Wallace Shawn
Born: November 12 1943
Where: New York, USA
The writer and actor is known for playing nervy characters in movies including Prick Up Your Ears and the Princess Bride.
The son of longtime New Yorker editor William Shawn, he made his stage debut in 1977 in a self-translated production of Machiavelli's The Mandrake.
He broke into films two years later with supporting roles in Bob Fosse's All That Jazz and Woody Allen's Manhattan.
Shawn would go on to work with Allen in Radio Days and Curse of the Jade Scorpion and also voiced Disney hits including Toy Story (Rex the Dinosaur) and Monsters Inc.
A gifted writer, he also co-wrote the autobiographical script for My Dinner With Andrew with co-star Andre Gregory.
Notable appearances include The Bostonians, The Hotel New Hampshire, The Bedroom Window, The Moderns and She's Out Of Control.
Recent work includes the crime comedy Duplex with Ben Stiller and the Disney comedy Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy.
His cameo role in Woody Allen's Melinda & Melinda was very memorable, thanks in part to some very rich dialogue: "He's despondant, he's desperate, he's suicidal. All the comedy elements are in place!"
