Wallace Shawn
Birthday:
Birthplace:
New York, New York, USA
The son of an editor for the New Yorker, the diminutive comedic actor Wallace Shawn achieved immortality for his portrayal of the Sicilian Vizzini in the 1987 classic The Princess Bride. A graduate of both Harvard and Oxford University, he has taught several courses in English and struggled as a playwright in the early '70s; in 1977 he translated Machiavelli's The Mandrake. Shawn broke into films soon after, building a successful career as a supporting actor to help fund his playwriting. He debuted in two of the best films of 1979: Woody Allen's Manhattan and Bob Fosse's All That Jazz.In 1981, he co-wrote the semi-autobiographical My Dinner With André, a talky comedy starring himself and theater director André Gregory in a dinner conversation, directed by Louis Malle. The movie was acclaimed by critics and a cult favorite. After this personal project, Shawn would build a career out of playing brief but surprisingly memorable roles in a long list of movies. His performance as the leader of the misfit criminal gang in The Princess Bride proved a pivotal moment, and that same year, he supplied the heroic voice for the Masked Avenger in Woody Allen's Radio Days. Shawn would also go on to do voice acting in projects like The Goofy Movie, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and the Toy Story series. He would also continue to work with Woody Allen throughout the next decade, and picked up a new generation of fans playing debate teacher Mr. Hall in the 1995 high school classic Clueless. Shawn would also take his quirky persona to the small screen with appearances on TV shows likeMurphy Brown, The Cosby Show, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sex and the City, as well as the ABC sitcom version of Clueless. Throughout his acting career, Shawn has managed to continue writing successful plays, and eventually adapted one of them, The Designated Mourner, for a feature film in 1997. In 2002, he played the publishing boss Mr. Gelb for the "Greta" story in Rebecca Miller's Personal Velocity: Three Portraits. Shawn would continue to appear regularly on screen in the years to come, playing recurring roles on The L Word, Gossip Girl, and Eureka,
Highest Rated Movies
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100%
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100%
-
100%
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99%
Filmography
MOVIES
| RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | BOX OFFICE | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Score Yet | Drawing Home |
|
— | 2017 |
| No Score Yet | Cop and a Half: New Recruit |
|
— | 2017 |
| 86% | Maggie's Plan |
|
$3.4M | 2016 |
| No Score Yet | Robo-Dog |
|
— | 2016 |
| No Score Yet | Animal Crackers |
|
— | 2016 |
| 93% | The Last Impresario |
|
— | 2014 |
| 83% | A Master Builder |
|
$47.4k | 2014 |
| 7% | Don Peyote |
|
— | 2014 |
| 83% | The Double |
|
$0.6M | 2014 |
| No Score Yet | Christmas at Cartwright's |
|
— | 2014 |
| 93% | Toy Story of Terror! |
|
— | 2013 |
| 78% | André Gregory: Before and After Dinner |
|
— | 2013 |
| 39% | Admission |
|
$18.1M | 2013 |
| 77% | A Late Quartet |
|
$1.4M | 2012 |
| 53% | Vamps |
|
$3.2k | 2012 |
| No Score Yet | Partysaurus Rex |
|
— | 2012 |
| No Score Yet | Small Fry |
|
— | 2011 |
| No Score Yet | Hawaiian Vacation |
|
— | 2011 |
| No Score Yet | The Speed of Thought |
|
— | 2011 |
| 13% | Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore |
|
$43.5M | 2010 |
| 99% | Toy Story 3 |
|
$415M | 2010 |
| No Score Yet | Jack and the Beanstalk |
|
— | 2009 |
| 86% | The Windmill Movie |
|
— | 2009 |
| 79% | Kit Kittredge: An American Girl |
|
$17.6M | 2008 |
| No Score Yet | Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King |
|
— | 2008 |
| 38% | Southland Tales |
|
$0.3M | 2007 |
| 8% | New York City Serenade |
|
— | 2007 |
| 64% | I Could Never Be Your Woman |
|
— | 2007 |
| No Score Yet | The Fever |
|
— | 2007 |
| 4% | Happily N'ever After |
|
$151.9M | 2006 |
| No Score Yet | Air Buddies |
|
— | 2006 |
| No Score Yet | Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers |
|
— | 2006 |
| 37% | Chicken Little |
|
$135.3M | 2005 |
| 52% | Melinda and Melinda |
|
$3.8M | 2005 |
| No Score Yet | Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove: Readings From Voices of a People's History of the United States |
|
— | 2005 |
| No Score Yet | Karroll's Christmas |
|
— | 2004 |
| 97% | The Incredibles |
|
— | 2004 |
| No Score Yet | Marie and Bruce |
|
— | 2004 |
| 76% | Teacher's Pet |
|
$6.3M | 2004 |
| 13% | The Haunted Mansion |
|
$75.8M | 2003 |
| 35% | Duplex |
|
— | 2003 |
| No Score Yet | Monte Walsh |
|
— | 2003 |
| No Score Yet | Mr. St. Nick |
|
— | 2002 |
| 69% | Personal Velocity: Three Portraits |
|
$0.7M | 2002 |
| 45% | The Curse of the Jade Scorpion |
|
$6.8M | 2001 |
| No Score Yet | Blonde |
|
— | 2001 |
| No Score Yet | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins |
|
— | 2000 |
| 44% | The Prime Gig |
|
— | 2000 |
| 100% | Toy Story 2 |
|
— | 1999 |
| 12% | My Favorite Martian |
|
— | 1999 |
| No Score Yet | Noah |
|
— | 1998 |
| No Score Yet | The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story |
|
— | 1998 |
| 59% | Critical Care |
|
— | 1997 |
| 65% | The Designated Mourner |
|
— | 1997 |
| 50% | Just Write |
|
— | 1997 |
| 13% | Vegas Vacation |
|
— | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | The Wife |
|
— | 1996 |
| 10% | House Arrest |
|
— | 1996 |
| 20% | All Dogs Go To Heaven 2 |
|
— | 1996 |
| 100% | Toy Story |
|
— | 1995 |
| 14% | Canadian Bacon |
|
— | 1995 |
| No Score Yet | Just like Dad |
|
— | 1995 |
| 80% | Clueless |
|
— | 1995 |
| 89% | Vanya on 42nd Street |
|
— | 1995 |
| 53% | A Goofy Movie |
|
— | 1995 |
| 74% | Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (Mrs. Parker and the Round Table) |
|
— | 1994 |
| 29% | The Meteor Man |
|
— | 1993 |
| 67% | The Cemetery Club |
|
— | 1993 |
| No Score Yet | Un-Becoming Age |
|
— | 1992 |
| 9% | Mom and Dad Save the World |
|
— | 1992 |
| 50% | Shadows and Fog |
|
— | 1992 |
| No Score Yet | The Double O Kid |
|
— | 1992 |
| No Score Yet | Nickel & Dime |
|
— | 1992 |
| 47% | We're No Angels |
|
— | 1989 |
| 80% | Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills |
|
— | 1989 |
| 11% | She's Out of Control |
|
— | 1989 |
| 78% | The Moderns |
|
— | 1988 |
| 97% | The Princess Bride |
|
— | 1987 |
| 94% | Prick Up Your Ears |
|
— | 1987 |
| No Score Yet | Nice Girls Don't Explode |
|
— | 1987 |
| 88% | Radio Days |
|
— | 1987 |
| 80% | The Bedroom Window |
|
— | 1987 |
| 0% | Head Office |
|
— | 1986 |
| 40% | Heaven Help Us |
|
— | 1985 |
| 71% | Micki + Maude |
|
— | 1984 |
| 80% | The Bostonians |
|
— | 1984 |
| 77% | The Hotel New Hampshire |
|
— | 1984 |
| 0% | Crackers |
|
— | 1984 |
| No Score Yet | How to Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days |
|
— | 1984 |
| 13% | Deal of the Century |
|
— | 1983 |
| 63% | Strange Invaders |
|
— | 1983 |
| 40% | Lovesick |
|
— | 1983 |
| No Score Yet | Saigon: Year of the Cat |
|
— | 1983 |
| No Score Yet | The First Time |
|
— | 1983 |
| No Score Yet | A Little Sex |
|
— | 1982 |
| 91% | My Dinner with André |
|
— | 1981 |
| 100% | Atlantic City |
|
— | 1980 |
| 50% | Simon |
|
— | 1980 |
| No Score Yet | Cheaper to Keep Her |
|
— | 1980 |
| 86% | All That Jazz |
|
— | 1979 |
| No Score Yet | Starting Over |
|
— | 1979 |
| 95% | Manhattan |
|
— | 1979 |
TV
| RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77% |
Young Sheldon
2017
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
Tavis Smiley
2013
|
|
|
| 96% |
The Good Wife
2009-2016
|
|
|
| 23% |
The Mysteries of Laura
2014-2016
|
|
|
| 77% |
Eureka
2006-2012
|
|
|
| 92% |
Gossip Girl
2007-2012
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
Family Guy
1999
|
|
|
| 95% |
Damages
2007-2012
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
Life on Mars
2008-2009
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
The L Word
2004-2009
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001-2011
|
|
|
| 68% |
Desperate Housewives
2004-2012
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
Fat Actress
2005
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
Stargate SG-1
1997-2007
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
Ally McBeal
1997-2002
|
|
|
| 91% |
Homicide: Life on the Street
1993-1999
|
|
|
| 86% |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
1993-1999
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
King of the Hill
1997-2010
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
Murphy Brown
1988-1998
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
The Cosby Show
1984-1992
|
|
|
| No Score Yet |
Taxi
1978-1983
|
|
|
Quotes from Wallace Shawn's Characters
| Vizzini: | I suppose you think you're brave, don't you? |
| Buttercup the Princess Bride: | Only compared to some. |
| Principal Mazur: | How about, science slumber parties? |
| Rex: | (sees the airport terminal as Buzz parks in front of it) Hey, you can't park here? |
| Rex: | Hey, you can't park here? |
| Rex: | How do you spell F.B.I? |
| Masked Avenger: | I wonder if future generations will ever even hear about us. It's not likely. After enough time, everything passes. I don't care how big we are or how important are our lives. |
| Vizzini: | you've fallen for one of the two classic blunders! The first being never get involved in a land war in Asia but only slightly lesser known: never go in against a cicelean when DEATH is on the line! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA *dies* |
| Vizzini: | You've fallen for one of the two classic blunders! The first being never get involved in a land war in Asia but only slightly lesser known: never go in against a cicelean when DEATH is on the line! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA *dies* |
| Vizzini: | You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is 'never get involved in a land war in Asia' - but only slightly less well-known is this: 'Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line!' Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! |
| Gilbert Huph: | I'm not happy Bob, not happy. |
| Munk: | a good friend never let a good friend down. |
| Munk: | Friends, family, spouses, boyfriends, best friends. Some people don't mean to let you down, other people let people down intentionally. |
| Vizzini: | What?! Probably some local fisherman, out for a pleasure cruise at night........... in eel infested waters. |
| Vizzini: | Probably some local fisherman, out for a pleasure cruise, at night... in... eel-infested waters. |
| Vizzini: | No more rhymes now, I mean it! |
| Fezzik: | Anybody want a peanut? |
| Vizzini: | GAH! |
| Vizzini: | Inconceivable! |
| Calico: | Boss, you're still connected. |
| Calico: | Hey, boss, I'm riffin'! |
| Mr. Tinkles: | Greetings, my furry friends! It is I, Tinkles! Free! Scot-free! [Laughing] Meow, meow. Did you really think the Rock could hold me forever? I am definitely not an indoor cat! [Steel drums are heard] HEY! Ringo! Enough with the steel drums here! I'm trying to talk, "mon"! |
| Mr. Tinkles: | Greetings, my furry friends! It is I, Tinkles! Free! Scot-free! [laughing] Meow, meow. Did you really think the Rock could hold me forever? I am definitely not an indoor cat! [steel drums are heard] HEY! Ringo! Enough with the steel drums here! I'm trying to talk, 'mon'! |
| Calico: | Hey boss! I'm riffin'! Heh-heh-heh! |
| Jessie the Cowgirl: | Buzz, you're back! You're back! |
| Buzz Lightyear: | Yes I'm back uh where did I go? |
| Woody: | Beyond infinity, Space Ranger. |
| Buzz Lightyear: | Woody! So where are we know? |
| Rex: | In a garbage truck on the way to the dump! |
| Hamm: | Ho, boy, will you take a look at all those presents? Yes, sir we're next month's garage sale fodder for sure! |
| Rex: | Any dinosaur-shaped ones? |
| Hamm: | Oh for crying out loud their all in boxes you idiot! |
| Woody: | All right all right! If I send out the troops will you all calm down! |
| Rex: | Yes we will we promise! |
| Woody: | Okay save your batteries! |
| Hamm: | Atta boy Woody that's using the old noodle! |
| Rex: | What if Andy gets another dinosaur? A mean one? I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection! |
| Westley: | Inhale this, but do not touch. |
| Vizzini: | I smell nothing. |
| Westley: | What you do not smell is called Iocane Power. |
| Vizzini: | INCONCEIVABLE! |
| Inigo Montoya: | You keep using that word, I don't think you know what it means. |
| Mr. Potato Head: | "How did I get stuck with YOU as a moving-buddy?" |
| Mr. Potato Head: | How did I get stuck with YOU as a moving-buddy? |
| Rex: | "Everyone else was picked?" |
| Rex: | Everyone else was picked? |
| Gilbert Huph: | What I can't handle is your customers' inexplicable knowledge of Insuricare inner workings. There experts, experts, Bob! Exploiting every loophole, dodging every obstacle. They're penetrating the bureaucracy! |
| Rex: | He smells like strawberries! |
| Vizzini: | You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha, you fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia," but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line |
| Vizzini: | You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha, you fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia," but only slightly less well-known is this: Never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line. |
| Vizzini: | You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha, you fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous of which is "never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: Never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line. |
| Buzz Lightyear: | Etch! Draw that man in the chicken suit! |
| Rex: | AAH! It's The Chicken Man! |
| Rex: | He tortures toys...just for fun! |
| Bo Peep: | [Buzz jumps on the ledge] What are you doing? Get down from there. |
| Buzz Lightyear: | I'm gonna teach that boy a lesson! |
| Woody: | Yeah sure go ahead with your scary laser. [sarcastically pressing Buzz's laser button] |
| Buzz Lightyear: | Don't do that it's extremely dangerous! [Lenny warns the toys to jump back into the room off the ledge as Sid blows up the soldier and cheers] |
| Buzz Lightyear: | I could have stopped him! |
| Woody: | Buzz I'd love to see you try. Of course I'd love to see you as a crater. |
| Vizzini: | Stop that, I mean it! |
| Fezzik: | Anybody wanna peanut? |
| Fezzik: | You never said anything about killing anyone. |
| Vizzini: | I've hired you to help me start a war. It's an prestigious line of work, with a long and glorious tradition. |
| Vizzini: | Wha! whoa! go in! get after her! |
| Inigo Montoya: | I don't swim. |
| Fezzik: | I only dog paddle. |
| Vizzini: | GAAAHHH! |
| Vizzini: | You're trying to kidnap what I've rightfully stolen. |
| Westley: | you're that smart? |
| Vizzini: | Let me put it this way, have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? |
| Westley: | Yes. |
| Vizzini: | Morons. |
| Vizzini: | Inconceivable! |
| Vizzini: | He didn't fall? INCONCEIVABLE! |
| Inigo Montoya: | You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. |
| Rex: | Oh, great! Now I have guilt! |
| Rex: | I don't like confrontation! |
| Rex: | He held me, he actually held me! |
| Rex: | He held me! He actually HELD me! |
| Butch: | Where's Kitty Galore? |
| Calico: | Um, she's uh, I-- who? |
| Diggs: | Lemme at him! |
| Calico: | Aaah! |
| Calico: | Ah! |
| Vizzini: | Inconceivable! |
| Rex: | How do you spell FBI? |
| Rex: | I can't look. Could somebody please cover my eyes? |
| Himself: | A baby holds your hands and then suddenly there's this huge man lifting you off the ground, and then he's gone. Where's that son? |
| Andy: | so you're bonnie? i'm andy |
| Andy: | So you're bonnie? I'm andy |
| Lotso: | WHERE'S YOUR KID NOW SHERIFF?!?! |
| Lotso: | Where's your kid now, sheriff? |
| Lotso: | not him, i think this potato needs to learn himself some manners, take him to the box! |
| Lotso: | Not him, I think this potato needs to learn himself some manners, take him to the box! |
| Rex: | AT LAST I'M GONNA GET PLAYED WITH! |
| Rex: | At last I'm gonna get played with! |
| Hamm: | Hamm: Hey, why did the toys cross the road?Buzz Lightyear: Not now Hamm. Rex: Ooo, I love riddles! Why? Hamm: To get to the chicken, on the other side! |
| Hamm: | Hey, why did the toys cross the road? |
| Buzz Lightyear: | Not now Hamm. |
| Rex: | Ooo, I love riddles! Why? |
| Hamm: | To get to the chicken, on the other side! |
| Vizzini: | Stop those rhymes now, and I mean it!!! |
| Vizzini: | Stop those rhymes now, and I mean it! |
| Fezzik: | Anybody want a peanut??? |
| Fezzik: | Anybody want a peanut? |
| Vizzini: | Aaaag!!! |
| Vizzini: | Aaaag! |
| Peggy Ramsay: | Ken was the first wife. He did all the work and the waiting and then... |
| John Lahr: | Well, first wives don't usually beat their husbands' heads in. |
| Peggy Ramsay: | No. Though why I can't think. |
| John Lahr: | So what does that make you? The second wife? |
| Peggy Ramsay: | Better than that, dear. The widow. |
| Rex: | What if Andy gets another dinosaur? A mean one? I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection! |