Shannon Whirry
Born
Shannon Meta Whirry

Green Lake, Wisconsin, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1991–present

Shannon Meta Whirry is an American actress.

Early life

Shannon Meta Whirry[1] was born in Green Lake, Wisconsin, the daughter of Sherrill (née Giese)[2] and Russell Clyde Whirry[3] (1943–1988).[4]

Career

A native of Green Lake, Wisconsin, where she was the salutatorian of her 1983 high school graduating class,[5] in 1985 Whirry was accepted to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, one of only 365 accepted out of 3,000 applicants and one of only 65 to graduate the 2-year program.[6] While attempting to establish her career in New York, Whirry worked as a bartender, took a number of small bit roles and appeared in a commercial for FedEx; the latter work finally allowed her to join the Screen Actors Guild.[3] Her first film role was in the action film Out for Justice starring Steven Seagal.[6]

She thereafter began to work in a number of direct-to-video erotic B-movies and unrated thrillers,[3] concurrent with Tanya Roberts, Maria Ford, and Shannon Tweed who appeared in the same kinds of films at the time. She starred in Gregory Hippolyte's productions of Animal Instincts I and II, Body of Influence, and Mirror Images II.[3] Entertainment Weekly referred to Whirry and Hippolyte as "the Dietrich and Von Sternberg of the soft-core set"[7] Other films at the time included Private Obsession and Playback, a Playboy production.

In the late-1990s, she transitioned from erotic thrillers into a series of roles on mainstream network television and films, including action, sci-fi and horror genres. She had a recurring role as Mike Hammer's secretary Velda in the television series Mike Hammer, Private Eye and made guest appearances on such shows as ER, Felicity, Seinfeld, V.I.P., Murphy Brown, Malcolm in the Middle and Nash Bridges. She also had a small role in the Jim Carrey film Me, Myself & Irene (2000).

In 2007, she appeared on a BBC TV miniseries, Nuclear Secrets, playing Kitty Oppenheimer, the wife of Robert Oppenheimer.

She occasionally performs with theater companies in Arizona, where she lives[8] and has continued appearing in small roles in films, including independent film Raising Buchanan in 2019.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1991 Out for Justice Terry Malloy
1992 Animal Instincts Joanna Cole Video
1993 Body of Influence Laura/Lana Video
Sliver Woman Looking In Mirror
Mirror Images 2 Carrie/Terrie Video
1994 Animal Instincts 2 Joanna Cole Video
The Gift Sitting Woman TV movie
Lady in Waiting Lori
1995 Texas Justice Rebecca TV movie
Private Obsession Emmanuelle Griffith Video
The Granny Kelly Gargoli Video
Dangerous Prey Robin
Fatal Pursuit Jill
1996 Playback Karen
Exit Diane Video
Omega Doom Zed, Droid Leader Video
Ringer Kristin/Tracy
1997 Retroactive Rayanne Lloyd
1999 Active Stealth Gina Murphy Video
2000 The Prophet's Game Barb
Me, Myself & Irene Beautiful Mom
2001 Mach 2 Shannon Carpenter
Lying in Wait Lori
Outlaw Liz
2008 Jolene Teacher
2009 Ingenious Lydia
Middle Men Screaming Mother
2010 Everything Must Go Nurse
Dead West Sarah Dust
2012 Out of Focus Detective Jessie Johnston Short
2019 Raising Buchanan Parnella Monroe

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Santa Barbara Lola Episode: "Episode #1.2094"
1993 Down the Shore Sue Episode: "The Last Temptation of Eddie: Part 1 & 2"
Eden Lauren's Friend Episode: "Eden 6"
Silk Stalkings Karen Daniels Episode: "Look the Other Way"
1997 Murder One Deborah Cummings Episode: "Chapter Ten, Year Two"
Murphy Brown Amber Episode: "Blind Date"
Nash Bridges Suzanne Episode: "Moving Target"
Pacific Blue Kay McNeil Episode: "Ties That Bind"
Seinfeld Cute Girl Episode: "The Butter Shave"
1997-98 Mike Hammer, Private Eye Velda Main Cast
1998 Silk Stalkings Victoria Tremain Episode: "Passion and the Palm Beach Detectives"
1999 Air America Dr. Veronica Brady Episode: "Fear of Flying"
Sons of Thunder Sabrina Episode: "Daddy's Girl"
V.I.P. Katherine Johnson Episode: "Why 2 Kay"
2000 City of Angels Gina Recurring Cast: Season 2
2001 Malcolm in the Middle Beautiful Woman Episode: "Evacuation"
Black Scorpion Vox Populi Episode: "Face the Music"
Felicity Barb Jones Episode: "Boooz"
2002 Flatland Gina Episode: "Aurora" & "Triptych"
2003 ER Doreen Brant Episode: "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"
2007 Nuclear Secrets Kitty Oppenheimer Episode: "Superspy" & "Superbomb"

References

  1. ↑ "One will become Miss Oshkosh 1983". Oshkosh Northwestern. February 27, 1983. Retrieved July 24, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Engagements Announced: Giese, McConnell". Oshkosh Northwestern. October 22, 1977. Retrieved July 23, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Wolff, Patricia (February 9, 1995). "Former Green Lake Woman Has Role in TV Miniseries". Oshkosh Northwestern. Retrieved July 23, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Obituary for Russell Clyde Whirry". The Fox Lake Representative. December 22, 1988. Retrieved July 23, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Green Lake Top Graduates Named". Oshkosh Northwestern. May 23, 1983. Retrieved July 23, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 Madden, Amy T. (April 11, 1991). "From Green Lake to Hollywood: Actress debuts in first film". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 15.
  7. ↑ Kenny, Glenn (1994-08-19). "Shannon Whirry: Video's reigning vixen". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-03-26. Whirry and Hippolyte are fast becoming the Dietrich and Von Sternberg of the soft-core set, with four titles — Animal Instincts, Body of Influence, Mirror Images II, and the latest, Animal Instincts II, due out next week — under their belts.
  8. ↑ Lengel, Kerry (2008-01-20). "Valley actress never bored on the boards". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2017-03-26.
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