Paul Shenar

 ( 1936 Births ) 

Albert Paul Shenar (February 12, 1936 − October 11, 1989) was an American actor and theater director best known for his portrayals of Jenner in Don Bluth's The Secret of NIMH (1982) and Alejandro Sosa in Scarface (1983).

A veteran Broadway theatre and Shakespearean actor, he was one of the twenty-seven founding members of the American Conservatory Theater.

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Early life Shenar was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the second of four boys (one older brother John, two younger brothers Michael and Marc), born from Mary Rosella (née Puhek) and Eugene Joseph Shenar. He was of Polish American and Slovene American descent.

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Career Shenar became involved in theater at an early age, working in Milwaukee playhouse productions. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. Following his military career he began acting again. Shenar gained attention playing larger-than-life entertainment legends in late 1970s television films—Orson Welles in The Night That Panicked America and Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., in Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women. He portrayed the character John Carrington in Part II of the miniseries Roots.

A founding member, actor, director and teacher of the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco, he played more than forty roles there, including Hamlet, Oedipus Rex and Brother Julian in Tiny Alice. In 1982, he portrayed Jenner, the main antagonist of Don Bluth's The Secret of NIMH; his performance in the film impressed Bluth so much that he wanted Shenar to also portray Space Aces main antagonist, Commander Borf, but was unable to do so due to budget issues and the role ultimately went to Bluth himself. Space Ace Blu-ray, commentary by Bluth

In 1983, Shenar also portrayed Alejandro Sosa in Brian De Palma's Scarface and later portrayed Paulo Rocca in Raw Deal.

Shenar continued to act during the late 1980s. He did a stage version of Macbeth in Los Angeles and appeared in films like Best Seller (1987), The Bedroom Window (1987), The Big Blue (1988), plus the TV film Rage of Angels: The Story Continues.

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Personal life Shenar was gay, and was romantically involved with the British actor Jeremy Brett during the 1970s; they were in a relationship that reportedly lasted from 1973 to 1978.Graham, David, Casting About: A Memoir (iUniverse, 2007), page 265 After the couple separated, they remained close friends until Shenar's death in 1989.

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Death In 1983, Shenar was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. He died from AIDS on October 11, 1989, at age 53. His remains were cremated and given to his executor, Thomas Wiley.

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Filmography

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Film

Voice

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Television

Episode: "Alone with Terror"
Episode: "Publish or Perish"
Episode: "House of Friends"
Episode: "The Dark Hours"
Episode: "Cyrano de Bergerac"
TV movie
Episode: "Night of the Piraeus"
Episode: "Death in Small Doses"
Episode: "Barnard Wants Out"
Episode: "The Adventure of Miss Aggie's Farewell Performance"
TV movie
Episodes: "A Killer Grows Wings" "See How She Runs"
TV movie
Episode: "Pilot"
Episode: "The Ghosthunter"
Episodes: "The Feminum Mystique: Part 1" "The Feminum Mystique: Part 2"
Episode: "Part II"
TV movie
Episode: "The Pirate"
Episode: "Man Out of Time"
TV movie
	Florenz Ziegfeld
	Nick Silcox
	Jack Graham
Episode: "Moment of Truth"
Episode: "Night Horrors"
TV mini-series
Episodes: "The Search", "Samantha", "The Californians"
Episode: "Service Above and Beyond"
Episode: #1.1
TV movie
Episode: "Discord in a Minor"
TV movie
	Narrator
	Phillip Drake
	Jerry Worth
	Chase

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External links

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