Shaun Cassidy Biography

Shaun Paul Cassidy (born September 27, 1958) is an American television producer/creator, screenwriter, actor, and former singer. He is the eldest son of Academy Award-winning actress Shirley Jones and Tony Award-winning actor Jack Cassidy. He has two younger brothers, Patrick and Ryan. His older half-brother is singer David Cassidy.

In the late-1970s, Cassidy was a popular singer and actor. He starred in two television series (The Hardy Boys Mysteries and Breaking Away), had a number of hit records, and did numerous arena tours nationwide. In the 1980s, he acted on stage on Broadway and in the West End of London. Since the mid-1990s, Cassidy has worked exclusively as a writer/producer in television, creating a number of critically acclaimed television series, including American Gothic, Roar (with Heath Ledger in his American debut), and Invasion.

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 led to an American release of that album in 1977. The multi-platinum album netted Cassidy a No. 1 U.S. single with "Da Doo Ron Ron" and a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist. 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 concurrent 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 Sheriden's 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 Petersen), Invasion, Ruby & The Rockits, and Blue Bloods. Cassidy has a number of projects in development.

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, he has two younger brothers, Patrick and Ryan Cassidy. In December 1979, Cassidy married Ann Pennington.

Alongside his parents, and half-brother David, Cassidy was represented by former table tennis champion Ruth Aarons, who came from a theatrical family and found her niche later in life as a talent manager. Aarons is responsible for the successful launch of his career in 1977, and managed him during his formative years as a teen idol and musician.

Since 2004, Cassidy has been married to producer Tracey Lynne Turner. They have four children: Caleb (born 2005), Roan (born 2006), Lila (born 2008), and Mairin (born 2011). Cassidy has three older children as well: Juliet (born 1998), Jake (born 1985), and Caitlin (born 1981).

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

Chart singles

Year	Title	US Billboard	US Cash Box	WLS Chicago	CAN	UK
1977	"Da Doo Ron Ron"	1	1	1	1
	"That's Rock 'n' Roll"	3	4	1	1
	"Hey Deanie"	7	21	6	23
1978	"Do You Believe in Magic"	31	37	22	39
	"Our Night"	80
1989	"Memory Girl" (*)	-	-	-	-

(*) denotes 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")
• 2012: The Frontier (creator)

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)
• 2012: The Frontier (TV series)

Director

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