Apr 14, 1949

North Conway, New Hampshire, USA

Best known to TV audiences for his recurring role as the evil Lex Luthor in the
early 90s "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (1993) TV series,
handsome, slim-faced, curly-haired actor John Shea (born 1949) is a native of
Massachusetts and received his BA from Bates College, which he managed to achieve
on a debating and football scholarship. He next attended Yale and earned an MFA in
directing from the School of Drama. Following New York stage work, initial
on-camera notice came... ... (read more...) on TV with his portrayal of Joseph in the mini-movie The
Nativity (1978) (TV) and a few years later 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' Academy Award-winning thriller Missing (1982). Jack
Lemmon and Sissy Spacek, who respectively played his despairing father and wife,
were nominated for Oscars for their roles. Critical kudos and awards have also come
in John's direction over the years. In Windy City (1984) opposite Kate Capshaw, 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 in Barbra Streisand'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) (TV). In a career pocked with interesting ranges
and choices he has played everything from a young Nazi in the miniseries Hitler's
S.S.: Portrait in Evil (1985) (TV) to Robert F. Kennedy in the epic-styled
"Kennedy" (1983) (mini). He has kept his face alive in guest parts over the years
on such well-received series as "Sex and the City," "Tales From the Crypt," "The
Hitchhiker" and "Law and Order." A budding Irish-American filmmaker, John co-wrote,
directed and appeared in the low budget film Southie (1998), 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. Most recently he found
popularity on the "Mutant X" (2001) sci-fi series playing the role of Adam Kane.
More recently he has appeared on episodes of "Law & Order" and "Medium." A father
of two and founding member of the Nantucket Film Festival, John is based in New
York City with his second wife Melissa.