Paul Shenar
Albert Paul Shenar (February 12, 1936 − October 11, 1989) was an American actor and theater director, known for portraying the Bolivian drug lord Alejandro Sosa, in Scarface (1983).
Paul Shenar | |
|---|---|
 Shenar as Alejandro Sosa in Scarface | |
| Born | Albert Paul Shenar February 12, 1936 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | October 11, 1989 (aged 53) |
| Resting place | California |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1971−1989 |
A veteran Broadway and Shakespearean actor, he was one of the twenty-seven founding members of the American Conservatory Theater.
Early life
Shenar was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Mary Rosella (née Puhek) and Eugene Joseph Shenar. He was of Polish and Slovenian descent.[1]
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 1970s television films—Orson Welles in The Night That Panicked America (1975) and Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., in Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women (1978). He portrayed the character John Carrington in Part II of the miniseries Roots (1977).
Shenar also portrayed the ruthless Bolivian drug lord Alejandro Sosa in Brian De Palma's 1983 feature film, Scarface. He portrayed crime boss Luigi Patrovita's (Sam Wanamaker) second in command, Paulo Rocca in Raw Deal (1986).
A founding member, actor, director and teacher of the American Conservatory Theatre (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 the animated feature The Secret of NIMH. Shenar's performance in the film impressed its director Don Bluth that he wanted Shenar to also portray Borf in the game Space Ace, but was unable to do so due to budget issues (a role that ultimately went to Bluth himself).[2]
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.
Personal life
Shenar was gay. He and British actor Jeremy Brett were in a relationship in the 1970s; it reportedly lasted five years.[3]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Lulu | Ludwig Schon | |
| 1982 | The End of August | Arobin | |
| The Secret of NIMH | Jenner | Voice | |
| 1983 | Deadly Force | Joshua Adams | |
| Scarface | Alejandro Sosa | ||
| 1986 | Dream Lover | Ben Gardner | |
| Raw Deal | Paulo Rocca | ||
| 1987 | The Bedroom Window | Collin Wentworth | |
| Man on Fire | Ettore | ||
| Best Seller | David Madlock | ||
| 1988 | The Big Blue | Dr. Laurence |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | The ABC Afternoon Playbreak | Lt. Joe Moroni | Episode: "Alone with Terror" |
| 1974 | Columbo | Sgt. Young | Episode: "Publish or Perish" |
| Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law | Blair | Episode: "House of Friends" | |
| Mannix | Johnny Sands | Episode: "The Dark Hours" | |
| Great Performances | De Guiche | Episode: "Cyrano de Bergerac" | |
| The Execution of Private Slovik | Crawford | TV movie | |
| 1975 | Kojak | Arthur Harris | Episode: "Night of the Piraeus" |
| Petrocelli | Archie LaSalle | Episode: "Death in Small Doses" | |
| The Invisible Man | Alexi Zartov | Episode: "Barnard Wants Out" | |
| Ellery Queen | Announcer Wendell Warren | Episode: "The Adventure of Miss Aggie's Farewell Performance" | |
| The Night That Panicked America | Orson Welles | TV movie | |
| 1976, 1977 | Hawaii Five-O | Chadwick Todd Daniels | Episodes: "A Killer Grows Wings" "See How She Runs" |
| 1976 | The Keegans | Rudi Portinari | TV movie |
| Gemini Man | Charles Edward Royce | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| The Bionic Woman | Dr. Alan Cory | Episode: "The Ghosthunter" | |
| Wonder Woman | Lieutenant Wertz | Episodes: "The Feminum Mystique: Part 1" "The Feminum Mystique: Part 2" | |
| 1977 | Roots | John Carrington | Episode: "Part II" |
| The Hostage Heart | James Cardone | TV movie | |
| Young Dan'l Boone | Hammond | Episode: "The Pirate" | |
| Logan's Run | David Eakins | Episode: "Man Out of Time" | |
| The Mask of Alexander Cross | Alexander Cross | TV movie | |
| 1978 | Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women | Florenz Ziegfeld | |
| The Courage and the Passion | Nick Silcox | ||
| Suddenly, Love | Jack Graham | ||
| 1979 | Family | Bob Gantry | Episode: "Moment of Truth" |
| 1980 | Hart to Hart | Michael Shillingford | Episode: "Night Horrors" |
| Beulah Land | Roscoe Corlay | TV mini-series | |
| 1983, 1985 | Dynasty | Jason Dehner Justin Dehner | Episodes: "The Search" "Samantha" "The Californians" |
| 1983 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | James Delano | Episode: "Service Above and Beyond" |
| 1984 | Paper Dolls | Jonathan Westfield | Episode: #1.1 |
| 1985 | Brass | Schuyler Ross | TV movie |
| Spenser: For Hire | Matthew Lowington | Episode: "Discord in a Minor" | |
| Streets of Justice | J. Elliott Sloan | TV movie | |
| Best of the Football Follies | Narrator | ||
| 1986 | Dark Mansions | Phillip Drake | |
| Rage of Angels: The Story Continues | Jerry Worth | ||
| 1987 | Time Out for Dad | Chase |
References
- "Paul Shenar Biography (1936-1989)". Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- Space Ace Blu-Ray, commentary by Bluth
- Graham, David, Casting About: A Memoir (iUniverse, 2007), page 265
- "AIDS at 25". San Francisco Chronicle. June 8, 2006. p. E1. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
Paul Shenar, died Oct. 11, 1989, at age 53. Actor. Part of the American Conservatory Theater's founding acting company, Shenar appeared in more than 40 plays with ACT in the 1970s, including appearances as Hamlet, Oedipus and in "Tiny Alice."
External links
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