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.

Filmography

• 2026Buddy — Willie (voice)
• 2026Bulls — Alistair Whitman
• 2026Love Letter to Texas
• 2026Mr. Irrelevant — Bill Parcells
• Death by Lightning — James Garfield
• 2025Eric LaRue — Director
• 2025Nuremberg — Justice Robert H. Jackson
• 2024A Different Man — Michael Shannon
• 2024All Happy Families — Executive Producer
• 2024The Bikeriders — Zipco
• 2024The End — Father
• 2023A Little White Lie — Shriver
• 2023Making The Flash: Worlds Collide — Self - 'General Zod', Thanks
• 2023The Flash — General Zod
• Waco: The Aftermath — Gary Noesner, Executive Producer
• 2022Abandoned — Renner
• 2022Amsterdam — Henry Norcross
• 2022Bullet Train — White Death
• George & Tammy — George Jones
• Little Demon — Unshaven Man (voice)
• 2022Night's End — Isaac Dees
• 2021Heart of Champions — Jack Murphy
• Nine Perfect Strangers — Napoleon
• 2020Echo Boomers — Mel Donnelly
• 2020The Quarry — Chief Moore
• 2019Knives Out — Walt Thrombey
• 2019State Like Sleep — Edward
• 2019The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts — Don McGahn
• 201812 Strong — Hal Spencer
• 2018Fahrenheit 451 — Captain Beatty
• 2018Poor Boy — Blayde Griggs
• 2018The Current War — George Westinghouse
• The Little Drummer Girl — Martin Kurtz
• Waco — Gary Noesner
• 2018What They Had — Nick, Executive Producer
• 2017Pottersville — Maynard Greiger, Executive Producer
• Room 104 — Nathan
• 2017Signature Move — Executive Producer
• 2017The Shape of Water — Richard Strickland
• 2016Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — Zod
• 2016Complete Unknown — Tom Brayton
• 2016Elvis & Nixon — Elvis Presley, Executive Producer
• 2016Frank & Lola — Frank Reilly
• 2016Loving — Grey Villet
• 2016Midnight Special — Roy Tomlin
• 2016Nocturnal Animals — Bobby Andes
• 2016Salt and Fire — Matt Riley
• 2016Wolves — Lee Keller
• 201599 Homes — Rick Carver
• 2015Freeheld — Dane Wells
• 2015She's Funny That Way — Policeman Macy's
• 2015The Harvest — Richard
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self - Guest, Ringo Starr
• 2015The Night Before — Mr. Green
• 2014They Came Together — Spike
• 2014Young Ones — Ernest Holm
• 2013Choose You — Avicii
• 2013Journey of Discovery: Creating Man of Steel
• 2013Man of Steel — General Zod
• 2013Michael Shannon Reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter
• 2013Mud — Galen
• 2013Sparrows Dance — Thanks
• 2012Happy Hour — Just Mike
• 2012Keep the Lights On — Thanks
• 2012Premium Rush — Bobby Monday
• 2012The Broken Tower — Emile
• 2012The Iceman — Richard Kuklinski
• 2011Machine Gun Preacher — Donnie
• 2011Return — Mike
• 2011Take Shelter — Curtis LaForche
• 201013 — Henry
• Boardwalk Empire — Nelson Van Alden
• 2010Herbert White — Herbert White
• 2010Jonah Hex — Doc Cross Williams
• 2010My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done — Brad McCullum
• 2010The Runaways — Kim Fowley
• 2009Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans — Mundt
• 2009The Greatest — Jordan Walker
• 2009The Missing Person — John Rosow
• 2008Marvelous — John
• 2008Revolutionary Road — John Givings
• 2007Before the Devil Knows You're Dead — Dex
• 2007Blackbird — Murl
• 2007Bug — Peter Evans
• 2007Lucky You — Ray Zumbro
• 2007Shotgun Stories — Son Hayes
• 2006Let's Go to Prison — Lynard
• 2006World Trade Center — Dave Karnes
• 2005Dead Birds — Clyde
• 2004Criminal — Gene
• 2004Grand Theft Parsons — Larry Oster-Berg
• 2004The Woodsman — Rosen
• 2004Water — Bobby Matherson
• 2004Zamboni Man — Walt
• 2003Bad Boys II — Floyd Poteet
• 2003Kangaroo Jack — Frankie Lombardo
• 20028 Mile — Greg Buehl
• 2002High Crimes — Troy Abbott
• Crossing Jordan — Philip Corday
• 2001New Port South — Stanton
• 2001Pearl Harbor — Gooz
• 2001Vanilla Sky — Aaron
• 2000Cecil B. Demented — Petie
• 2000Jesus' Son — Dundun
• 2000Mullitt — Phil Kunz
• 2000The Photographer — Maurice
• 2000Tigerland — Sgt. Filmore
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Avery Shaw
• 1998Chicago Cab — Crack Head
• 1997The Ride — Jimmy
• 1996Chain Reaction — D.C. Flower Delivery Man
• Early Edition — Mr. Andrews, Merle
• 1993Groundhog Day — Fred
• 1992Overexposed — Young Man
• Dead Guy
• Dinner with Audrey
• Doctor Caligari's Cabinet of Wonders — Doctor Caligari
• King Snake
• Last Meals — Governor George Callahan
• McCarthy — Joseph McCarthy
• The Young King — Mick
• Vegas: A Love Story

Appearances as themselves (16)

• Stars in the House — Self
• 201990 Years of the Music Box Theatre — Self
• 2018Friedkin Uncut — Self
• 2017Ballad of a Righteous Merchant — Self
• 2017Bob Dylan: Trouble No More — Self
• Lip Sync Battle — Self
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self - Guest
• Off Camera with Sam Jones — Self
• 2014The Final Shot: A Farewell to Boardwalk Empire — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self, Self - Guest
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors — Self
• 2010I am My Films, Part 2... 30 Years Later — Self
• 200913 Scarier Movie Moments — Self
• The View — Self - Guest
• The Daily Show — Self
• Late Show with David Letterman — Self - Guest