Charles Shaughnessy

Charles Shaughnessy is a British actor who rose to prominence in America following appearances as Maxwell Sheffield in CBS’s Golden Globe-nominated series The Nanny and Shane Donovan in long-running soap opera Days of Our Lives.

London-born Shaughnessy has acting in his genes, being born into a showbusiness family. He kicked off his acting career in his youth, appearing in a number of school plays, before focussing achieving his Law degree. At the University of Cambridge, he joined Footlights Revue, which reignited his love for performing; he soon enrolled in a drama school.

A natural-born performer, Shaughnessy was quickly cast as John Rennie in Partners in Crime, an Agatha Christie show, before landing the starring role of Julian Spears in BBC show Jury. Within the year, Shaughnessy caught his big break, winning the role of Shane Donovan in hit hospital soap Days of Our Lives, which he appeared in for over thirty years, spanning over 800 episodes.

In the years following, Shaughnessy has appeared in over 100 television shows and movies, including his acclaimed performance as Maxwell in The Nanny. Additional television credits include General Hospital, Modern Family, Masters of Sex, Revenge, Dog with a Blog, The Bay, Castle, Mad Men and The Suite Life on Deck. Shaughnessy has voiced characters in Johnny Bravo, The Tale of Despereaux, Rugrats and Stanley, the latter of which won him an Emmy for Outstanding Performer. His movie credits include Denial, Second Changes, The Painting, Kids in America, Get a Clue, and Audrey.

Today, Shaughnessy continues to impress as author Christopher Plover in Syfy’s The Magicians and Sir Liam Gooch in Disney Channel’s Just Roll with It. With fans worldwide eagerly awaiting his next release, the upcoming thriller Final Frequency, Shaughnessy is showing no signs of slowing down.