John Shea

Emmy-winning actor, Broadway star, film director, and political activist… John Shea is all of these and more. In a career that has spanned nearly half a century, he has played many roles but is perhaps best known for the likes of Lex Luthor in The New Adventures of Superman in the 1990s, Adam Kane in Mutant X in the 2000s and Harold Waldorf across three seasons of Gossip Girl between 2007 and 2012. He won the 1988 Primetime Emmy for playing William Stern in the hugely successful ABC miniseries Baby M, based on a custody case that had made headlines across the States the previous year. He can also claim to have organised the biggest peace rally ever held in the United States, which he did in 1984. His most recent acting roles have included guest appearances in episodes of Blue Bloods and The Blacklist.

Shea first found acclaim back in 1975 when he shared a Theatre World Award for the Broadway debut of a play called Yentl. He subsequently appeared on the Great White Way in performances of Romeo & Juliet and End of the World. He made his TV debut in 1977 and his film debut the following year. He has since appeared in more than 90 films and series but gained perhaps his first great popular recognition when he appeared in The New Adventures of Superman between 1993 and 1997.

In 2014, Shea wrote and made his directorial debut with the film Grey Lady, which can be seen on Starz. He is also heavily involved in local theatre in Nantucket, having helped to put on more than 40 productions.