theFox Network. In October 2008, West returned toER for three episodes during its fifteenth and final season.[17]
During hiatus between seasons ofER, West worked on shootingWhat We Do Is Secret, anindependent film, which premiered at the 2007Los Angeles Film Festival after much delay.[18][19] West helped to finance it.[20][21] In the film, he portraysDarby Crash, a member of the 1970s punk band the Germs. Members of the band were so impressed by West's performance that they re-formed the band with West taking the deceased Crash's place. West received positive reviews for his portrayal in the movie; theSan Francisco Chronicle stated that he is the one who "lifts the entire film to a whole other level".[22] Similarly,The Seattle Times wrote that his impersonation was "worth saluting" whileTV Guide called it "pretty impressive".[23][24] In 2008, he received the Rising Star Award inPhiladelphia Film Festival for his work inWhat We Do is Secret.[25][26]
West starred asMichael Bishop inThe CW spy dramaNikita from 2010 to 2013. In 2014, he began starring in theWGN America adventure/historical/fantasy dramaSalem as John Alden for three seasons before the show ended in 2017.
West starred inpost-apocalyptic film,Here Alone which premiered at the 2016Tribeca Film Festival and was released theatrically on March 30, 2017.[27] The film received the Audience Award at the 2016Tribeca Film Festival[28]
In 2018, West was cast asEduardo Dorrance in the fifth and final season ofGotham.[29] In November 2018, it was revealed that West would portray the role of Billy Millikin in the then upcoming feature filmGossamer Folds.[30] In November 2019, it was announced that West would star in the then upcoming sci-fi thrillerNo Running;[31] the film was retitledOutsiders and released in 2022.[32]
West was the lead singer ofpunk rock band Jonny Was[33] for "seven or eight years".[6] The band was originally known as Average Joe but had to change its name for legal reasons.[34] The band contributed to theA Walk to Remember soundtrack, appearing under the names "West, Gould, and Fitzgerald" because they had not yet decided on a new name.[34] West described their style as "a pop-punk-type band, moreGreen Day-ish".[6]
In November 2005, whileWhat We Do Is Secret was still in production, it was announced that West would be fronting the Germs on tour.[35] He performed with the band for nearly five years, doing an American tour (including the 2006Warped Tour) and a European Tour.[36][37] He described the experience as "more exciting" than acting.[38] However, after booking a leading role inNikita, West had less time to play with the band. His last performance was in December 2009.[36]
In 2015, West reunited with some of his old bandmates from Jonny Was to form a new band called the Twilight Creeps. In October 2016, they released their debut album.[39] In January 2019, they announced they are releasing their second album on February 1.[40][41] In December 2020, the Twilight Creeps released their first Christmas song entitled "Poison in the Mistletoe".[42]
West is a sports enthusiast and avid supporter of theNew Orleans Saints andLSU Tigers football teams. In 2019 he lent his voice to some of the team's pre-season videos.[43] He lived in Toronto, Canada, for six years during the filming of the seriesNikita.[44]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Westing Game | Chris Theodorakis | |
| 2000 | A Time for Dancing | Paul, The DJ | |
| 2000 | Whatever It Takes | Ryan Woodman | |
| 2000 | Dracula 2000 | J.T. | |
| 2001 | Get Over It! | Bentley 'Striker' Scrumfeld | |
| 2001 | Ocean's Eleven | Himself | |
| 2002 | A Walk to Remember | Landon Carter | |
| 2003 | The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen | Tom Sawyer | |
| 2006 | The Elder Son | Bo | |
| 2007 | What We Do Is Secret | Darby Crash | |
| 2009 | The Lodger | 'Street' Wilkenson | |
| 2009 | Red Sands | Specialist Jeff Keller | Also co-producer |
| 2009 | Echelon Conspiracy | Max Peterson | |
| 2010 | The Presence | Ghost | |
| 2014 | Red Sky | Tom Craig | |
| 2016 | Here Alone | Jason | |
| 2017 | Awakening the Zodiac | Mick Branson | |
| 2020 | Gossamer Folds | Billy Millikin | [45][46] |
| 2022 | Escape the Field | Ryan | |
| 2022 | Outsiders | Sheriff O'Hare | |
| 2022 | Chariot | Rory Calhoun | |
| 2022 | Mid-Century | Tom | Also executive producer |
| 2023 | La Usurpadora: The Musical | Chad | |
| 2023 | The Dirty South | Post-production[47] | |
| 2023 | Walden | Post-production[48] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Picket Fences | Dave Lattimore | Episode: "Heart of Saturday Night" |
| 1995 | California Dreams | Doug | Episode: "Community Service" |
| 1996 | The Crew | Store Manager | Episode: "Retail Slut" |
| 1996 | Boy Meets World | Nick | Episode: "A Kiss Is More Than a Kiss" |
| 1997 | Get a Clue | Chris Theodorakis | Television |
| 1997 | Mr. Rhodes | Mick | Episode: "The Valentine Show" |
| 1997 | Meego | Guy With Big Hat | Episode: "Morality Bites" |
| 1997 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Sean | Episode: "Go fish" |
| 1997 | Sliders | Kirk | Episode: "California Reich" |
| 1997 | To Have & to Hold | Mitch Maloney | Episode: "Tangled Up in You" 1998 |
| 1999–2002 | Once and Again | Eli Sammler | Main Role; 55 episodes |
| 2004–2009 | ER | Dr. Ray Barnett | Main Role (seasons 11–13), recurring (seasons 15); 70 episodes |
| 2007 | Supreme Courtships | Unknown | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2010 | El Dorado | Jack Wilder | 2 episodes |
| 2010–2013 | Nikita | Michael | Main Role |
| 2014–2017 | Salem | John Alden | Main Role |
| 2019 | Gotham | Eduardo Dorrance / Bane | 4 episodes |
| Year | Artist | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Mandy Moore | "Cry" | Landon Carter |
| 2001 | Mandy Moore | "Only Hope" | Landon Carter |
| 2001 | Mandy Moore | "Someday We'll Know" | Landon Carter |
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Chemistry: Film | A Walk to Remember | Won |
| Choice TV Actor: Drama | Once and Again | Nominated | ||
| Young Hollywood Awards | Male Superstar of Tomorrow | Himself | Won | |
| 2003 | Cinescape Genre Face of the Future Awards | Best Male Performance | The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen | Nominated |
| 2008 | Philadelphia Film Festival | Rising Star Award | What We Do Is Secret | Won |
| 2011 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor: Action | Nikita | Won |
| 2012 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor: Action | Nikita | Nominated |
| 2013 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actor: Action | Nikita | Nominated |
| International | |
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| National | |
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| People | |
| Other | |
