| Shea Whigham | |
|---|---|
| Born | Franklin Shea Whigham, Jr. January 5, 1969 Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1997–present |
Franklin Shea Whigham, Jr. (born January 5, 1969), best known as Shea Whigham, is an American actor notably starring as Elias "Eli" Thompson on the HBO dramatic series Boardwalk Empire.
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Whigham was born in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1969 to attorney Frank and school librarian Beth, moving to Lake Mary when he was five years old.[1][2] He attended Tyler Junior College (Tyler, Texas) and after completing studies there, transferred to the State University of New York at Purchase, where he was part of a small acting program with only 31 students and a graduating class of eight seniors.[3] After graduating, he co-founded New York City theatre troupe The Rorschach Group with his college roommate Kirk Acevedo; he was actor and artistic director with the troupe for three years.[4]
Whigham appeared in one 1997 episode of the television series Ghost Stories before he received a starring role in the 2000 film Tigerland, alongside Colin Farrell and future Boardwalk Empire co-star Michael Shannon.[3] He went on to appear in the television movies Submerged, R.U.S./H. and Paradise before acting in the 2003 film All the Real Girls.[1] Between 2004 and 2006, he was credited in the Japanese film Out of This World, the drama television series Medical Investigation, the films Water and Man of the House, the television movie Faith of My Fathers, and the films Lords of Dogtown, Psychic Driving and South of Heaven.
He appeared in Pride and Glory, with Colin Farrell again, and co-starred in the horror film Splinter, the thriller Creek, and the science fiction film Radio Free Albemuth.[2]
Whigham has a regular role on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. He portrays Elias "Eli" Thompson, sheriff of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and brother of the main character Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi).