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American actor and comedian (1952–2010) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Glenn Shadix (April 15, 1952 – September 7, 2010) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for his roles as Otho Fenlock in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice and the Mayor of Halloween Town in The Nightmare Before Christmas.[2]
Glenn Shadix | |
|---|---|
Shadix in 2004 | |
| Born | William Glenn Shadix April 15, 1952 Bessemer, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | September 7, 2010 (aged 58) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1979–2010 |
| Spouse | Jon Jung[1] |
Shadix was born on April 15, 1952, in Bessemer, Alabama, the eldest child in the family. His surname was legally changed to "Scott" when his mother, Annie Ruth (née Livingston), remarried a few years after his birth,[3] although he would use his original surname when working as an actor. He attended Birmingham–Southern College for two years, studying with absurdist playwright-director Arnold Powell.[4]
He lived in Manhattan, New York City, prior to moving to Hollywood in 1977. He got his breakthrough film role in Beetlejuice as interior decorator Otho Fenlock, while appearing in The Groundlings comedy troupe and performing in the stage play Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, portraying Gertrude Stein.[5] Beetlejuice filmmaker Tim Burton went on to cast Shadix in 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmas and the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes. Throughout the 1990s he had small roles on iconic television shows, including Cheers, Roseanne, The Fresh Prince , and Seinfeld.
In 1995, Shadix was cast as Ray Cathode in the Space Mountain queue advertisements when the ride was sponsored by FedEx.
In 2005, Shadix was cast as the voices of the Brain and Monsieur Mallah in season five of the Teen Titans animated series. His other voice work includes the aforementioned Nightmare, and episodes of Jackie Chan Adventures and Justice League Unlimited (where he played Steven Mandragora). He reprised his Nightmare Before Christmas role in the video game The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge and Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts II.
His television work included the HBO drama Carnivàle, the NBC television comedy Seinfeld, in which he played Jerry's landlord, and playing the roles of giant brothers Typhoon and Typhon in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. On stage, Shadix was set to begin rehearsals for a Birmingham production of Alan Bennett's History Boys.[citation needed]
According to an interview with the Truth Wins Out website, Shadix came out as gay at the age of 17. His parents then enrolled him in "ex-gay therapy", which included shock treatments. When this failed to change his orientation, he attempted suicide by overdosing with Elavil. His parents rushed him to a hospital, where he survived a three-day coma. After the incident, his parents began to accept his sexuality.[6][7]
Shadix was known to be a long-time fan of Joan Baez, dating back to his childhood, when he had to hide her records from his family who disapproved of the folk singer. Shadix travelled cross country to attend one of her concerts and meet her in person.[8]
In 2007, after spending 30 years in Los Angeles, Shadix retired to his native Bessemer, Alabama, where he purchased a Queen Anne-style, Victorian-era home. The house was completely destroyed in a fire on December 13, 2008. Shadix told reporters, "I have lost my dream."[9]
In 2009, Shadix underwent surgery to provide relief to an ankle which he broke while filming.[10][11] Subsequently, he had mobility problems and used a wheelchair.[12] On September 7, 2010, Shadix was found dead in his home. According to his sister, Susan Gagne, he fell and hit his head in the kitchen at his condominium in Birmingham, Alabama, and died of blunt trauma.[2][13]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Skatetown, U.S.A. | [10] | |
| 1981 | The Postman Always Rings Twice | Twin Oaks Customer | |
| 1988 | Beetlejuice | Otho Fenlock | |
| Sunset | Roscoe Arbuckle | ||
| Heathers | Father Ripper | ||
| 1989 | Parent Trap: Hawaiian Honeymoon | Chet | Television film |
| 1990 | Meet the Applegates | Greg Samson | |
| 1991 | Bingo | Duke | |
| 1992 | Sleepwalkers | Mr. Fallows | |
| 1993 | Demolition Man | Associate Bob | |
| The Nightmare Before Christmas | The Mayor of Halloween Town | Voice[14] | |
| 1994 | Dark Side of Genius | Leon Bennini | |
| My Summer Story | Leopold Doppler, Manager of Orpheum Theater | ||
| Love Affair | Anthony Rotundo | ||
| 1996 | Dunston Checks In | Lionel Spalding | |
| Multiplicity | Building Inspector | ||
| The Empty Mirror | Hermann Göring | ||
| 1997 | Men | Neil | |
| Sparkler | Announcer | ||
| 1998 | Chairman of the Board | Larry | |
| 1999 | Storm | Nate | Direct-to-video |
| Bartok the Magnificent | Townspeople[14] | Voice, direct-to-video | |
| 2000 | Red Dirt | Virgil Cunningham | |
| More Dogs Than Bones | Geoff | ||
| 2001 | Fast Sofa | Apartment Manager | |
| Planet of the Apes | Senator Nado | ||
| Shut Yer Dirty Little Mouth! | Peter | ||
| 2002 | The Day the Dolls Struck Back | Narrator | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 2003 | Sol Goode | Casting Director | |
| Rose's | Sheriff Winslow | ||
| 2004 | To Kill a Mockumentary | Karl | Direct-to-video |
| 2007 | The Final Curtain | Jack Strong | |
| 2009 | Tom Cool | ||
| 2010 | Finding Gauguin | Monsieur Vollard | Posthumous release |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Golden Girls | Musician | Episode: "Diamond in the Rough" | |
| 1990 | Roseanne | Jay | Episode: "Chicken Hearts" | |
| 1991 | Seinfeld | Harold | Episode: "The Apartment" | |
| 1992 | Night Court | Dermot Drake | Episode: "The 1992 Boat Show" | |
| Cheers | Bernard | Episode: "The Beer Is Always Greener" | ||
| 1993 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Ralph Scorpius | Episode: "Hex and the Single Guy" | |
| 1994 | Dinosaurs | Ray, Monster | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| 1994–95 | Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills | Nimbar | Voice, 40 episodes | [14] |
| 1994 | Aaahh!!! Real Monsters | Guard Monster | Voice, episode: "Monsters, Get Real/Snorched If You Do, Snorched If You Don't" | [14] |
| 1995–96 | The Mask: Animated Series | Lonnie the Shark | Voice, 4 episodes | |
| 1995 | Bobby's World | Additional voices | Episode: "Bobby the Genius" | |
| Life with Louie | Additional voices | Episode: "Lake Winnibigoshish" | ||
| Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Typhon | Season 2/Episode 10: "Cast a Giant Shadow" | ||
| 1996 | Quack Pack | Professor Tobar, Dr. Emile | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Typhon | Season 3/Episode 6: "Monster Child in the Promised Land" | ||
| 1996–98 | The Fantastic Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor | Additional voices | 26 episodes | |
| 1997 | What a Cartoon! | Doctor | Voice, episode: "Snoot's New Squat" | [14] |
| Duckman | Army Leader Guest | Voice, episode: "Duckman and Cornfed in 'Haunted Society Plumbers'" | ||
| Extreme Ghostbusters | Mirror Demon | Voice, episode: "The Ghostmakers" | ||
| Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Typhon | Season 4/Episode 1: "Beanstalks and Bad Eggs" | ||
| 1997–98 | The New Adventures of Zorro | Additional voices | 26 Episodes | |
| 1997 | Cow and Chicken | Prisoner #1, Poopy the Clown, Gate Guard | Voice, episode: "Field Trip to Folsom Prison" | [14] |
| 1998 | Jumanji | Mr. Shattuck | Voice, episode: "Return of Squint" | |
| 1999 | Thanks | Doctor Addington | 6 episodes | |
| Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Caligula | Episode: "Salem, the Boy" | ||
| Rocket Power | Mayor | Voice, episode: "D is for Dad/Banned on the Run" | ||
| 2000 | Men in Black: The Series | Additional voices | Episode: "The Spectacle Syndrome" | |
| 2000–01 | Stainboy | Sgt. Glen Dale, Charity Home Matron, TV Announcer #2 | Voice, 6 episodes | |
| 2001–02 | Jackie Chan Adventures | Tso Lan, Xiao Fung | Voice, 5 episodes | |
| 2001 | ER | Eldon | Episode: "Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic" | |
| 2002 | Time Squad | Man, King of Troy | Voice, episode: "Never Look A Trojan in the Gift Horse" | |
| 2003 | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | 'Look At This' Producer | Voice, episode: "Swirly" | |
| 2003–05 | Carnivàle | Val Templeton | 5 episodes | |
| 2004–05 | All Grown Up! | Santa, The Tree, Karl Bender | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| 2004 | The Batman | Arthur Brown / Cluemaster | Voice, episode: "Q&A" | [14] |
| 2005 | Xiaolin Showdown | Giant Spider | Voice, episode: "Dangerous Minds" | |
| Justice League Unlimited | Steven Mandragora | Voice, episode: "Double Date" | [14] | |
| 2005–06 | Teen Titans | Brain, Monsieur Mallah | Voice, 6 episodes | [14] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Demolition Man | Associate Bob | Archive footage from Demolition Man |
| 2004 | The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge | The Mayor of Halloween Town | |
| 2005 | Kingdom Hearts II | English | |
| 2007 | Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ | ||
| 2014 | Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix | Archival audio | |
| 2017 | Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix |
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