# Paul Shenar

Albert Paul Shenar (February 12, 1936 − October 11, 1989) was an American actor and theater director best known for his portrayals of Jenner in Don Bluth's The Secret of NIMH (1982) and Alejandro Sosa in Scarface (1983).
A veteran Broadway and Shakespearean actor, he was one of the twenty-seven founding members of the American Conservatory Theater.

## Early life

Shenar was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the second of four boys (one older brother John, two younger brothers Michael and Marc), born from Mary Rosella (née Puhek) and Eugene Joseph Shenar. He was of Polish and Slovene descent.

## Career

Shenar became involved in theater at an early age, working in Milwaukee playhouse productions. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. Following his military career he began acting again. Shenar gained attention playing larger-than-life entertainment legends in late 1970s television films—Orson Welles in The Night That Panicked America and Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., in Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women. He portrayed the character John Carrington in Part II of the miniseries Roots.
A founding member, actor, director and teacher of the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco, he played more than forty roles there, including Hamlet, Oedipus Rex and Brother Julian in Tiny Alice. In 1982, he portrayed Jenner, the main antagonist of Don Bluth's The Secret of NIMH; his performance in the film impressed Bluth so much that he wanted Shenar to also portray Space Ace's main antagonist, Commander Borf, but was unable to do so due to budget issues and the role ultimately went to Bluth himself.
In 1983, Shenar also portrayed Alejandro Sosa in Brian De Palma's Scarface and later portrayed Paulo Rocca in Raw Deal.
Shenar continued to act during the late 1980s. He did a stage version of Macbeth in Los Angeles and appeared in films like Best Seller (1987), The Bedroom Window (1987), The Big Blue (1988), plus the TV film Rage of Angels: The Story Continues.

## Personal life

Shenar was gay, and was romantically involved with the British actor Jeremy Brett during the 1970s; they were in a relationship that reportedly lasted from 1973 to 1978. After the couple separated, they remained close friends until Shenar's death in 1989.

## Death

In 1983, Shenar was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. He died from AIDS on October 11, 1989, at age 53. His remains were cremated and given to his executor, Thomas Wiley.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1978 | Lulu | Ludwig Schon | |
| 1982 | The End of August | Arobin | |
| 1982 | The Secret of NIMH | Jenner | Voice |
| 1983 | Deadly Force | Joshua Adams | |
| 1983 | Scarface | Alejandro Sosa | |
| 1986 | Dream Lover | Ben Gardner | |
| 1986 | Raw Deal | Paulo Rocca | |
| 1987 | The Bedroom Window | Collin Wentworth | |
| 1987 | Man on Fire | Ettore | |
| 1987 | Best Seller | David Madlock | |
| 1988 | The Big Blue | Dr. Laurence | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1973 | The ABC Afternoon Playbreak | Lieutenant Joe Moroni | Episode: "Alone with Terror" |
| 1974 | Columbo | Sergeant Young | Episode: "Publish or Perish" |
| 1974 | Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law | Blair | Episode: "House of Friends" |
| 1974 | Mannix | Johnny Sands | Episode: "The Dark Hours" |
| 1974 | Great Performances | De Guiche | Episode: "Cyrano de Bergerac" |
| 1974 | The Execution of Private Slovik | Crawford | TV movie |
| 1975 | Kojak | Arthur Harris | Episode: "Night of the Piraeus" |
| 1975 | Petrocelli | Archie LaSalle | Episode: "Death in Small Doses" |
| 1975 | The Invisible Man | Alexi Zartov | Episode: "Barnard Wants Out" |
| 1975 | Ellery Queen | Announcer Wendell Warren | Episode: "The Adventure of Miss Aggie's Farewell Performance" |
| 1975 | The Night That Panicked America | Orson Welles | TV movie |
| 1976, 1977 | Hawaii Five-O | Chadwick Todd Daniels | Episodes: "A Killer Grows Wings" "See How She Runs" |
| 1976 | The Keegans | Rudi Portinari | TV movie |
| 1976 | Gemini Man | Charles Edward Royce | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1976 | The Bionic Woman | Doctor Alan Cory | Episode: "The Ghosthunter" |
| 1976 | Wonder Woman | Lieutenant Wertz | Episodes: "The Feminum Mystique: Part 1" "The Feminum Mystique: Part 2" |
| 1977 | Roots | John Carrington | Episode: "Part II" |
| 1977 | The Hostage Heart | James Cardone | TV movie |
| 1977 | Young Dan'l Boone | Hammond | Episode: "The Pirate" |
| 1977 | Logan's Run | David Eakins | Episode: "Man Out of Time" |
| 1977 | The Mask of Alexander Cross | Alexander Cross | TV movie |
| 1978 | Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women | Florenz Ziegfeld | TV movie |
| 1978 | The Courage and the Passion | Nick Silcox | TV movie |
| 1978 | Suddenly, Love | Jack Graham | TV movie |
| 1979 | Family | Bob Gantry | Episode: "Moment of Truth" |
| 1980 | Hart to Hart | Michael Shillingford | Episode: "Night Horrors" |
| 1980 | Beulah Land | Roscoe Corlay | TV mini-series |
| 1983, 1985 | Dynasty | Jason Dehner Justin Dehner | Episodes: "The Search" "Samantha" "The Californians" |
| 1983 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | James Delano | Episode: "Service Above and Beyond" |
| 1984 | Paper Dolls | Jonathan Westfield | Episode: #1.1 |
| 1985 | Brass | Schuyler Ross | TV movie |
| 1985 | Spenser: For Hire | Matthew Lowington | Episode: "Discord in a Minor" |
| 1985 | Streets of Justice | J. Elliott Sloan | TV movie |
| 1985 | Best of the Football Follies | Narrator | TV movie |
| 1986 | Dark Mansions | Phillip Drake | TV movie |
| 1986 | Rage of Angels: The Story Continues | Jerry Worth | TV movie |
| 1987 | Time Out for Dad | Chase | TV movie |