Actor / Director Profile

William Shockley has amassed a unique body of work with an evocative edge. He won over audiences for six years as Hank Lawson, the moody saloonkeeper and brothel owner in CBS' highly regarded drama, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" (1993), starring Jane Seymour. As evidence to his character's popularity, Shockley was given a development deal by CBS and starred in his own series, a Dr. Quinn spin-off series, "California" (1997).Born in Lawrence, Kansas, Shockley was raised in a gypsy lifestyle, moving twenty times in nearly as many years. Settling in Texas, he attended the University of Texas in Austin and graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in Political Science.He moved to Dallas, Texas, and while studying and doing local theater, was signed by an agent and soon cast in director Paul Verhoeven's cult hit, RoboCop (1987), starring Peter Weller and Nancy Allen.Shockley arrived in Los Angeles the day the film opened in 1987 and has worked steadily ever since. Following a slew of episodic and movie-of-the-week roles, Shockley won a lead role in the feature film Howling V: The Rebirth (1989), and then appeared in 20th Century Fox's The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990) with Andrew Dice Clay, as well as Girl in the Cadillac (1995) and Street Asylum (1990).Having first worked with Paul Verhoeven on RoboCop (1987), Shockley had the opportunity to work with Verhoeven again on the controversial film, Showgirls (1995), with Gina Gershon and Elizabeth Berkley. Shockley played rock star Andrew Carver, described by British Premiere magazine as "a prince of darkness," and lauded by The New York Times as "breathtakingly crude."He also appeared in the Nicholas Kazan film, Dream Lover (1993), with James Spader and Mädchen Amick. Shockley's memorable performance was singled out by The New York Time's Janet Maslin as "scene stealing".In television, Shockley starred opposite Whoopi Goldberg in the CBS sitcom, "Bagdad Cafe" (1990), and then starred opposite Teri Garr in the critically acclaimed ABC series, "Good & Evil" (1991). Jackie Collins cast him back to back in two of her popular NBC mini-series, "Lucky Chances" (1990) with Nicollette Sheridan and Lady Boss (1992) (TV) with Kim Delaney. Shockley also starred with Janine Turner in the CBS telefilm Stolen Women, Captured Hearts (1997) (TV), playing General George Custer. Charleston's The Post & Courier wrote, "William Shockley threatens to steal this show with a convincing, condemning portrayal of that narcissistic scourge of the plains."Aside from acting, Shockley does extensive voice over work in television and radio advertising. He is currently the voice for the global AT&T campaign, and has voiced campaigns for Toyota, Siemens, Cisco Systems, Isuzu, Fruit of the Loom and XM Satellite Radio, to name a few. In the world of "on air" radio, Shockley hosted 52 weeks of The Road, a syndicated country music program airing in 200 cities. The program featured "live" country music concert tracks mixed with interviews with the artists. The Road was nominated by Billboard Magazine as "Best Syndicated Radio Program". Shockley is also a partner in "Cafe Josie", a restaurant in Austin, Texas, featuring cuisine of the American tropics. (cafejosie.com)For more information: williamshockley.com