Background
Shenar was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Mary Rosella (née Puhek) and Eugene Joseph Shenar.
Shenar was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Mary Rosella (née Puhek) and Eugene Joseph Shenar.
Shenar became involved in theatre 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 1970s television films—Orson Welles in The Night That Panicked America (1975) and Florenz Ziegfeld, Junior., in Ziegfeld: The Manitoba and His Women (1978).
He portrayed the character John Carrington in Participant III of the miniseries Roots (1977). Shenar also portrayed the ruthless Bolivian drug lord Alejandro Sosa in Brian De Palma"s 1983 feature film, Scarface.
He voiced the evil rat Jenner in the animated feature The Secret of National Institute of Mental Health (1982). Shenar continued to act during the 1980s.
He did a stage version of Macbeth in Los Angeles and appeared in films like Best Seller, The Bedroom Window, The Big Blue and Raw Deal, plus the television film Rage of Angels: The Story Continues.
He died from complications of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome on October 11, 1989. Shenar and British actor Jeremy Brett were in a relationship in the 1970s. lieutenant reportedly lasted five years.