Mickey Shaughnessy

Mickey Shaughnessy, born Joseph C. Shaughnessy on August 5, 1920, in New York City, was an American actor and comedian who built a career across stage, film, television, and nightclubs. He died on July 23, 1985, in Cape May Court House, New Jersey, of lung cancer, at the age of 64. He was survived by his wife Sarah, his sister Alice Shaughnessy, four daughters, and three sons.

Shaughnessy's entry into show business came through singing at resorts, though he transitioned to comedy after determining it offered better pay. He was also a Golden Gloves boxer. During World War II he served in the military and performed in a U.S. Army revue titled Stars and Gripes. Following the war, a Columbia Pictures producer caught his stage act and arranged a screen test, leading to his film debut in the 1952 production The Marrying Kind.

Standing six feet tall and weighing 210 pounds, Shaughnessy became known for portraying tough, colorful characters on screen. He appeared in From Here to Eternity as the amiable Sergeant Leva, and in Jailhouse Rock as the prison mentor to Elvis Presley's character. In Designing Woman (1957) he played a punch-drunk former boxer whose injuries left him able to sleep only with his eyes open. His performance in The Sheepman (1958) drew particular notice from New York Times critic Bosley Crowther, who called it the item most worthy of gratitude in the film. Among his later film credits was a role in Walt Disney's The Boatniks.

Shaughnessy's television work included guest appearances on Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond, Maverick, The Virginian, Going My Way, Laredo, The Legend of Jesse James, and Run for Your Life. In 1971 he appeared in three episodes of The Chicago Teddy Bears, a comedy series set in a 1920s speakeasy. He also maintained an active presence in radio and nightclub performance, continuing his nightclub act until near the end of his life.

His Broadway career brought him to New York in 1965, when he appeared in the musical Kelly. In his later years Shaughnessy resided in Wildwood, New Jersey.