
Age: 51
male
Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor, producer, musician, and theatre director. He has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his roles in the Sam Mendes period drama Revolutionary Road (2008) and the Tom Ford psychological thriller Nocturnal Animals (2016). He earned Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for his role in 99 Homes (2014), and a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play for the Broadway revival of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night (2016). Shannon made his film debut in 1993 with Groundhog Day and received widespread attention for his performance in 8 Mile (2002). He is known for his on-screen versatility, performing in both comedies and dramas such as Pearl Harbor (2001), Bad Boys II (2003), Bug (2006), Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009), The Iceman (2012), Premium Rush (2012), The Night Before (2015), The Shape of Water (2017) and Knives Out (2019). He played Superman's Kryptonian adversary General Zod in Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and is set to reprise the role in The Flash (2022). Shannon is a frequent collaborator of Jeff Nichols, appearing in all of his films: Shotgun Stories (2007), Take Shelter (2011), Mud (2012), Midnight Special, and Loving (both 2016). He is also known for his role as Nelson Van Alden in the HBO period drama series Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014), for which he was nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2021, he had a main role in the Hulu drama miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers.

Jailbreak is a 2025 American prison action film written and directed by John McTiernan. Zack Snyder and Jerry Bruckheimer served as producers. The film stars Sasha Calle along with Colin Farrell, Michael Shannon, Angela Bassett, Billy Crudup, Forest Whitaker, Sterling K. Brown, Russell Crowe, Michael Keaton, and Alec Baldwin. It follows a young mercenary who is paid to be arrested in order to break an innocent man out of prison, only to realize that she has been betrayed. Despite this, she still decides to do the right thing and proceed with her plans, even as they are hindered by the cruel warden. Jailbreak opened in theaters on February 18th, 2025; the film received critical acclaim, with praise for its action sequences, visual style, and Calle's performance; many have deemed the film to be one of the best of her career. It was also a box-office success, grossing $983 million worldwide against a budget of $139 million. The film became one the first prison film to win all five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Original Score for Hans Zimmer, while Calle was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. A sequel was announced and is slated for release two years later.
