David Shiner

David Shiner, born September 13, 1953, in Boston, Massachusetts, is an American actor, clown, physical comedian, playwright, and theater director whose career has spanned circus, theater, film, and television.

Shiner began as a street mime, first performing in Colorado before relocating to Paris, where he worked alongside French clown Marcel Marceau. His European career expanded when the German Circus Roncalli and the Swiss National Circus (Circus Knie) engaged him to perform under the Big Top. During this period he also toured in a dual act with René Bazinet. In 1990, Shiner joined Cirque du Soleil as both a clown performer and co-creator of their production Nouvelle Expérience.

His Broadway career began in 1993 when he and Bill Irwin co-created Fool Moon, a wordless two-man show featuring music by the Red Clay Ramblers. The production ran through 1999 across three separate Broadway engagements. Fool Moon earned Shiner a Tony Award for his performance in 1993, and the show itself received a special Tony Award for Live Theatrical Presentation in 1999, a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, and an Outer Critics Circle Special Achievement Award. In 2000, Shiner originated the role of the Cat in the Hat in the Broadway musical Seussical.

Outside of Broadway, Shiner appeared in the HBO production Man of the House in 1995, as well as in the films Lorenzo's Oil and Sam Shepard's Silent Tongue. He subsequently toured Europe and Seattle with his solo shows David Shiner in the Round and Drop Everything, and made appearances on The Tonight Show. He has served as a guest director at the Wintergarden Theatre in Berlin and the Apollo Theatre in Düsseldorf.

In 2007, Shiner wrote and directed Cirque du Soleil's touring production Koozå, with an original cast that included Gordon White, Jason Berrent, Stephan Laundry, Michael Halvarson, Joshua Ryan Zehner, and Christian Fitzherris. He followed that in 2009 by writing and directing the Cirque du Soleil show Banana Shpeel. Shiner also developed the Shiner Method, a masterclass-ensemble program for mentoring actors and clowns.

In 2013, Shiner co-wrote and starred in the Off-Broadway revue Old Hats alongside Bill Irwin, with musician Nellie McKay also appearing in the production. The show won the 2013 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue. A 2016 revival brought Shiner and Irwin back, with musician Shaina Taub joining the cast to perform original songs with a band between sketches. Shiner has additionally been featured in the American Theatre Wing's Working in the Theatre series, with a focus on clowning.