John Shea

Handsome, slim-faced, curly-haired actor 'John Shea' (qv) is primarily known to TV audiences for his recurring role as the evil Lex Luthor in the early '90s TV series _Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993)_ (qv).John Victor Shea III was born in 1949 in North Conway, New Hampshire, to Elizabeth Mary (Fuller) and Dr. John Victor Shea, a teacher, coach, and assistant Superintendent of Schools. He is of Irish and German descent. John was raised in Massachusetts, and received his BA from Bates College, which he achieved on debating and football scholarships. He then attended Yale University and earned an MFA in directing from its School of Drama.Following New York stage work, including his portrayal of Paris in a production of "Romeo and Juliet" (1977), initial on-camera notice came on TV with his reverential portrayal of Joseph in the mini-movie _The Nativity (1978)_ (qv). A few years later on film he appeared in the small but memorable role of the impassioned, ill-fated American idealist who becomes a casualty to Chilean war-torn politics in 'Costa-Gavras' (qv)' Academy Award-winning thriller _Missing (1982)_ (qv). Although 'Jack Lemmon' (qv) and 'Sissy Spacek' (qv), who respectively played his despairing father and wife, were nominated for Oscars for their starring performances, John's role was central to the heart of the film and he made quite an impact. The actor was later honored by Amnesty International for his political work following the film's release.Critical kudos, as well as awards, have come in John's direction over the years on stage, film and TV. In the film _Windy City (1984)_ (qv) opposite 'Kate Capshaw' (qv), he earned the Best Actor Award at the Montreal Film Festival. On stage, he received a Drama Desk Award for "American Days", an Obie Award for "The Dining Room" and a 1976 Theatre World Award for his portrayal of the Jewish student "Avigdor" in "Yentl". The role was later portrayed by 'Mandy Patinkin' (qv) in 'Barbra Streisand' (qv)'s 1983 film adaptation. On television, John was awarded the coveted Emmy for his depiction of the distressed husband and father wannabe who touches off a legal landmark case in the miniseries, _Baby M (1988)_ (qv).In a career pocked with remarkable versatility, interesting choices and challenging parts, John has played everything from a young Nazi in the miniseries _Hitler's S.S.: Portrait in Evil (1985)_ (qv) to 'Robert F. Kennedy' in the epic-styled _Kennedy (1983)_ (qv). He has kept his face alive in guest parts over the years on such well-received series as _Sex and the City (1998)_ (qv), _Tales from the Crypt (1989)_ (qv), _The Hitchhiker (1983)_ (qv), _Law & Order (1990)_ (qv) and _Medium (2005)_ (qv). A budding Irish-American filmmaker, John co-wrote, directed and appeared in the low-budget film _Southie (1998)_ (qv), a drama set in the Irish-American section of Boston. The film won the Jury Award for Best Independent Film at the 1998 Seattle International Film Festival.Into the millennium, John found popularity on the _Mutant X (2001)_ (qv) sci-fi series playing the role of "Adam Kane". Based on Marvel Comic's "X-Men", he received a nomination for Canada's prestigious Gemini Award as Best Actor. He also appears in a recurring role on _Gossip Girl (2007)_ (qv) and had a regular part in the action drama series _Agent X (2015)_ (qv) starring 'Sharon Stone' (qv).In addition, he was also seen in a spat of dramas including _The Insurgents (2006)_ (qv) with 'Mary Stuart Masterson' (qv); the British _Framed (2008)_ (qv) and the Indian drama _Achchamundu! Achchamundu! (2009)_ (qv), plus the 'Jessica Alba' (qv) drama, _An Invisible Sign (2010)_ (qv), the title role in _Julius Caesar (2010)_ (qv), the horror opus _51 (2011)_ (qv),the psychological drama _Anatomy of the Tide (2013)_ (qv) and the crime mystery _Grey Lady (2017)_ (qv), which he also wrote and directed.A screenwriter and audio book performer in addition to all his other talents, John lives with his second wife, the painter Melissa MacLeod, and his family are based in New York and on Nantucket Island where he was a founding member of the Nantucket Film Festival and is Artistic Director of the Nantucket Theatre Workshop. He has one son, Jake, from his first marriage, and two children, Miranda and Caiden, by wife Melissa.::Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]