William Shockley

William Shockley was born on September 17, 1963, in Lawrence, Kansas. He earned a degree in political science from Texas Tech University. His acting career began in 1986 when Paul Verhoeven cast him in “Robocop” after an audition in Dallas, Texas. Following this, he moved to Los Angeles, securing various episodic and movie-of-the-week roles. His early film credits include “Howling: Rebirth,” “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane,” and “The Joyriders.” Shockley also reunited with Paul Verhoeven for the film “Showgirls.”

Shockley gained significant recognition for his role as Hank Lawson, the saloon-keeper, in the CBS drama “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” appearing in 120 episodes from 1993 to 1998. The popularity of his character led to a development deal with CBS for a Dr. Quinn spin-off series titled “California.” He also starred alongside Whoopi Goldberg in the CBS sitcom “Bagdad Cafe” and Teri Garr in the ABC series “Good & Evil.” Beyond acting, Shockley has expanded his career into writing, directing, and producing. He has co-written 11 produced feature scripts and has produced 13 feature films and 3 TV movies.

In recent years, Shockley has focused on directing and producing through Tiki Tane Pictures, a company he partners in with Allen Gilmer and Tom Brady. His directorial debut, the short film “Common Threads” (2017), received 8 Film Festival Awards, including ‘Best Short Film – Family’ at the 2017 IFS Film Festival. He directed the Western film “Long Shadows,” set for theatrical release in 2025, starring Blaine Maye, Sarah Cortez, Jacqueline Bisset, Dominic Monaghan, and Dermot Mulroney. He also served as an Executive Producer for “The Assessment,” starring Elizabeth Olsen, Alicia Vikander, and Himesh Patel, released in 2025. In the music industry, Shockley performs with Tommy Fields as “Shockley & Fields,” winning ‘Runner Up’ in the 2018 ‘Song of the Year’ competition and having their music featured in several Hallmark films and a national TV campaign.