Shane West (born June 10, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his roles on the
television series
ER and Once and Again and in the film
A Walk to Remember. He is currently performing with
The Germs and has his own band called Jonny Was, and lives in L.A. His latest film,
The Stone House, has just been completed.
Biography
Early life
West was born as
Shannon Bruce Westgarth Snaith in
Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, the son of Catherine, a lawyer, and Don, a drugstore manager.
[Shane West Biography (1978-)] He has two sisters, Simone, and Marli Ann.
Career
West's first major role was in a 1999
television series,
Once and Again, playing Eli Sammler. West's film debut was in
Liberty Heights, director
Barry Levinson's film about a
Jewish family in
Baltimore. He also co-starred in the teen comedies
Whatever It Takes (2000) and
Get Over It (2001). West was subsequently cast opposite singer/actress
Mandy Moore in
2002's
A Walk to Remember, which was a box office success, grossing $41 million in the United States.
[A Walk to Remember (2002) - Box office / business] He also was in the Mandy Moore
music video Cry. In 2003, West appeared in
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and in 2004, he joined the cast of
NBC's long running medical television series,
ER as resident
Ray Barnett. West then left at the end of the 2007 season for Supreme Courtships, but the series was not picked up by the
Fox Network. He recently starred in the
independent film What We Do Is Secret, playing
Darby Crash, a member of the 1970s punk band
The Germs. The film is currently in theaters. Members of the band were impressed by West's performance and re-formed the band with West taking the deceased Crash's place. West has also fronted an original band, Jonny Was, who have frequented the LA scene. In West's absence the remaining members of the group have formed the dance rock quintet
Lunar Fiction. But a Jonny Was reunion may still be on the horizon. West has also recently completed filming three movies; The Stone House, The Gift and The Lodger. He is due to start filming Silver Cord with Val Kilmer in September 2008.
[www.monstersandcritics.com/movies/news/article_1414567.php] He recently confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that he will return to ER for a few episodes in the upcoming final season.
[ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/07/shane-west-retu.html]
