Education
Shane Connor graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in the early 1980s.
Shane Connor graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in the early 1980s.
He worked steadily in film, theatre and television for many years. His television credits include the Channel Seven series Fire, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation drama Heartland and the miniseries The Harp in the South and Poor Manitoba"s Orange. Awards include the 1984 Penguin Award for best actor, 1995 Green Room Award for outstanding fringe performer and a nomination for the 1998 American Film Institute Award for best actor in a leading role in a television drama.
Connor also played guest roles in Australian soap operas: He played a guest role of Kevin, husband of Cheryll (Lisa Aldenhoven), in the women"s prison drama serial Prisoner.
Then in 1986 he returned to the series in the recurring role of biker Bongo Connors. He appeared in United States of America television miniseries Moby Dick as Flask.
Connor later played the key ongoing role of builder Joe Scully in starting in 1999. Eight years previously (in 1991) he had played a one-off character called Philosophy Hoffman in episode #1.1410.
Connor was fired from the series after four years in the role.
He sued the show"s producer, Grundy Television, for wrongful termination of his contract, seeking about $200,000. The court hearing heard that he had an amphetamine drug habit while performing on the show. Connor"s older brother died in June 2001 and he had been badly affected by this, leading to the drug habit.
This included alleged aggressive behaviour and lateness that delayed production.
After being confronted about his problem he met with the cast in May 2003 and admitted the problem and apologised. He was sacked from the series in September 2003, several months after receiving a written warning from producers and overcoming his amphetamine habit.
In the show"s storyline his character Joe Scully was said to have left to work on a relative"s farm. These were said to be temporary plans, but Joe never returned.
Lyn subsequently had a relationship with another Joe, the returning Joe Mangel (Mark Little).
Connor worked in the United Kingdom in pantomime. He also appeared as a guest in reality television show The Salon. In 2008 Shane got a supporting role in the coming of age Playing Foreign Charlie filmed in Melbourne.
In 2013, Shane appeared as an outback Policeman in Wolf Creek 2.
Members of the cast and crew had complained about his behaviour at work.