Craig Ricci Shaynak

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Craig Ricci Shaynak (July 14, 1969 in Northport, New York), sometimes credited as Craig Shaynak is a character actor based in Los Angeles, CA. He has been active in Chicago theatre and more recently, national television and film.

Mr. Shaynak graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Medieval Drama in 1991 (see uchicago.edu alumni) and is one of a few American students of Medieval Pageant Plays. Under the tutelage of David Bevington, reknowned Shakespeare scholar, he produced Everyman, the 16th Century morality play, as well as The Second Shepherd's Play in the original Middle English. In fact, Mr. Shaynak's first professional theatre production after university was to be the dramaturg for a production of The Mystery Cycle, an American adaptation of a British modernization of the Wakefield Cycle, but instead became his first professional acting experience. The adaptation was done by Nicholas Rudall, at the time, Artistic Director of the Court Theatre, and Bernard Sahlins, one of the founders of Second City and SCTV.

Mr. Shaynak's latest film is Harsh Times, written by David Ayer and starring Christian Bale, Freddy Rodriguez and Eva Longoria. His voice can be heard in the upcoming animated feature Happy Feet starring Robin Williams as well as the biblical epic, One Night With the King starring Peter O'Toole, John Rhys-Davies, and Omar Sharif.

His last live performance was in Fat, Bald & Loud at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Craig also works often with Vern Urich in plays written by author David Mamet (American Buffalo, Glengarry Glen Ross, Speed-The-Plow)

Craig has started a production company called Kingswell Productions named for the street on which he lives, coincidentally, the same street upon which Walt Disney had his first studio. (citation needed)