Shane West

Shane West

Active - 1967 - 2023  |   Born - Jun 10, 1978 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States  |   Genres - Drama, Romance, Family & Personal Relationships

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Biography by AllMovie

The sultry Shane West -- a Gemini whose genuine handsomeness is doubly effective in combination with his mesmerizing raspy voice -- made his mark on the Hollywood scene within the realm of teen drama. Beginning with appearances on television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Picket Fences, West was soon cast as a more permanent staple in teenage tube-life, as well as on the big screen.

West was born on June 10, 1978, in Baton Rouge, LA, where he spent his life until he made the decision to pursue an acting career in 1995. Upon moving to L.A., West found much success on dramatic television, landing a starring role on ABC's Once and Again (1999) as Eli Sammler after appearing in the Showtime original movie The Westing Game (1997). A more contemporary rendition of the Cyrano de Bergerac story, Whatever It Takes (2000) featured a book-smart West. He appeared in Dracula in 2000, and made a cameo in the 2001 remake of Ocean's Eleven.

Huge publicity surrounding the pop superstar status of Mandy Moore brought West much attention as her love interest in 2002's A Walk to Remember. From the cool crowd, West's character, Landon Carter, learns of matters of a deeper significance during his interaction with Jamie Sullivan (Moore). West's adoring fan base increased in significance as well in his role as sexy and romantic Landon. He joined the cast of ER for that show's final three seasons, and then went on to appear as punk hero Darby Crash in the biopic What We Do Is Secret. He followed that up with The Lodger, Red Sands, and The Presence.

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Factsheet

  • Became interested in acting after taking a high-school drama course to fulfill an academic requirement.
  • A musician and songwriter, he has played in many bands, including Average Jo and Jonny Was.
  • Thought he was auditioning for a sitcom when he read for the drama Once and Again.
  • Has a song featured on the soundtrack of the movie A Walk to Remember (2002), in which he starred with Mandy Moore.
  • Members of the punk-rock band The Germs invited him to be their lead vocalist after watching his performance as 1970s Germs front man Darby Crash in the indie film What We Do Is Secret (2008).
  • In 2008, he received the Rising Star Award from the Philadelphia Film Festival.
  • Following his stint on ER as Dr. Ray Barnett, he didn't return to TV until 2010, when he joined the cast of The CW's Nikita.