Wallace Shawn (born November 12, 1943) is an American actor
and writer. He made his film debut playing Diane Keaton's ex-husband
in Woody Allen's Manhattan in 1979, in which Woody's character
dismissed him as "a homunculus," an apt characterization
of the pale, bald, round actor with the wheezing, lisping voice.
His most famous role was as himself in the two-character film
My Dinner with Andre, with Andre Gregory. The two actors also
wrote the script, which contrasted Shawn's modest down-to-earth
humanism against the extravagant New-Age fantasies of Gregory,
leaving the viewer of the film in an ironic suspension between
the two viewpoints.
Other notable appearances include his role as the Masked
Avenger in Allen's Radio Days (1987) ("Beware, evildoers!
Wherever you are!"), as the evil Vizzini in The Princess
Bride (1987), and as Uncle Vanya in David Mamet's idiosyncratic
Chekhov production, Vanya on 42d Street (1994), a reading
of the play set in a crumbling theater.
Shawn is a widely-used character actor on television, where
he has appeared in many genres and series. He has had recurring
roles as a Ferengi on the Deep Space 9 series of Star
Trek,
a comic ex-reporter on Murphy Brown, the Cosbys' neighbor
on The Bill Cosby Show and on many other shows. He is also
an accomplished voice actor, appearing especially in animation
(including Toy Story and Toy Story 2 where he played "Rex
the Green Dinosaur") and commercials.
Shawn's career spans all aspects of "low" and "high" culture,
and his plays, unlike some of his television appearances,
are considered very serious (even if they often have comic
aspects). Among the best-known of these are Aunt Dan and
Lemon and The Designated Mourner (1997), in both of which
he appeared off-Broadway.
He is the son of William Shawn, longtime editor of The New
Yorker.
Curse of the Jade Scorpion (dir. Woody Allen, 2001; George
Bond)
Toy Story 2 (1999; voice of Rex)
The Designated Mourner (play, 1997, written by Shawn; also
starred in productions, 1997 and 2001)
Clueless (TV Series, 1996-7; Mr. Hall)
Toy Story (1995; voice of Rex)
Vanya on 42nd Street (dir. David Mamet, 1994; Uncle Vanya)
Radio Days (dir. Woody Allen, 1987; Masked Avenger)
The Princess Bride (1987; Vizzini)
The Fever (play, 1990, written and performed by Shawn)
Aunt Dan and Lemon (play, 1986, written by Shawn; also starred
in productions)
My Dinner with Andre (dir. Andre Gregory, 1981; Wally; also
co-wrote screenplay)
Manhattan (dir. Woody Allen, 1979; "Jeremiah")
