Product Code Database
Wallace Michael Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor, essayist, playwright, and screenwriter. He is known for playing Vizzini in The Princess Bride (1987), Mr. Hall in Clueless (1995), Dr. John Sturgis in Young Sheldon (2018–2024), and voicing Rex in the Toy Story franchise (1995–present).
Shawn also appeared in The Bostonians (1984), Prick Up Your Ears (1987), Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills (1989), Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), My Favorite Martian (1999), The Double (2013), Maggie's Plan (2015), and Marriage Story (2019). He appeared in six Woody Allen films including Manhattan (1979), Radio Days (1987), and Rifkin's Festival (2020). His television work includes recurring roles as Jeff Engels in The Cosby Show (1987–1991), Grand Nagus Zek in (1993–1999), Cyrus Rose in Gossip Girl (2008–2012), and Father Frank Ignatius in Evil (2022–2024).
Shawn is also a playwright; his plays include the Obie Award–winning Aunt Dan and Lemon (1985), The Designated Mourner (1996) and Grasses of a Thousand Colors (2008). He wrote and starred, with Andre Gregory, in the 1981 avant-garde drama My Dinner with Andre, and played the title role in A Master Builder (2013), a film adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's play. Haymarket Books published his books Essays (2009) and Night Thoughts (2017).
Shawn grew up on Manhattan's Upper East Side. He attended The Putney School, a private liberal arts high school in Putney, Vermont. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history from Harvard College. He studied philosophy, politics and economics, as well as Latin, at Magdalen College, Oxford, originally intending to become a diplomat. He traveled to India as an English teacher on a Fulbright program.
/ref>
Shawn's later plays are more overtly political, drawing parallels between his characters' psychology and the behavior of governments and social classes. Among the best-known of these are Aunt Dan and Lemon (1985) and The Designated Mourner (1997). Shawn's political work has invited controversy, as he often presents the audience with several contradictory points of view. He has called Aunt Dan and Lemon a cautionary tale against fascism. Shawn's monologue The Fever, originally meant to be performed for small audiences in apartments, depicts a person who becomes sick while struggling to find a morally consistent way to live when faced with injustice, and harshly criticizes the United States' record in supporting oppressive anti-communist regimes. In 1997, Shawn discussed the political nature of Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Fever and The Designated Mourner in an interview in which he talked extensively about the thematic connections among them, as well as his own views on Marxist, communist and socialist politics, their relevance to American liberalism, and how governmental and individual responsibilities for finding solutions to the dichotomy between rich and poor in the world take hold in his characters. Aunt Dan and Lemon earned Shawn his second Obie Award for playwrighting in 1986,Obie Awards "1986 Winners" and The Fever won an Obie for Best American Play in 1991.Obie Awards, "1991 Winners" Three of Shawn's plays have been adapted into films: The Designated Mourner (basically a film version of David Hare's stage production), Marie and Bruce and The Fever. Vanessa Redgrave stars in The Fever (2004), which first aired on HBO on June 13, 2007.
Shawn has also written political commentary for The Nation, and in 2004 he published the one-issue-only progressive political magazine Final Edition, which featured interviews with and articles by Jonathan Schell, Noam Chomsky, Mark Strand and Deborah Eisenberg. Shawn is credited as translator of Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera, which opened at Studio 54 in Manhattan on March 25, 2006. He appeared briefly in voiceover during "Song about the Futility of Human Endeavor". He published his first nonfiction work, Essays, on September 1, 2009. It is a collection of essays that express his perceptions of politics and other aspects of his life.
His rare non-comedic film roles include two collaborations with Andre Gregory and Louis Malle: the semi-autobiographical dialogue My Dinner with Andre, and a combined production-and-backstage-drama of Uncle Vanya titled Vanya on 42nd Street. Shawn quite often appears on television, where he has appeared in many genres and series. He has had recurring roles as the Grand Nagus Zek on , Stuart Best on Murphy Brown, Jeff Engels on The Cosby Show, Dr. Howard Stiles on Crossing Jordan, Arnie Ross on Taxi, Charles Lester on both The Good Wife and The Good Fight, a reprisal of his role as Mr. Hall on Clueless (based on the film), and Father Frank Ignatius on Evil. He appeared in the 1985 music video for Chaka Khan's "This Is My Night". On February 4, 2010, Shawn appeared as Alan Rubin on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. A Master Builder opened in New York City in June 2014. In 2018, he joined the cast of Young Sheldon in the recurring role of Meemaw's boyfriend and Sheldon's physics professor, Dr. John Sturgis.
Shawn stars in Woody Allen's 2020 film Rifkin's Festival, set in San Sebastian, Spain.
Shawn was honored in 2005 with the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award as a Master American Dramatist.
Shawn said that Toy Story director John Lasseter might have seen both My Dinner with Andre and The Princess Bride and seen him as "excitable" like Shawn's character, Rex.
In The Fox and the Hound, Shawn was originally to voice Boomer, but dropped out and was replaced by Paul Winchell. In , he replaced Jon Lovitz as the voice of Calico. He also provided the voice of Mr. Mustela in The Addams Family 2.
In June 2013, Shawn and many other public figures appeared in a video showing support for Chelsea Manning, a U.S. Army soldier imprisoned for leaking classified material.
Shawn voiced his support for the Palestinian people during the 2014 Gaza War. He has been on the advisory board of Jewish Voice for Peace.
On October 16, 2023, Shawn spoke at a Washington D.C. rally organized by Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow. The rally called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and for President Joe Biden to support a ceasefire. Also that month, Shawn was among the artists to sign the Artists4Ceasefire campaign's open letter urging Biden to push for a ceasefire.
In April 2024, Shawn narrated a political ad by a group of organizations opposing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's influence in Democratic Party primaries.
In a January 2025 interview, Shawn compared Israel to Nazi Germany, saying the Israelis were "doing evil that is just as great as what the Nazis did. And in some ways, it's worse, because they kind of boast about it. Hitler had the decency to try to keep it secret... the Israelis are almost proud of it, and it's demonically evil."
| Credited as Wally Shawn | |||
| Also writer | |||
| Uncredited | |||
| Deal of the Century | Harold DeVoto | ||
| 1984 | Crackers | Turtle | |
| The Hotel New Hampshire | Freud | ||
| The Bostonians | Mr. Pardon | ||
| Micki & Maude | Elliot Fibel | ||
| 1985 | Heaven Help Us (Catholic Boys) | Father Abruzzi | |
| Head Office | Mike Hoover | ||
| 1987 | The Bedroom Window | Henderson's Attorney | |
| Radio Days | Masked Avenger | ||
| Nice Girls Don't Explode | Ellen | ||
| Prick Up Your Ears | John Lahr | ||
| The Princess Bride | Vizzini | ||
| 1988 | The Moderns | Oiseau | |
| 1989 | She's Out of Control | Dr. Herman Fishbinder | |
| Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills | Howard Saravian | ||
| We're No Angels | Translator | ||
| 1991 | Shadows and Fog | Simon Carr | |
| 1992 | Unbecoming Age | Dr. Block | |
| Nickel & Dime | Everett Willits | ||
| The Double 0 Kid | Cashpot | Direct-to-video | |
| Mom and Dad Save the World | Sibor | ||
| 1993 | The Cemetery Club | Larry | |
| The Meteor Man | Mr. Little | ||
| 1994 | Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle | Horatio Byrd | |
| Vanya on 42nd Street | Vanya | ||
| 1995 | Just Like Dad | Stan Speigel | |
| The Wife | Cosmo | ||
| Napoleon | Echidna | American dub A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. | |
| Canadian Bacon | Canadian Prime Minister Clark MacDonald | ||
| Clueless | Mr. Wendell Hall | ||
| A Goofy Movie | Principal Mazur | Voice | |
| Toy Story | Rex | ||
| 1996 | All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 | Labrador MC | |
| House Arrest | Vic Finley | ||
| 1997 | Vegas Vacation | Marty | |
| Just Write | Arthur Blake | ||
| Critical Care | Furnaceman | ||
| The Designated Mourner | Writer | ||
| 1998 | Tarzan Chimp (voice) | Direct-to-video | |
| 1999 | The Diary of the Hurdy-Gurdy Man | ||
| My Favorite Martian | Dr. Elliot Coleye | ||
| Toy Story 2 | Rex (voice) | ||
| 2000 | Direct-to-video | ||
| The Prime Gig | Gene | ||
| 2001 | The Curse of the Jade Scorpion | George Bond | |
| Monsters, Inc. | Rex (voice) | Outtakes | |
| 2002 | Mr. Gelb | ||
| 2003 | Duplex | Herman | |
| The Haunted Mansion | Ezra | ||
| 2004 | Teacher's Pet | Crosby Strickler (voice) | |
| Melinda and Melinda | Sy | ||
| The Incredibles | Gilbert Huph (voice) | ||
| Marie and Bruce | Writer | ||
| The Fever | |||
| 2005 | Chicken Little | Principal Fetchit (voice) | |
| 2006 | Southland Tales | Baron Von Westphalen | |
| Air Buddies | Billy (voice) | Direct-to-video | |
| Barnacle Paul (voice) | |||
| 2007 | Happily N'Ever After | Munk (voice) | |
| I Could Never Be Your Woman | Math Teacher | Uncredited | |
| 2008 | Mr. Gibson | ||
| Mia and the Migoo | Migoo (voice) | English dub | |
| Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King | Mr. Gibbles (voice) | Direct-to-video | |
| 2009 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Broker / Booker / Lancelot Squarejaw | |
| Himself | Documentary | ||
| 2010 | Furry Vengeance | Dr. Christian Burr | Uncredited |
| Toy Story 3 | Rex (voice) | ||
| Calico (voice) | |||
| Tea Time | Short film; writer | ||
| 2011 | The Speed of Thought | Sandy | |
| Hawaiian Vacation | Rex (voice) | Short film | |
| Small Fry | |||
| 2012 | Partysaurus Rex | ||
| A Late Quartet | Gideon Rosen | ||
| Vamps | Van Helsing | ||
| 2013 | Admission | Clarence | |
| The Double | Mr. Papadopoulos | ||
| A Master Builder | Halvard Solness | Also writer and producer | |
| 2014 | Don Peyote | Psychotherapist | |
| 2015 | Maggie's Plan | Kliegler | |
| Robo-Dog | Mr. Willis | Direct-to-video | |
| 2016 | Drawing Home | Mr. Garfield | |
| 2017 | Animal Crackers | Mr. Woodley (voice) | |
| The Only Living Boy in New York | David | ||
| Someone Else's Wedding | Albert | ||
| 2018 | Book Club | Derek | |
| 2019 | Toy Story 4 | Rex (voice) | |
| Marriage Story | Frank | ||
| 2020 | Mr. Crocus | ||
| Rifkin's Festival | Mort Rifkin | ||
| 2021 | The Addams Family 2 | Mr. Mustela (voice) | |
| 2023 | Dancing on the Silk Razor | Narrator | Short film |
| 2 episodes | |||
| Television film | |||
| Frank Judd | |||
| 5 episodes | |||
| Episode: "A Bus Named Desire" | |||
| Unknown episodes | |||
| Pilot | |||
| Episode: "Ice Blue Pink/Pink Trek" | |||
| Episode: "Lapses in Memory" | |||
| 7 episodes | |||
| Episode: "Pishke Business" | |||
| 4 episodes | |||
| 1995 | Kalamazoo | Bobby | Short |
| Something Wilder | Roof Inspector | Episode: "Dr. Roof" | |
| Just Like Dad | Stan Speigel | Television film | |
| 1996 | Toy Story Treats | Rex (voice) | 18 episodes |
| 1996–97 | Clueless | Mr. Hall | 17 episodes |
| 1997 | King of the Hill | Philip Ny (voice) | Episode: "How to Fire a Rifle Without Really Trying" |
| 1998 | Blind Men | Pilot | |
| Noah | Zack | Television film | |
| The Lionhearts | Various (voice) | 5 episodes | |
| 1999 | Frank Hopper | Episode: "A Case of Do or Die" | |
| Cosby | Mr. Fleming | 2 episodes | |
| 2000–01 | Teacher's Pet | Crosby Strickler (voice) | 17 episodes |
| 2001 | Ally McBeal | Mr. Dune | Episode: "Falling Up" |
| Blonde | I. E. Shinn | 2 episodes | |
| Three Sisters | Dean Webb | Episode: "Don't Be Thrown" | |
| 2001–06 | Crossing Jordan | Howard Stiles | 8 episodes |
| 2001, 2006, 2011 | Family Guy | Bertram (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2002 | Sun Gods | Spaulding | Pilot |
| Teamo Supremo | Gauntlet (voice) | Episode: "Running the Gauntlet" | |
| Mr. St. Nick | Mimir | Television film | |
| 2003 | Monte Walsh | Colonel Wilson | |
| Stanley | Mr. Goldberg (voice) | Episode: "Going-Away Goose/Time to Climb!" | |
| 2004 | Sex and the City | Martin Grable | Episode: "Splat!" |
| Karroll's Christmas | Zeb Rosecog | Television film | |
| 2005 | Fat Actress | Sigmund von Oy | Episode: "The Koi Effect" |
| Stargate SG-1 | Arlos Kadawam | Episode: "The Ties That Bind" | |
| Desperate Housewives | Lonny Moon | Episode: "They Asked Me Why I Believe in You" | |
| 2006 | The 12th Man | Marty | Pilot |
| Film Professor | Episode: "" | ||
| 2008 | The Return of Jezebel James | Garson Leeds | Episode: "I'm with Blank" |
| Cashmere Mafia | Animal Handler | Episode: "Dog Eat Dog" | |
| 2008–09 | The L Word | William Halsey | 5 episodes |
| 2009 | Roy Batters | Episode: "Snatched" | |
| Life on Mars | Stephen Morrell – "The Sorcerer" | Episode: "Let All the Children Boogie" | |
| ER | Teddy Lempell | Episode: "The Beginning of the End" | |
| 2010 | The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Alan Rubin | Episode: "Anthony Weiner" |
| Damages | Sterling Biddle | Episode: "Don't Forget to Thank Mr. Zedeck" | |
| 2008–12 | Gossip Girl | Cyrus Rose | 11 episodes |
| 2011–12 | Eureka | Warren Hughes | 3 episodes |
| 2011–16 | Taotie (voice) | 9 episodes | |
| 2012 | Fish Hooks | Rat King (voice) | Episode: "Guys' Night Out" |
| 2013–15 | The Good Wife | Charles Lester | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Adventure Time | Rasheeta (voice) | Episode: "Puhoy" |
| The Fog of Courage | Eustace Bagge (voice) | ||
| Uncle Grandpa | Ule Gapa (voice) | Episode: "Belly Bros" | |
| Toy Story of Terror! | Rex (voice) | Television special | |
| 2014 | Toy Story That Time Forgot | ||
| Phineas and Ferb | Saul (voice) | Episode: "Phineas and Ferb Save Summer" | |
| The Mysteries of Laura | Kenneth Walters | Episode: "The Mystery of the Sex Scandal" | |
| Gary the Gadget Guy (voice) | Television special | ||
| The 7D | Not-So-Magic Mirror (voice) | Episode: "Mirror, Mirror" | |
| BoJack Horseman | Himself (voice) | Episode: "One Trick Pony" | |
| Christmas at Cartwright's | Harry Osbourne | Television film | |
| 2014–18 | Mozart in the Jungle | Winslow Elliot | 6 episodes |
| 2015 | Club Penguin: Halloween Panic! | Gary the Gadget Guy (voice) | Television special |
| 2016 | The Night Shift | Mr. Neville | Episode: "Unexpected" |
| Life in Pieces | Samuel | Episode: "Eyebrow Anonymous Trapped Gem" | |
| Regular Show | The Evil Brain (voice) | Episode: "The Brain of Evil" | |
| 2016–19 | The Stinky & Dirty Show | Tall (voice) | 18 episodes |
| 2017 | Cop and a Half: New Recruit | Principal Miller | Television film |
| Mr. Robot | Mr. Williams | Episode: "eps3.2_legacy.so" | |
| Graves | Jerry North | 3 episodes | |
| She's Gotta Have It | Julius Kemper | 2 episodes | |
| 2017–18 | OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes | Wally the White, The Magic Court Narrator (voice) | |
| Unkar the Unfortunate (voice) | |||
| 2017, 2019 | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Herb Smith | |
| 2018 | The Good Fight | Charles Lester | Episode: "Day 471" |
| Skylanders Academy | Mabu Inspector (voice) | Episode: "Weekend at Eon's" | |
| Benjamin Edelman | Episode: "Alta Kockers" | ||
| 2018–24 | Young Sheldon | Dr. John Sturgis | 52 episodes |
| 2019 | Big City Greens | Jyle Donelan (voice) | Episode: "Night Bill" |
| The Simpsons | Wallace the Hernia (voice) | Episode: "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" | |
| Butterbean's Cafe | Oopsie Doodle (voice) | Episode: "Oopsie Doodle!" | |
| Forky Asks a Question | Rex (voice) | Episode: "What Is Time?" | |
| 2020 | Search Party | William Badpastor | 2 episodes |
| Esme & Roy | Grumbles (voice) | Episode: "Princess of Play" | |
| 2020–21 | Summer Camp Island | Morris Mole / Barry / Pete (voices) | 3 episodes |
| 2021–22 | Amphibia | Humphrey Westwood (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2021 | Gossip Girl | Cyrus Rose | Episode: "Final Cancellation" |
| 2022–24 | Evil | Father Frank Ignatius | 10 episodes |
| 2022 | Bubble Guppies | Professor Puny (voice) | Episode: "Search for the Great Silverback!" |
| 2025 | Krapopolis | John Fate (voice) | Episode: "John Fate Comes a-Knockin" |
| Archive recordings |
| 1967 |
| 1970 |
| 1970 |
| 1971 |
| 1975 |
| 1976 |
| 1977 |
| 1978 |
| 1985 |
| 1990 |
| 1997 |
| 2006 |
| 2006 |
| 2008 |
| 2015 |
| Voice |
| 1978 | Guggenheim Fellowship | Drama & Performance Art | |
| 1995 | Chlotrudis Awards | Best Actor | |
| 2009 | Essays | Book collection of essays, by Haymarket Books |
| 2017 | Night Thoughts | Published by Haymarket Books |
| 2022 | Sleeping Among Sheep Under a Starry Sky | Book compilation of essays, published by Europa Editions |
|
|
