Shaun Cassidy

Shaun Paul Cassidy (born September 27, 1958) is an American singer, actor, writer and producer. He has created and/or produced a number of television series including American Gothic, Roar and Invasion. Cassidy was also an executive producer and writer for NBC's medical drama New Amsterdam.<ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

While in high school, Cassidy signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records, leading to his albums Shaun Cassidy, Born Late, Under Wraps, Room Service, and Wasp. Almost concurrently, Cassidy starred in the ABC television series The Hardy Boys Mysteries, as well as Breaking Away and had a stint on the daytime soap General Hospital.

While appearing on Broadway in the hit musical drama Blood Brothers, he wrote his first television pilot, American Gothic. In 2020, Cassidy returned to the stage with his one-man show The Magic of a Midnight Sky.<ref name="auto1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cassidy is the eldest son of Academy Award–winning actress Shirley Jones and Tony Award-winning actor Jack Cassidy.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> He is older brother of actor Patrick Cassidy, the younger half-brother of singer and actor David Cassidy and uncle of actress Katie Cassidy.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Verify source</ref>

Early life, family and education

Shaun Cassidy grew up in Los Angeles, California and New York City; he is the son of Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy. In addition to an elder half-brother, David Cassidy, he has two younger brothers, Patrick and Ryan Cassidy.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He attended boarding school in Bucks County, Pennsylvania at the Solebury School in Solebury Township, and graduated from Beverly Hills High School.

Career

Singer and recording artist

File:ShaunCassidy1978.jpg

Cassidy in 1978 for the Los Angeles Times

While still in high school, Cassidy signed a contract with Mike Curb's Curb Records division of Warner Bros. Records and began recording music. He scored a couple of hit singles in several countries, leading to an American release of his first solo album, Shaun Cassidy, in 1977. The multi-platinum album netted him a number-one U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single with "Da Doo Ron Ron" and a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 No. 3. His popularity continued with the concurrent arrival of his television series, The Hardy Boys Mysteries (1977–1979).

Cassidy's next album Born Late netted the hit "Hey Deanie" (#7), also written by Carmen, and a remake of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic?" became 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 million-seller Under Wraps, AM radio was in decline<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and his teen-star appeal had begun to fade. His next album, Room Service, failed to chart on the US Billboard 200. Cassidy tried a different musical approach for his final release, 1980's Wasp. This 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, Cassidy, and cover versions of songs including David Bowie's "Rebel, Rebel" and The Who's "So Sad About Us" among others.

Actor

File:Shaun Cassidy performing at the Ohio State Fair - DPLA - e8fcf30a105bde5c8634045f4e485028.jpg

Cassidy singing at the Ohio State Fair 25 August 1979

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 Drama-Logue Award for his work in Mark Sheriden's Diary of a Hunger Strike at the Los Angeles Theater Center, and he appeared opposite his half-brother David in the Broadway production of Blood Brothers (which successfully ran for over a year on Broadway, landing Cassidy on the cover of People magazine for the third time). 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.

Writer and producer

Since then, Cassidy has created, written, and produced numerous shows for network and cable including American Gothic (1995–1996, produced with Sam Raimi), Roar (1997, starring Heath Ledger), Cover Me (2000–2001), Invasion (2005–2006), Ruby & The Rockits (2009, starring his brothers Patrick and David) and New Amsterdam (2018–2023, starring Ryan Eggold) on NBC.<ref name="auto"/>

In 2021, Cassidy took his one-man show The Magic of a Midnight Sky to the stage, playing to standing-room-only crowds nationwide, his first live music performance in almost forty years.<ref name="auto1"/>

Personal life

Cassidy has been married three times and has seven children. He married Ann Pennington, a model and former Playboy playmate, in 1979 and divorced in 1993; they had two children together.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cassidy married actress Susan Diol in 1995 and divorced in 2003; they have one daughter.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Citation needed

In 2004, he married producer Tracey Lynne Turner; they have four children.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Discography

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

• Shaun Cassidy (1976)
• Born Late (1977)
• Under Wraps (1978)
• Room Service (1979)
• Wasp (1980)

Filmography

As actor

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976	Born of Water	Christopher Wentworth Hewlitt
1977–1979	The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries	Joe Hardy	Main cast (46 episodes)
1978	The Goldie Hawn Special	Himself	Television special
1979	Like Normal People	Roger Meyers	Television film
1980–1981	Breaking Away	Dave Stoller	Main cast (8 episodes)
1985	American Playhouse	Dave Dischinger	Episode: "Breakfast with Les and Bess"
1987	Murder, She Wrote	Chad Singer	Episode: "Murder in a Minor Key"
	General Hospital	Dusty Walker	11 episodes
1988	Once Upon a Texas Train	Cotton	Television film
	Matlock	Craig Gentry	2 episodes
	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Dale Thurston	Episode: "Hippocritic Oath"
	Roots: The Gift	Edmund Parker Jr.	Television film
1995	Your Studio and You	Himself	Short film

As writer and producer

Year	Title	Notes
1991	Strays	Television film, also co-producer
1994	Midnight Run for Your Life	Television film
1995	American Gothic	8 episodes, also supervising producer
1997	Roar	5 episodes, also creator and executive producer
	Players	Episode: "Con Job", also creator
1998	Hollyweird	Television pilot, also creator and executive producer
2000	Cover Me	9 episodes, also creator and executive producer
2001	The Agency	3 episodes, also executive producer
2003	Cold Case	Executive producer
2004	The Mountain	2 episodes, also executive producer
2005–2006	Invasion	12 episodes, also creator and executive producer
2008	Inseperable	Television pilot, also executive producer
2009	Ruby & the Rockits	2 episodes, also creator and executive producer
2011–2012	Blue Bloods	Consulting producer
2012	The Frontier	Executive producer
2014	Hysteria	Television pilot, also executive producer
2017	Emerald City	2 episodes, also executive producer
	Redlners	Television pilot, also executive producer
2018–2023	New Amsterdam	8 episodes, also executive producer
2022	Unbroken	Television pilot, also executive producer

External links

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