Shane Connor
Shane Connor (born 3 April 1959) also billed/credited as Shane Fenney-Connor, is an Australian actor, who has had extensive experience in stage, television and film productions, both locally and internationally in the United Kingdom and United States.
Shane Connor | |
---|---|
Born | Woodville, South Australia, Australia | 3 April 1959
Education | Victorian College of the Arts at University of Melbourne |
Occupation | Actor |
Connor is probably best known for his role in TV serial Neighbours as patriarch Joe Scully
Connor has appeared in the Network Ten TV series Prisoner as well as it's re-imaging series Wentworth on Foxtel.[1]
Early life
Connor was born in Woodville, South Australia in April 1959 and graduated from University of Melbourne drama division the Victorian College of the Arts in the early 1980s. He worked steadily in film, theatre and television for many years.
Career
Connor's television credits include the Channel Seven series Fire, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation drama Heartland, the miniseries The Harp in the South and Poor Man's Orange and Halifax f.p. (1998). He appeared in the USA television network miniseries Moby Dick as Flask.
Connor also played guest roles in Australian soap operas: He played a guest role of Kevin, husband of Cheryll (Lisa Aldenhoven), in the women's prison drama serial Prisoner. Then in 1986 he returned to the series in the recurring role of biker Bongo Connors. Connor had a brief role as another biker, Angel, in Sons and Daughters in 1986.
Awards include the 1984 Penguin Award for best actor, 1995 Green Room Award for outstanding fringe performer and a nomination for the 1998 AFI Award for best actor in a leading role in a television drama (Halifax f.p.).[2]
Neighbours
In July 1999, Connor joined the cast of Neighbours and began filming the ongoing role Joe Scully of builder and family patriarch, with his first scene's going on air in October.[3] The show's producers invited him to audition for the role, and he decided to accept when he found out that he would be working with actress Janet Andrewartha, who plays Joe's on-screen wife Lyn Scully.[3] Connor had previously played a guest role in the series as character Phil Hoffman debuting on-screen in "Episode 1410" on 26 March and appearing until 16 April 1991.[4] Joe Scully gave Connor the chance to play a character who was not a "bad guy, a confrontational type, a man on the verge".[3] Connor was initially contracted with Neighbours for three years, with 12-month renewal options.[3]
Connor was fired from the series in September 2003, several months after receiving a written warning from producers and overcoming an amphetamine habit. There had been ongoing hostility between him and Andrewartha; who had been the source of the vast majority of complaints about him.[5] He sued the show's producer, Grundy Television, for wrongful termination of his contract, seeking about $200,000.[5]
The court hearing heard that he had an amphetamine drug habit while performing on the show. Connor's older brother died in June 2001 and he had been badly affected by this, leading to the drug habit. Members of the cast and crew had complained about his behaviour at work. This included alleged aggressive behaviour and lateness that delayed production. After being confronted about his problem he met with the cast in May 2003 and admitted the problem and apologised.[5]
Connor won the case and was awarded by the Supreme Court of Victoria over $230,000 in libel damages.[6]
After Neighbours
Connor worked in the United Kingdom in pantomime.[6] He also appeared as a guest in reality TV show The Salon. In 2008 Connor got a supporting role in the coming of age Playing For Charlie filmed in Melbourne. He also appeared in Killing Time.[1]
In 2013, Connor appeared as an outback Policeman in Wolf Creek 2. He later guested in Nine Network's House Husbands.[1] Connor joined the cast of Wentworth in a recurring role in 2018.[1]
Filmography
Title | Year | Role |
Cop Shop (TV Series) | 1981 | Garderer No.1 |
Street Her | 1984 | Yokel's Mate (billed here as Shane Connors) |
Every Move She Makes (TV movie) | 1984 | Tony (billed here as Shane Feeney-Connors) |
Carson's Law (TV series) | 1983-1984 | 4 character roles Clerk/Joe/Gil Bishop/Albert Rudge |
Rooted (TV movie) | 1985 | unknowmn |
Emerging (TV movie) | 1985 | McNair (billed as Shane Feeney-Connors |
Prisoner | 1983-1986 | 3 roles - Kevin Armstrong/Maintenance Squad Man (as Shane Connors)/Brian "Bongo" Connors |
Army Wives (TV movie) | 1986 | Grant (billed here as Shane Feeney-Connor) |
The Harp in the South (TV miniseries) | 1987 | Charlie Rothe |
Poor Man's Orange (TV miniseries) | 1987 | Charlie Rothe |
Sons and Daughters (TV series) | 1987 | Angel Jones |
Tender Hooks | 1988 | Wayne |
Breaking Loose:Summer City II | 1988 | Sampson (billed here as Shane Feeney-Connor) |
Action Replay | 1989 | Role unknown (billed here as Shane Feeney Connor) |
The Flying Doctors (TV series) | 1987–1991) | Rick/Ross Becher |
A Country Practice (TV series) | 1984-1991 | Peter Neal (aa Shane Feeney Connor)/Barry Hamilton/Colin Scott |
Phoenix (TV series) | 1992 | Manny |
Police Rescue (TV series) | 1992 | Geoff (billed as Shane Feeney Connor) |
Heartland (TV miniseries) | 1994 | Ben Lovell |
Sky Trackers (TV series) | 1994 | Sergeant Blake |
Law of the Land (TV series) | 1993-1994 | Harry Miles (as Shane Fenney-Coonor) |
Fire (TV series) | 1995 | David "Giraffe" Simpson (billed as Shane Feeney-Connor) |
Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (TV series) | 1995 | Tyler Morgan (as Shane Feeney-Connor) |
Rainbows End | 1995 | George (as Shane Feeney-Connor) |
The Bite (TV mini-series) | 1996 | Thompson (billed as Shane Feeney-Connor) |
Good Guys Bad Guys (TV series) | 1997 | Bianco (billed as Shane Feeney-Connor) |
Raw FM (TV series) | Digger (Billed as Shane Fenney-Connor) | |
Blue Heelers (TV series) | 1998 | Danny Hobson |
Moby Dick (TV series) | 1998 | Mr. Flask (billed as Shane Feeney-Connor) |
Wildside (TV series) | 1998 | Terry Young |
Halifax f.p. (TV series) | 1998 | Ray (as Shane Feeney-Connor) |
Stingers (TV series) | 1999 | Terry Collis (billed as Shane Feeney Connor) |
Neighbours (TV series) | 1991-2004 (295 episodes) | Joe Scully |
Twisted Tales (TV series) | 2005 | Ben Kettle |
Playing for Charlie | 2008 | Joe Ruddock |
Mark Loves Sharon (TV series) | 2008 | Roy Ward (2 episodes, billed as both Shane Connor and Shane Feeney-Connor) |
Dirty Game (TV miniseries) | 2009 | Max Mees |
Satisfaction (TV series) | 2009-2010 | Karl (6 episodes) |
City Homicide (TV series) | 2007-2011 | Gareth Nunn/Philip Carter |
Killing Time (TV miniseries) | 2011 | Strawhorn |
Wolf Creek 2 | 2013 | Senior Sergeant Gary Bulmer Jnr. |
House Husbands (TV series) | 2015 | Farmer Todd |
The Manny (TV movie) | 2016 | Dad |
Wentworth (TV series) | 2018-2019 | Ray Houser |
References
- Knox, David (16 June 2018). "Shane Connor cast in Wentworth". TV Tonight. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- "Neighbours turn nasty, Connor shown door". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 October 2003. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- Enker, Debi (10 February 2000). "Rumblings in Erinsborough". The Age. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- Fletcher, Mary (20 April 1992). "I'd rather be a stud than a kidnapper!". Woman's Own: 52–53.
- "Sacked from Neighbours over drugs, star sues". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 October 2005. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- "Sacked Neighbours star gets $230,000". news.ninemsn.com.au. 1 December 2005. Archived from the original on 12 January 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2010.