Biography
Actor Shane McRae's stage experience prepared him for work in features and on television, including supporting turns in "The Help" (2011) and in the main cast of the Bryan Cranston-produced "Sneaky Pete" (Amazon Video, 2015- ). Born July 23, 1977 in Gainesville, Florida, he relocated with his family to Starkville, Mississippi in 1987. There, he played soccer for Starkville High School, but also developed an interest in the high school stage productions. Over the next four years, he worked his way up from supporting to lead roles in productions of "Hello, Dolly!" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which convinced him to pursue acting as his major at Mississippi State University, where his father was the dean of the College of Architecture and Design. After a year with the school, McRae transferred to the theater department at the University of Evansville, which was followed by the master's program in Fine Arts at New York University. Between these scholastic pursuits, McRae made his acting debut in an episode of the CBS drama "Promised Land" (1996-1999), but his professional acting career would not kick off in earnest until 2004, when he landed a recurring role on "One Life to Life" (ABC/The Online, 1968-2012) and made his Broadway debut in "Take Me Out." In 2006, McRae earned his first series regular role on "Four Kings" (ABC, 2006), a sitcom about childhood friends that was created by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick of "Will & Grace" (NBC, 1998-2006, 2017- ) fame. Though the show was short-lived, McRae was soon working steadily on television series like "Gossip Girl" (The CW, 2007-2012) and in features, most notably as Raleigh Leefolt, father and combative husband to Elizabeth Leefolt (Ahna O'Reilly) in "The Help," and as Kate Bosworth's fiancé in "Still Alice" (2014). Between these efforts, McRae also enjoyed a recurring role as a murderous cult member on "The Following" (Fox, 2013-15) before joining the cast of "Sneaky Pete," playing the cop brother of Marin Ireland, the faux sister of con man Giovanni Ribisi.
