Albert Paul Shenar (February 12, 1936 − October 11, 1989) was an American actor. A veteran Broadway and Shakespearean actor, he was one of the 27 founding members of the American Conservatory Theater. To film audiences, he was best known for his portrayals of Jenner in Don Bluth's The Secret of NIMH (1982) and drug lord Alejandro Sosa in Scarface (1983).
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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. He made his Broadway debut in a 1963 production of Six Characters in Search of an Author.
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. In 1978, he starred in an avant-garde film adaptation of Frank Wedekind's Lulu, directed by Ronald Chase.
A founding member, actor, director and teacher of the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco, he played more than 40 roles there, including Hamlet, Oedipus Rex and Brother Julian in Tiny Alice.
In 1982, he provided the voice of 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 portrayed Alejandro Sosa, the main antagonist of in Brian De Palma's Scarface. Despite the initially-mixed critical reception of the film, Shenar's performance of the Bolivian drug lord was widely well-received. Complex ranked Sosa as 27th in its list of 50 best villains in movie history.
Shenar continued to act during the late 1980s, including as supporting villain Paulo Rocca in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film Raw Deal (1986). He had a recurring guest spot as twin brothers Jason and Justin Dehner on the primetime soap opera Dynasty. He did a stage version of Macbeth in Los Angeles and appeared in films like Best Seller, Man on Fire, and The Bedroom Window (all 1987). His last film role was in Luc Besson's The Big Blue (1988).
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.
Illness and death
In 1983, Shenar was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. He died from AIDS in West Hollywood on October 11, 1989, at age 53. His remains were cremated and given to his executor, Thomas Wiley.