Shane Connor (born 3 April 1959) also billed/credited as Shane Feeney-Connor, is an Australian actor, who has had extensive experience in stage, television and film productions, both locally and internationally in the United Kingdom and United States. He is probably best known for his role in TV serial Neighbours as patriarch Joe Scully.
Early life Connor was born in Woodville, South Australia in April 1959 and graduated from University of Melbourne drama division the Victorian College of the Arts in the early 1980s. He worked steadily in film, theatre and television for many years.
Career Connor's television credits include the Channel Seven series Fire, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation drama Heartland, the miniseries The Harp in the South and Poor Man's Orange and Halifax f.p. (1998). He appeared in the USA television network miniseries Moby Dick as Flask.
Connor also played guest roles in Australian soap operas: He played Kevin, husband of Cheryll (Lisa Aldenhoven), in the women's prison drama serial Prisoner. Then in 1986 he returned to the series in the recurring role of biker Bongo Connors, the brother of Glenda Linscott's character, Rita Connors. He later appeared in its re-imagined series Wentworth on Foxtel. playing the partner of Leah Purcell's updated version of the very same character. Connor had a brief role as another biker, Angel, in another soap opera Sons and Daughters, in 1986.
Awards include the 1984 Penguin Award for Best Actor and the 1995 Green Room Award for Outstanding Fringe Performer. He also received a nomination for the 1998 AFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama (for Halifax f.p.).
Neighbours In July 1999, Connor joined the cast of Neighbours and began filming the ongoing role Joe Scully of builder and family patriarch, with his first scene's going on air in October. The show's producers invited him to audition for the role, and he decided to accept when he found out that he would be working with actress Janet Andrewartha, who plays Joe's on-screen wife Lyn Scully. Connor had previously played a guest role in the series as character Phil Hoffman debuting on-screen on 26 March and appearing until 16 April 1991. Joe Scully gave Connor the chance to play a character who was not a "bad guy, a confrontational type, a man on the verge". Connor was initially contracted with Neighbours for three years, with 12-month renewal options.
Connor was fired from the series in September 2003, several months after receiving a written warning from producers and overcoming an amphetamine habit. There had been ongoing hostility between him and Andrewartha; who had been the source of the vast majority of complaints about him. He sued the show's producer, Grundy Television, for wrongful termination of his contract, seeking about $200,000.
The court hearing heard that he had an amphetamine drug habit while performing on the show. Connor's older brother died in June 2001 and he had been badly affected by this, leading to the drug habit. Members of the cast and crew had complained about his behaviour at work. This included alleged aggressive behaviour and lateness that delayed production. After being confronted about his problem, he met with the cast in May 2003 and admitted the problem and apologised. Connor won the case and was awarded by the Supreme Court of Victoria over $230,000 in libel damages.
After Neighbours Connor worked in the United Kingdom in pantomime. He also appeared as a guest in reality TV show The Salon and Killing Time.
Connor later guested in Nine Network's House Husbands. He joined the cast of Wentworth in a recurring role in 2018, followed by a recurring role in 2022 miniseries The Twelve.
Personal life Connor was married to his first wife Karen from 1987 to 1992.
Connor married fellow actor Nell Feeney in July 1994. They met when he guested in TV series Phoenix, in which Feeney was starring. Feeney gave birth to their twins, a son and a daughter, in 1995. They couple divorced in 1997.
Connor also has another daughter.
Filmography
Film Title Year Role Type 1984 Street Hero Yokel's Mate Feature film 1984 Every Move She Makes Tony TV movie 1985 Rooted TV movie 1985 Emerging McNair TV movie 1986 Army Wives Grant TV movie 1988 Tender Hooks Wayne Feature film 1988 Breaking Loose: Summer City II Sampson Film 1989 Action Replay Film 1995 Rainbow's End Detective Sergeant George O'Brien TV movie 2008 Playing for Charlie Joe Ruddock 2013 Wolf Creek 2 Senior Sergeant Gary Bulmer Jnr. Feature film 2013 Man Sam Flanagan Short film 2013 Touch Carl Feature film 2016 The Manny Dad TV movie 2021 OMG Dad Short film
Television Title Year Role Type 1981 Cop Shop Gardener No. 1 TV series, season 1, episode 339 1983; 1984 Carson's Law Clerk / Joe / Gil Bishop / Albert Rudge TV series, 6 episodes 1983; 1984; 1986 Prisoner Kevin Armstrong / Maintenance Squad Man / Brian 'Bongo' Connors TV series, 16 episodes 1987 The Harp in the South Charlie Rothe TV miniseries, 3 episodes 1987 Poor Man's Orange Charlie Rothe TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1987 Sons and Daughters Angel Jones TV series, 5 episodes 1987; 1991 The Flying Doctors Rick/Ross Becher TV series, 2 episodes 1984; 1989; 1991 A Country Practice Peter Neal / Barry Hamilton / Colin Scott TV series, 6 episodes 1991 Neighbours Phil Hoffman TV series, 5 episodes 1992 Phoenix Manny TV series, season 1, episode 7: "Old Rules, New Games" 1992 Police Rescue Geoff TV series, season 3, episode 13: "Heartbeat" 1994 Heartland Ben Lovell TV miniseries, 3 episodes 1993–1994 Law of the Land Harry Miles TV series, 26 episodes 1994 Sky Trackers Sergeant Blake TV series, 2 episodes 1995 Fire David 'Giraffe' Simpson TV series, 13 episodes 1995 Snowy River: The McGregor Saga Tyler Morgan TV series, 2 episodes 1996 The Bite Thompson TV miniseries 1997 Good Guys, Bad Guys Bianco TV series, 2 episodes 1997 Halifax f.p. Ray TV series, season 3, episode 3: "Afraid of the Dark" 1998 Raw FM Digger TV series, season 1, episode 13: "One" 1998 Blue Heelers Danny Hobson TV series, 2 episodes 1998 Moby Dick Mr. Flask TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1998 Wildside Terry Young TV series, 2 episodes 1999 Stingers Terry Collis TV series, 2 episodes 1999–2004 Neighbours Joe Scully TV series, 392 episodes 2004 The Salon Himself TV series 2005 Twisted Tales Ben Kettle TV series, season 1, episode 10: "Cursed House" 2008 Mark Loves Sharon Roy Wary TV series, 2 episodes 2009 Dirt Game Max Mees TV miniseries, 6 episodes 2009–2010 Satisfaction Karl TV series, 6 episodes 2007; 2011 City Homicide Gareth Nunn / Philip Carter TV series, 2 episodes 2011 Killing Time Detective Sergeant Wayne Strawhorn TV miniseries, 4 episodes 2015 House Husbands Farmer Todd TV series, 2 episodes 2018–2019 Wentworth Ray Houser TV series, 6 episodes 2022 The Twelve Steve Dokic TV series, 5 episodes
Theatre Title Year Role Type 1985 The Doll Trilogy Johnny Dowd Melbourne Athenaeum with MTC, Sydney Opera House with STC 1988 Backbeat Dan / Terry / Stan Stables Theatre, Sydney with Griffin Theatre Company 1988 And The Big Men Fly Achilles Jones Russell Street Theatre with MTC 1989 Kid Stakes Roo Playhouse, Newcastle, with Hunter Valley Theatre Company 1989–90 Byzantine Flowers Eddie STC 1990 This Old Man Comes Rolling Home George Russell Street Theatre with MTC 1991 Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Featured Seymour Centre, Sydney 1992 Coast Mongrels Paulor Playhouse, Newcastle with Hunter Valley Theatre Company 1995 Nil, Cat & Buried Cat Carlton Courthouse with La Mama, Melbourne 1995 The Snake Pit La Mama, Melbourne 1996 The Shifting Heart Clarry Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA 1997 Gary's House Gary Playbox Theatre, Melbourne 1999 Wonderful Ward Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2004 Anyone for Breakfast Gilbert UK tour 2012 The New Black Rupert Arts Centre Melbourne Fool for Love Eddie Canberra Theatre The Harp in the South Various roles STC The Custodians
Awards Year Work Award Category Result 1984 Shane Connor Penguin Award Best Actor 1987 Army Wives AFI Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Telefeature 1988 Poor Man's Orange AACTA Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries 1995 Shane Connor Green Room Award Outstanding Fringe Performer 1998 Halifax f.p. AFI Award Showtime Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama 1998 Afraid of the Dark AFI Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama
References
External links
Connor v Grundy Television Pty Ltd 2005 VSC 466