Harry Shannon

Harry Shannon (June 13, 1890 – July 27, 1964) was an American character actor. He often appeared in Western films.

Biography Shannon was born on a farm in Saginaw, Michigan. After beginning his career in live theater and vaudeville, be switched to the film industry in the 1930s.

His Broadway credits included Mrs. O'Brien Entertains (1939), Washington Jitters (1938), Under Glass (1933), Pardon My English (1933), Free For All (1931), Simple Simon (1931), Jonica (1930), Hold Everything (1928), and Oh, Kay! (1926).

Although he appeared most frequently in Westerns in the last decade of his career, his best-known film role was perhaps as Charles Foster Kane's rough father in Citizen Kane (1941). Among his other films were Someone to Remember (1943), Alaska Highway (1943), San Quentin (1946), Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) and Witness to Murder (1954).

In 1956 he appeared as Matt Crowley in the "Johnny Bravo" episode of the TV Western Cheyenne. In 1960, he was cast as outlaw Clay Hooper in the "Showdown at Goldtown" episode of the ABC/Warner Brothers Western television series, Colt .45. He appeared as the villain cowboy Dad "Jobe Craig" in S3E27's "Meeting at Mimbres" in the 1961 Western Bat Masterson. He appeared in several other TV Westerns in the late 1950s and early 1960s: Sheriff of Cochise, Have Gun - Will Travel, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Texan and Laramie.

Shannon died in Hollywood on July 27, 1964, at age 74.

Selected filmography

Heads Up (1930) – Captain Denny Take a Chance (1933) – Bartender The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair (1939) – Father City of Chance (1940) – Passline Parole Fixer (1940) – Randall Young Tom Edison (1940) – Army Captain Brackett Young as You Feel (1940) – Gillespie Tear Gas Squad (1940) – Lieutenant Sullivan Gambling on the High Seas (1940) – Chief of Police Sailor's Lady (1940) – Father McGann One Crowded Night (1940) – McDermott Girl from Avenue A (1940) – Timson Too Many Girls (1940) – Mr. Casey Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940) – Captain Mahoney The Saint in Palm Springs (1941) – Chief R.L. Graves Citizen Kane (1941) – Jim Kane, Kane's Father Hold Back the Dawn (1941) – American Immigration Official (uncredited) The Lady Is Willing (1942) – Detective Sergeant Barnes The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine (1942) – Pinky This Gun for Hire (1942) – Steve Finnerty The Mad Martindales (1942) – Policeman The Falcon Takes Over (1942) – Detective Grimes (uncredited) In Old California (1942) – Mr. Carlin The Big Street (1942) – Florida Doctor (uncredited) Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1942) – Mr. Wiggs (uncredited) Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942) – Ed Cumberland Random Harvest (1942) – Badgeley – Melbridge Works (uncredited) The Powers Girl (1943) – Mr. Hendricks Idaho (1943) – Judge John Grey – aka Tom Allison Song of Texas (1943) – Sam Bennett Alaska Highway (1943) – John 'Pop' Ormsby Someone to Remember (1943) – Tom Gibbons Headin' for God's Country (1943) – Albert Ness Doughboys in Ireland (1943) – Michael Callahan Government Girl (1943) – Mr. Gibon (uncredited) The Heat's On (1943) – Police Captain (uncredited) In Old Oklahoma (1943) – Charlie Witherspoon (uncredited) True to Life (1943) – Mr. Mason The Fighting Sullivans (1944) – Chief Petty Officer (uncredited) The Eve of St. Mark (1944) – Chaplain (uncredited) Ladies of Washington (1944) – Police Lieutenant Lake (uncredited) The Yellow Rose of Texas (1944) – Sam Weston The Mummy's Ghost (1944) – Sheriff Babes on Swing Street (1944) – Lieutenant Casey (uncredited) Barbary Coast Gent (1944) – San Francisco Police Chief (uncredited) When the Lights Go On Again (1944) – Tom Cary Crime, Inc. (1945) – Commissioner Collins Nob Hill (1945) – Policeman in China Town (uncredited) Captain Eddie (1945) – Simmons Within These Walls (1945) – Head Guard 'Mac' McCafferty Incendiary Blonde (1945) – George – Police Detective (uncredited) Pride of the Marines (1945) – Uncle Ralph (uncredited) I Ring Doorbells (1946) – Shannon Night Editor (1946) – Police Captain Lawrence Canyon Passage (1946) – Henry McLane (uncredited) The Last Crooked Mile (1946) – Police Lieutenant Blake Crack-Up (1946) – First Cop (uncredited) The Jolson Story (1946) – Policeman Reilly (uncredited) San Quentin (1946) – Warden Kelly Nora Prentiss (1947) – San Francisco Homicide Lieutenant The Devil Thumbs a Ride (1947) – Detective Owens, San Diego Police The Red House (1947) – Dr. Byrne The Farmer's Daughter (1947) – Mr. Holstrom Time Out of Mind (1947) – Captain Rogers Exposed (1947) – Severance The Invisible Wall (1947) – Detective Captain R.W. Davis Dangerous Years (1947) – Judge Raymond The Lady from Shanghai (1947) – Cab Driver My Girl Tisa (1948) – Judge (uncredited) Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) – Tesander April Showers (1948) – Policeman (uncredited) Fighting Father Dunne (1948) – Thomas Lee, Lawyer Big Town Scandal (1948) – Police Captain Henry (uncredited) Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (1948) – Chauncey Return of the Bad Men (1948) – Wade Templeton (uncredited) Northwest Stampede (1948) – Sam Bennett (uncredited) Rustlers (1949) – Sheriff Harmon Champion (1949) – Lew Tulsa (1949) – Nelse Lansing Mr. Soft Touch (1949) – Police Sergeant Garrett The Devil's Henchman (1949) – Captain Mary Ryan, Detective (1949) – Sawyer Tarnished (1950) – Kelsey Bunker Singing Guns (1950) – Judge Waller The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) – Frank Shaughnessy Cow Town (1950) – Sandy Reeves Curtain Call at Cactus Creek (1950) – U.S. Marshal Clay The Gunfighter (1950) – Chuck (uncredited) Three Little Words (1950) – Clanahan The Underworld Story (1950) – George 'Parky' Parker The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) – Police Officer Houlihan Right Cross (1950) – Haggerty (uncredited) Where Danger Lives (1950) – Dr. Maynard The Sound of Fury (1950) – Mr. Yaeger The Flying Missile (1950) – Vice-Admiral Williams Hunt the Man Down (1950) – Wallace Bennett Al Jennings of Oklahoma (1951) – Fred Salter Pride of Maryland (1951) – Walter Shannon Blue Blood (1951) – Mr. Buchanan The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) – John (policeman) The Scarf (1951) – Warden Anderson (uncredited) As Young as You Feel (1951) – Detective Kleinbaum (uncredited) Behave Yourself! (1951) – Police Officer O'Hara (uncredited) Boots Malone (1952) – Colonel Summers (uncredited) Flesh and Fury (1952) – Mike Callan – Paul's Father High Noon (1952) – Cooper The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1952) – Bearded Miner (uncredited) Lure of the Wilderness (1952) – Pat McGowan Kansas Pacific (1953) – Smokestack Cry of the Hunted (1953) – Sheriff Brown Roar of the Crowd (1953) – Sam 'Pop' Tracy Jack Slade (1953) – Tom Carter Phantom Stallion (1954) – Michael Reilly Executive Suite (1954) – Ed Benedeck Rails Into Laramie (1954) – Judge Pierce Witness to Murder (1954) – Captain Donnelly The Violent Men (1955) – Purdue Not as a Stranger (1955) – Ed – 67 Year Old Patient (uncredited) The Tall Men (1955) – Sam The Marauders (1955) – John Rutherford At Gunpoint (1955) – Marshal MacKay Come Next Spring (1956) – Mr. Totter The Peacemaker (1956) – Drunken Cowpuncher Written on the Wind (1956) – Hoak Wayne Duel at Apache Wells (1957) – Wayne Shattuck Hell's Crossroads (1957) – Clay Ford The Lonely Man (1957) – Dr. Fisher The Travellers (1957) Touch of Evil (1958) – Chief Gould Man or Gun (1958) – Justin Corley The Buccaneer (1958) – Tom Carruthers – Captain of the Corinthian The Real McCoys (1958) – My Favorite Uncle – Uncle Dave Yellowstone Kelly (1959) – Captain of the Far West (uncredited) Wild in the Country (1961) – Sam Tyler (uncredited) Summer and Smoke (1961) – Dr. Burke (uncredited) Gypsy (1962) – Grandpa

Television Year Title Role Notes1955 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Dr. Harner Season 1 Episode 7: "Breakdown" 1958 Death Valley Days Old Gabe (Jim Bridger) Season 7 Episode 12: "Old Gabe" 1961 Rawhide Jeffries Season 3 Episode 28: "Incident of the Blackstorms"1961 The Danny Thomas Show Jamie Season 8 Episode 23: "The Scrubwoman"