Christopher Thornton (born March 29, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Kenny "Shammy" Shamberg in Magnum P.I., and has had numerous other film and television roles from 1990 to the present.
Early life and education Thornton was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father was an amateur opera singer who appeared in local theater. Thornton appeared in several plays while majoring in theater at the University of New Orleans, but quit college after two years to relocate to Los Angeles and train at the Stella Adler Academy.
Career Thornton made his first feature film appearance in the 1990 horror sequel Watchers II, playing a young man who gets his eyes gouged out by the mutant antagonist. Only two years later, at age 25, Thornton suffered an accident while rock climbing which fractured two vertebrae and left him paralyzed from the waist down. He returned to mostly theater roles for the remainder of the 1990s. In 2000, he was cast to play Hamlet at the Lillian Theater in Los Angeles. Believed to be the first actor to ever play the iconic Shakespeare character in a wheelchair, Thornton's performance won rave reviews.
Thornton has gone on to appear in numerous film and television roles. He has recurred in TV series such as Any Day Now, Rules of Engagement and Vice Principals, and had guest roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Alias, Brothers & Sisters, My Name Is Earl, Grey's Anatomy, and Will & Grace. From 2018 to 2024, he played recurring character Kenny "Shammy" Shamberg, a Marine veteran paralyzed during a tour of duty in Iraq, on the CBS reboot of Magnum P.I.
Thornton was both writer and lead actor for the 2010 film Sympathy for Delicious, playing disc jockey "Delicious" Dean O'Dwyer. The film was directed by close friend Mark Ruffalo, who also stars in it alongside Orlando Bloom, Laura Linney, and Juliette Lewis.
He will appear in the upcoming Netflix limited series adaptation All the Sinners Bleed, based on the S. A. Cosby novel of the same name.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1990 Watchers II Boy at Motel 1992 Valhalla Paul Reitnauer Lead Actor 1993 A Song for You Donny O’Brien Short film 2002 Bug Gary – Guy Hit by Car2005 Pretty Persuasion Emmett Friedman Hitched Gary TV movie 2010 Sympathy for Delicious "Delicious" Dean O’Dwyer Lead actor and writer 2017 Anything Ted Sachman
Television
Year Title Role Notes 1991 Homefront Bartender Episode: “Man, This Joint Is Jumping” 2000 Any Day Now Marty 3 episodes2001 Curb Your Enthusiasm Cliff Cobb Episode: “Trick or Treat” Alias Nevil 2 episodes2008 Unhitched Darren Episode: “Yorkshire Terrier Sucked Into the Internet” My Name Is Earl Brett Hansen Episode: "Killerball"2010 Brothers & Sisters Aaron Episode: "Time After Time: Part 2" Lie to Me Johnny Wheels Episode: "The Canary Song” 2013 Rules of Engagement Edward 3 episodes 2015 Battle Creek Mickey Long Episode: “The Hand-Off” 2016 Grey's Anatomy Daniel Campbell Episode: “Falling Slowly” 2017 Vice Principals Mr. Milner 5 episodes2018SpeechlessChrisEpisode: "N-o-Nominee"Santa Clarita Diet Kevin Episode: "Going Pre-med" 2018–2024 Magnum P.I. Kenny "Shammy" Shamberg Recurring role, 27 episodes 2020 Will & Grace Luke 2 episodes Broke Max Lefleur 2 episodes 2022– present The Lincoln Lawyer Sam Scales 8 episodes 2023 Class of '09 James Row Episode: "Orders Night" 2024 Presumed Innocent Jeremy Buck Episode: "The Elements" FBI: Most Wanted Elias Nelson Episode: "The Electric Company" 2026- The Pitt Dr. Caleb Jefferson Recurring role, 5 episodes 2026 Doc Troy Willis Episode: "Fare Well"Dispatcher Cam TrowderLimited series
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