Shannon Kenny Carbonell grew up in Sydney, Australia, and moved to the US at age 18 to study acting. After earning a BFA in Theater from The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), she worked in regional theater, where she had the privilege of playing some classic roles like Nina in The Seagull, Julie in Miss Julie, and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
She then transitioned into television guest star roles, one of her favorites being Katrina Banks on HBO’s Dream On— a parody of Courtney Love—where she got to shoot heroin between her toes, sing in a music video with Brian Benben, and (being the excitable girl she was) experience the thrill of meeting Warren Zevon. Her other favorite guest star role was playing Allison, George’s girlfriend, on NBC’s Seinfeld; it was her favorite because, well . . . it was Seinfeld.
Shannon was cast in series regular roles on TV shows and, if she fails to rank the show, Muscle, as her best experience, she’d risk offending her wonderful husband Nestor; it was on this show that the two of them defied producers’ orders not to date other cast members. Shannon also played leads in TV movies and mini-series, working opposite acting legends like James Garner and Sam Shepard.
Additionally, she voiced scores of cartoon characters. One of Shannon’s most memorable offers came by way of the animated series, The Wild Thornberrys, where she was cast specifically because of her Australian accent. Upon arriving at the sound stage, Shannon discovered that her role would simply involve her barking like a dog—albeit an Australian dingo.
Shannon lives in Los Angeles with her husband Nestor, their two sons Rafa and Marco, and their dog Donna Borrelli Carbonell.
All in Not LOST is her first book.
