Shaun Cassidy

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Shaun Paul Cassidy is an American writer, producer, actor, and singer. He is the eldest son of Academy Award-winning actress Shirley Jones, and the second son (his older half-brother is David Cassidy) of Tony Award-winning actor Jack Cassidy.^[1] He has created, written and produced a number of critically acclaimed television series, including American Gothic, Roar (with Heath Ledger in his American debut), and Invasion. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Cassidy worked as an actor and singer. He starred in two television series (The Hardy Boys Mysteries and Breaking Away), had a number of hit records, appeared on Broadway and in the West End of London, and played to SRO crowds at every major arena in the country. His last concert was at the Houston Astrodome in 1980. Since the mid-1990s, Cassidy has worked exclusively as a writer/producer in television.

Career

While still in high school, Cassidy signed a contract with Mike Curb's division of Warner Bros. Records and began recording music. His debut album Shaun Cassidy was initially released in Europe and Australia in 1976, and he scored a couple of hit singles in several countries. That lead to an American release of that album in 1977. The multi-platinum album netted Cassidy a No. 1 US single with "Da Doo Ron Ron" and a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.^{[2] [3]} The Eric Carmen penned "That's Rock 'n' Roll" (which had already been a hit in Australia and Europe) was the follow-up single and peaked at number three. Cassidy's popularity continued with the 1977 arrival of his television series, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, which also starred Parker Stevenson.

Cassidy's next album "Born Late" peaked at No. 6 on the US Top 200 Albums chart and netted the hit "Hey Deanie" (US No. 7), also written by Carmen. His label ran the same formula as before by releasing a remake of a previous hit as the second single; this time with The Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic?". It would become a moderate hit for Cassidy, peaking at No. 31.

Cassidy had released two successful albums, but by the release of his third album, 1978's Under Wraps, his teen-star appeal had begun to fade. The album just managed to crack the US top 40, peaking at No. 33, and it produced a minor hit in the song "Our Night" (US No. 80). Cassidy's 1979 album Room Service was also not successful and it failed to appear on the US Top 200 Album chart. Cassidy tried a different musical approach for his next release, 1980's Wasp. The album was more rock/pop-oriented and produced by Todd Rundgren with the group Utopia as the backing band. It featured songs written by Rundgren, and cover versions including David Bowie's "Rebel, Rebel" and The Who's "So Sad About Us" among others. The album, however, was not successful and became Cassidy's second album not to chart on the Billboard Album Chart.

Cassidy concentrated on stage acting for most of the 1980s and early 1990s. He appeared on Broadway and West End productions such as Mass Appeal and Bus Stop, as well as the American premiere of Pass/Fail at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Cassidy won a Dramalogue award for his work in Mark Sheridenʼs Diary of a Hunger Strike at the L.A.T.C., and his final stage appearance was opposite his half-brother David in the Broadway production of Blood Brothers (which successfully ran for over a year on Broadway). It was during this production that Cassidy wrote his first television pilot, American Gothic, opening the door to a long-term contract with Universal Television.

From the late 1990s, Cassidy created, wrote, and/or produced numerous shows for network and cable including American Gothic (with Sam Raimi), Roar (starring Heath Ledger), Cold Case, Cover Me, The Agency (with Wolfgang Peterson), Invasion and Ruby & The Rockits.^[4] Cassidy currently has projects in development for the 2012–13 season, including writer for NBC's The Frontier.^{[5][6] [7]}

Personal life

Shaun Cassidy grew up in Los Angeles and New York City, attending boarding school in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and graduating from Beverly Hills High School. In addition to an elder half-brother, David Cassidy, he has two younger brothers: Patrick and Ryan Cassidy.^[8]

In December 1979, Cassidy married Ann Pennigton.^[9][10][11] They had two children together, Jake (born February 27, 1985) and Caitlin (born November 25, 1981), and divorced in approximately 1992.^{[citation needed]}. In 1995, Cassidy married Susan Diol. They have one daughter, Juliet (born March 19, 1998). They divorced in 2003.^[12]

Since 2004, Cassidy has been married to producer Tracey Lynne Turner. They have four children: Caleb (born March 3, 2005), Roan (born September 23, 2006), Lila (born December 13, 2008), and Mairin (born June 25, 2011). The Cassidys make their home on a ranch outside Los Angeles.^[13]

Discography

Solo albums

• 1977: Shaun Cassidy
• 1977: Born Late
• 1978: Under Wraps
• 1979: Room Service
• 1979: That's Rock 'N' Roll Live
• 1980: Wasp
• 1993: Greatest Hits

Soundtracks

• 1976: Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway (TV)

Broadway Cast Albums

• 1995: Blood Brothers

Singles

• 1977: "Da Doo Ron Ron" (US #1)
• 1977: "That's Rock 'n' Roll" (US #3)
• 1978: "Hey Deanie" (US #7)
• 1978: "Do You Believe in Magic?" (US #31)
• 1978: "Teen Dream"
• 1978: "Our Night" (US #80)
• 1989: "Memory Girl" (Germany only release)

Filmography

Actor

• 1976: Born of Water
• 1977–79: The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (nominated for TV Land Award)
• 1979: Like Normal People (TV) (nominated for Young Artist Award)
• 1980–81: Breaking Away
• 1985: Breakfast With Les & Bess (TV)
• 1987: General Hospital
• 1987: Murder She Wrote episode: "Murder in a Minor Key"
• 1987: Once Upon a Texas Train
• 1988: Matlock episode: "The Investigation"
• 1988: Roots: The Gift (TV)

Writer

• 1991: Strays
• 1994: Midnight Run for Your Life (TV)
• 1995: American Gothic (2 episodes) (creator)
• 1997: Roar (3 episodes) (creator)
• 1997: Players (TV series)
• 1998: Hollyweird (TV) (creator)
• 2000: Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family (episode: "Just Act Normal")
• 2001: The Agency (3 episodes)
• 2004: The Mountain (2 episodes)
• 2005–06: Invasion (16 episodes) (creator)
• 2008: Inseparable (TV series) (creator)
• 2009: Ruby & The Rockits (10 episodes) (creator)
• 2011: Blue Bloods (episode: "Thanksgiving")

Producer

• 1995: American Gothic (3 episodes)
• 1997: Roar (3 episodes)
• 1998: Hollyweird
• 2000–01: Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family (TV series)
• 2001–03: The Agency (4 episodes)
• 2003: Cold Case (3 episodes)
• 2004–05: The Mountain (3 episodes)
• 2005–06: Invasion (TV series)
• 2008: Inseparable (TV series)
• 2009: Ruby & The Rockits (3 episodes)
• 2011: Blue Bloods (consulting producer) (6 episodes)

Director

• 2000: Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family (TV series)

References

External links

• Shaun Cassidy at the Internet Movie Database
• Shaun Cassidy at the Internet Broadway Database