Dave Shalansky

Dave Shalansky is an American actor.

Early life and education Dave Shalansky was born and raised in a Reform Jewish home in Warwick, Rhode Island. His father, Len Shalansky, was a fine artist and illustrator who studied briefly at Cooper Union and Pratt Institute in New York City. His artwork appeared on a number of 1970s Hasbro toys, including the Weeble. Shalansky's mother was a homemaker, an elementary school teacher and then became the executive director of Temple Beth-El (Providence, Rhode Island).

Shalansky earned a BFA in acting from Boston University.

He also studied improv comedy at UCB Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles. In addition, he trained in the Meisner technique under noted Meisner teacher Sandy Marshall and is a Meisner-trained method actor.

Career After moving to New York City immediately following graduation, Shalansky found success in television commercials and continued his acting career with regular work in New York and regional theatres. In 1997, he appeared in a production of Balm in Gilead. In 2003, Shalansky moved to Los Angeles and began building his career in television and film.

In November 2016, Shalansky landed a recurring guest-star role on Grey's Anatomy. In 2022, he was cast as Henry Kissinger in Paramount +'s limited drama series The Offer. In 2023, he made his Off-Broadway debut, playing one of the leads in Leslie Epstein's Holocaust play "King of the Jews," adapted from Epstein's 1979 novel of the same name. Shalansky became the last actor to portray Kissinger in a film or television production before Kissinger's 2023 death. He continues to work steadily in television, film, and theater on both coasts.

As a writer, he recently completed his first feature screenplay, which is currently in development.

Shalansky is also an accomplished musician, playing drums in several rock and power-pop bands in both New York and Los Angeles, including Nice Guy Eddie with guitarist Chris Jackson and bass player Robbie Rist.

In 2023, Shalansky was cast in the feature film Rosemead, starring Lucy Liu.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games