Editing Wallace Shawn (section)

==Career==
===Playwright===
Shawn's early plays, such as ''[[Marie and Bruce]]'' (1978), portrayed emotional and sexual conflicts in an [[Theatre of the Absurd|absurdist]] style, with language both lyrical and violent. In a conversation with [[Andre Gregory]], parts of which were used to create ''[[My Dinner with Andre]]'', Shawn said these plays depicted "my interior life as a raging beast." Critical response was extremely polarized: some critics hailed Shawn as a major writer, while [[John Simon (critic)|John Simon]] called ''Marie and Bruce'' "garbage" and Shawn "one of the unsightliest actors in this city."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/theater/reviews/in-marie-and-bruce-wallace-shawn-paints-misery-review.html |title=There's Room for Everyone Aboard a Marital Misery Tour |first=Ben |last=Brantley |date=April 5, 2011 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=January 5, 2017}}</ref> His 1977 play ''A Thought in Three Parts'' caused controversy in London when the production was investigated by a [[vice squad]] and attacked in Parliament after allegations of pornographic content.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whistlerinthedark.com/productions/DanandLemon.html |title=Aunt Dan and Lemon |website=Whistler in the Dark |date=2011 |access-date=July 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323133414/http://www.whistlerinthedark.com/productions/DanandLemon.html |archive-date=March 23, 2012 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> Shawn received an [[Obie Award]] for playwrighting in 1975, for ''Our Late Night''.<ref>1975 Obie Awards https://www.obieawards.com/events/1970s/year-75/</ref>

Shawn's later plays are more overtly political, drawing parallels between his characters' psychology and the behavior of governments and social classes. Among the best-known of these are ''[[Aunt Dan and Lemon]]'' (1985) and ''[[The Designated Mourner]]'' (1997). Shawn's political work has invited controversy, as he often presents the audience with several contradictory points of view. He has called ''Aunt Dan and Lemon'' a cautionary tale against [[fascism]]. Shawn's monologue ''The Fever'', originally meant to be performed for small audiences in apartments, depicts a person who becomes sick while struggling to find a morally consistent way to live when faced with injustice, and harshly criticizes the United States' record in supporting oppressive [[anti-communist]] regimes. In 1997, Shawn discussed the political nature of ''Aunt Dan and Lemon'', ''The Fever'' and ''The Designated Mourner'' in an interview in which he talked extensively about the thematic connections among them, as well as his own views on [[Marxist]], [[communist]] and [[socialist]] politics, their relevance to [[American liberalism]], and how governmental and individual responsibilities for finding solutions to the dichotomy between rich and poor in the world take hold in his characters.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|last=McGrath|first=Patrick|date=Spring 1997|title=Wallace Shawn by Patrick McGrath|url=http://bombsite.com/issues/59/articles/2063|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406140744/http://bombmagazine.org/article/2063/|archive-date=April 6, 2016|access-date=July 29, 2014|website=Bomb Magazine}}</ref> ''Aunt Dan and Lemon'' earned Shawn his second Obie Award for playwrighting in 1986,<ref>Obie Awards [http://www.obieawards.com/events/1980s/year-86/ "1986 Winners"]</ref> and ''The Fever'' won an Obie for Best American Play in 1991.<ref>Obie Awards, [http://www.obieawards.com/events/1990s/year-91/ "1991 Winners"]</ref> Three of Shawn's plays have been adapted into films: ''The Designated Mourner'' (basically a film version of [[David Hare (dramatist)|David Hare]]'s stage production), ''Marie and Bruce'' and ''The Fever''. [[Vanessa Redgrave]] stars in ''[[The Fever (2004 film)|The Fever]]'' (2004),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/review-television-fever-dc-idUSN1230003820070612 |title=Redgrave laid low by HBO's heavy "Fever" |website=[[Reuters]] |date=June 12, 2007 |first=Ray |last=Richmond |access-date=January 5, 2017}}</ref> which first aired on [[HBO]] on June 13, 2007.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kahn |first=Robert |date=2007-07-08 |title=Fast Chat: Vanessa Redgrave |work=Newsday |pages=c-3}}</ref>

Shawn has also written political commentary for ''[[The Nation]]'', and in 2004 he published the one-issue-only progressive political magazine ''Final Edition'', which featured interviews with and articles by [[Jonathan Schell]], [[Noam Chomsky]], [[Mark Strand]] and [[Deborah Eisenberg]]. Shawn is credited as translator of [[Bertolt Brecht]]'s ''[[The Threepenny Opera]]'', which opened at [[Studio 54]] in [[Manhattan]] on March 25, 2006. He appeared briefly in voiceover during "Song about the Futility of Human Endeavor". He published his first nonfiction work, ''Essays'', on September 1, 2009. It is a collection of essays that express his perceptions of politics and other aspects of his life.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jameson |first=A.D |date=2010 |title=Wallace Shawn. Essays. |journal=The Review of Contemporary Fiction |volume=30 |issue=2 |pages=167+ |via=Gale Literature}}</ref>

===Acting===
Shawn's involvement with theater began in 1970 when he met [[Andre Gregory]], who has since directed several of his plays. As a stage actor, he has appeared mostly in his own plays and other projects with Gregory. He made his film debut in 1979, playing [[Diane Keaton]]'s ex-husband in [[Woody Allen]]'s ''[[Manhattan (1979 film)|Manhattan]]'' and an insurance agent in [[Bob Fosse]]'s ''[[All That Jazz (film)|All That Jazz]]''. His best-known film roles include Earl in ''[[Strange Invaders]]'' (1983) and Mr. Hall in ''[[Clueless]]'' (1995). After seeing his performance in ''[[My Dinner with Andre]]'' (1981), casting director Janet Hirshenson was so fond of his delivery of the word "inconceivable" that she cast him as Vizzini in ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]'' (1987), for whom the word is a catchphrase. Other roles include Baron Von Westphalen in ''[[Southland Tales]]'', Cyrus Rose on ''[[Gossip Girl]]'', Marty in ''[[Vegas Vacation]]'' (1997), and Ezra in ''[[The Haunted Mansion (2003 film)|The Haunted Mansion]]'' (2003).<ref>{{Cite news|last=Morris|first=Wesley|date=2007-11-16|title=Out on the edge, scavenging among 'Southland Tales|work=Boston Globe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Itzkoff|first=Dave|date=2008-11-17|title=Wallace Shawn on 'Gossip Girl'? It's Not Inconceivable: The Arts/Cultural Desk |work=New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Chaney|first=Jen|date=2003-11-28|title='The Haunted Mansion' A Familiar Fun House|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> 

His rare non-comedic film roles include two collaborations with [[Andre Gregory]] and [[Louis Malle]]: the semi-autobiographical dialogue ''[[My Dinner with Andre]]'', and a combined production-and-backstage-drama of ''[[Uncle Vanya]]'' titled ''[[Vanya on 42nd Street]]''. Shawn quite often appears on television, where he has appeared in many genres and series. He has had recurring roles as the [[Grand Nagus Zek]] on ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', Stuart Best on ''[[Murphy Brown]]'', Jeff Engels on ''[[The Cosby Show]]'', Dr. Howard Stiles on ''[[Crossing Jordan]]'', Arnie Ross on ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'', Charles Lester on both ''[[The Good Wife]]'' and ''[[The Good Fight]]'', a reprisal of his role as Mr. Hall on ''[[Clueless (TV series)|Clueless]]'' (based on the film), and Father Frank Ignatius on ''[[Evil (TV series)|Evil]]''. He appeared in the 1985 music video for [[Chaka Khan]]'s "This Is My Night". On February 4, 2010, Shawn appeared as Alan Rubin on ''[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]''. ''[[A Master Builder]]'' opened in New York City in June 2014. In 2018, he joined the cast of ''[[Young Sheldon]]'' in the recurring role of Meemaw's boyfriend and Sheldon's physics professor, Dr. John Sturgis.<ref name="archrecord.construction.com"/><ref>
{{cite web|title=Wallace Shawn returns as Dr. Sturgis on Young Sheldon|work=Monsters and Critics |url=https://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/wallace-shawn-returns-as-dr-sturgis-on-young-sheldon/|access-date=27 February 2019|date=October 18, 2018}}</ref>

Shawn stars in Woody Allen's 2020 film ''[[Rifkin's Festival]]'', set in [[San Sebastian]], Spain.<ref>{{cite news |title=Woody Allen to Begin Filming New Movie This Summer |first=Nate |last=Nickolai |work=Variety |date=June 4, 2019 |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/woody-allen-christoph-waltz-gina-gershon-spain-1203232841/ }}</ref>

Shawn was honored in 2005 with the [[PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award]] as a Master American Dramatist.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-05-10 |title=Quick Takes: Wallace Shawn honored by PEN |work=Los Angeles Times: Home Edition |pages=E3}}</ref>

====Voice acting====
Shawn is a voice actor for animated films and television series, including the ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'' franchise, ''[[Monsters, Inc.]]'' (during the outtakes in the closing credits), ''[[Kingdom Hearts III]]'', ''[[The Incredibles]]'', ''[[A Goofy Movie]]'', ''[[Family Guy]]'', ''[[Happily N'Ever After]]'', ''[[Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers]]'', ''[[Regular Show]]'', ''[[BoJack Horseman]]'' and ''[[Animal Crackers (2017 film)|Animal Crackers]]''.

Shawn said that ''Toy Story'' director [[John Lasseter]] might have seen both ''My Dinner with Andre'' and ''The Princess Bride'' and seen him as "excitable" like Shawn's character, Rex.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://triblive.com/aande/more-a-and-e/wallace-shawn-talks-acting-princess-bride-and-toy-story/ |first=Steve |last=Segal |date=December 4, 2019 |work=[[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]] |title=''Wallace Shawn talks acting, 'Princess Bride' and 'Toy Story' ahead of Steel City Con'' | access-date= December 4, 2019}}</ref>

In ''[[The Fox and the Hound]]'', Shawn was originally to voice Boomer, but dropped out and was replaced by [[Paul Winchell]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 19, 2015 |title=We Bet You Didn't Know These Actors Voice Characters in Both Disney and Disney Pixar Movies |url=https://ohmy.disney.com/movies/2015/06/18/we-bet-you-didnt-know-these-actors-voice-characters-in-both-disney-and-disneypixar-movies/ |url-status=dead |access-date=September 14, 2017 |work=Oh My Disney|last1=Taylor|first1=Drew|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915024415/https://ohmy.disney.com/movies/2015/06/18/we-bet-you-didnt-know-these-actors-voice-characters-in-both-disney-and-disneypixar-movies/ |archive-date=September 15, 2017 }}</ref> In ''[[Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore]]'', he replaced [[Jon Lovitz]] as the voice of [[List of Cats & Dogs characters#Calico|Calico]]. He also provided the voice of Mr. Mustela in ''[[The Addams Family 2]]''.<ref name="Addams"/>