Kent Shocknek
Kent Shocknek | |
|---|---|
| File:-Users-kentschoknecht-Desktop-A1 copy.jpg | |
| Born | December 2, 1963 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California (B.A.) |
| Occupation(s) | Broadcaster, actor |
Kent Shocknek (born December 2) is an American television and film personality who branched into acting toward the end of a lengthy career as a television newsman. Because of the length of his journalism career, the duration of his broadcasts, and breaking news events, by the time of his retirement from news, he is credited with having logged more hours as an anchor than anyone else in Los Angeles.[1] The city has designated two separate days "Kent Shocknek Day" in his honor. Before anchoring prime-time newscasts on CBS-TV owned stations CBS2 and KCAL9, Shocknek was Southern California's first and longest-running television news morning news anchor.[1] Because of his recognizability, he has been sought out to appear in dozens of feature films and television dramas – often as a newscaster or commentator – giving rise to a popular second career that continues currently.[2] On radio, Shocknek has narrated a daily commentary in Los Angeles, and has hosted a nationally syndicated entertainment program. TV viewers and magazine readers also recognize him as a reporter and authority on automotive issues.[1]
Life and career
Born Kent Schoknecht in Berkeley, California, he simplified the on-air spelling of his name upon arrival to Los Angeles television in 1983. After working at the Long Beach Press Telegram while attending the University of Southern California, Shocknek's first TV reporting job was in Sioux City, Iowa (KCAU-TV), followed by a three-year stint as anchor and Space Shuttle reporter in Orlando, Florida (WFTV).[3]
In 1986, Shocknek anchored the start-up of L.A.'s first TV morning news program, Today in LA on KNBC-TV. Over the years, he broadcast—often single-handedly—such marathon events as the Los Angeles riots, O.J. Simpson murder trial, and numerous natural disasters.
Shocknek first made national news headlines anchoring the 1986 launch and explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger; and a strong aftershock to the deadly 5.9 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake. The threat of falling studio lights forced Shocknek to take cover under his set's anchor desk for several seconds as he continued reporting about the ground- and studio movement.[4][5]
After helming the consistently top-rated KNBC program for 15 years, Shocknek moved to morning newscasts at KCBS-TV (CBS2 in Los Angeles) in 2001. There, L.A. Confidential magazine named him one of L.A.'s top three anchors. He anchored live the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, and subsequently reported live on the War in Iraq, Michael Jackson's funeral, presidential inaugurations; plus Southern California's seasonal wildfires and frequent high-speed freeway chases.[1] In November 2013, Shocknek and his morning coanchor Suzie Suh moved to prime-time spots on Los Angeles CBS TV-owned station KCAL9, anchoring #1-rated newscasts, "KCAL9 News at 8 and 10 pm." In a move that surprised viewers, he retired from newscasting in late 2014. Shocknek's final newscast – including a 10-minute career retrospective and farewell video featuring L.A. newsmakers and Hollywood celebrities – aired September 26, 2014.[6][7][8] Various local governments and agencies, including the City and County of Los Angeles, as well as the State of California, have honored him for his work.
Shortly after Shocknek retired from news anchoring, the short film "The 6 O'Clock" premiered online, starring Shocknek as the male lead in the role of a highly focused individual. He has acted in major Hollywood film productions, working for directors Steven Spielberg, Adam McKay in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Barry Levinson, and Justin Lin, among others. In television, Shocknek has marked more than a dozen appearances as newsman "Guy Ross" in the crime procedural drama NCIS and its spin-off series, NCIS: Los Angeles. He also has held recurring roles in Criminal Minds, and the Amazon series, Bosch.
Shocknek's voice is almost as well known as his image; he began writing and delivering the 60-second daily radio commentary Just A Minute with Kent Shocknek on CBS all-news radio station KNX-1070 AM in Los Angeles, in 2003.[1] Later, he launched Premiere Magazine Live!, a weekly national radio show about movies, in approximately 50 markets countrywide,[1] with his wife Karen, using the on-air surname Walters, working as co-host.[3]
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1985 | A View to a Kill | Fisherman | Uncredited |
| 2004 | Envy | Newscaster | |
| The Terminal | Newscaster | Uncredited | |
| Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy | Network Reporter | ||
| First Daughter | Contentious Reporter | ||
| Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie | Network Reporter | Direct-to-video | |
| 2005 | xXx: State of the Union | Newscaster | |
| 2007 | Primeval | Newscaster | |
| Disturbia | News Anchor | ||
| 2008 | Superhero Movie | News Anchor | |
| Winged Creatures | Hospital Reporter | Originally titled Fragments Was released on DVD as Winged Creatures | |
| Eagle Eye | Newscaster | ||
| Parasomnia | Himself | ||
| 2010 | Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy | Battlenizer | Voice |
| The Company Men | Rittenour | ||
| The Chosen One | Newscaster | ||
| 2011 | Fast Five | News Anchor | |
| 2012 | Brake | News Anchor Jack Stern | |
| Ultraman Saga | Capt. Hibiki | Voice | |
| The Amazing Spider-Man | TV Newscaster | Uncredited | |
| 2013 | Jobs | 1980s Newscaster | |
| 2014 | The Six O'Clock | Man | Short film |
| Nightcrawler | Himself | ||
| 2015 | The Vatican Tapes | TV Interviewer | Uncredited |
| 2016 | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | Himself | |
| 2018 | Speeeed Dating | Man No. 4 | Short film |
| 2019 | Lucy in the Sky | Himself | Also known as Pale Blue Dot |
| Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon | TV New Anchor | ||
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | Blossom | Himself | Season 4 episode 14: "Big Doings: Part 2" |
| 2004–2019 | NCIS | Guy Ross/Male Reporter | 10 episodes |
| 2005 | The West Wing | Anchorman | Season 6 episode 20: "In God We Trust" |
| 2005–2013 | Criminal Minds | News Reporter/News Anchor Kent/Reporter John Jenkins | 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Commander in Chief | News Anchor Ben/News Anchor | Season 1 episode 11: "No Nukes Is Good Nukes" and season 1 episode 16: The Elephant in the Room |
| 2006–2008 | Shark | Newscaster/TV Reporter/Reporter | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | Monk | TV Reporter | Season 6 episode 12: "Mr. Monk Goes to the Bank" |
| ER | News Reporter | Season 14 episode 17: "Under Pressure" | |
| Grave Misconduct | TV Reporter | TV movie | |
| Dirty Sexy Money | Channel 10 Reporter | Season 2 episode 12: ""The Family Lawyer" | |
| The Unit | TV Newscaster | Season 4 episode 1: "Into Hell: Part One" | |
| The Sarah Silverman Program | TV Reporter/Anchor | Season 2 episode 10: "Patriot Tact" and season 2 episode 16: "Vow Wow" | |
| 2009 | Meteor | WNN Overnight Anchor/Anchorman | Episodes: #1.1 and #1.2 |
| Washington Field | David Sumner | TV movie | |
| FlashForward | Hansen/Medical Correspondent | 4 episodes | |
| Medium | Newscaster | Season 6 episode 10: "You Give Me Fever" | |
| 2009–2010 | True Jackson, VP | Himself | Season 1 episode 17: "Max Mannequin" and season 2 episode 13: "True Royal" |
| 2010 | CSI: NY | Reporter | Season 6 episode 12: "Criminal Justice" |
| 2012 | The Mentalist | Newscaster | Season 4 episode 15: "War of the Roses" |
| 2012–2015 | NCIS: Los Angeles | News Reporter/Reporter/News Anchor | 6 episodes |
| 2013 | Under the Dome | Newscaster | Season 1 episode 1: "Pilot" |
| 2014 | Intelligence | Reporter/Newscaster | 4 episodes |
| Legends | CBN Reporter | Season 1 episode 8: "Iconoclast" | |
| 2015-2020 | Bosch | Himself/Newscaster/News Anchor | 8 episodes |
| 2016 | Supergirl | Newscaster | Season 1 episode 12: "Bizarro" |
| Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Slade Austin | Season 4 episode 3: "Coral Palms Pt. 3" | |
| 2016–2018 | Madam Secretary | News Anchor #1/News Anchor/Anchor | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | Documentary Now! | TV Reporter | Season 3 episodes 1 and 2: "Batsh*t Valley, Parts 1 & 2" |
| The Righteous Gemstones | Announcer | HBO | |
| Liberty Falls | Pierce Brennan | TV movie | |
| 2019 | Manifest | News Anchor | Season 2 episode ? |
| 2020 | Manhunt: Lone Wolf | Anchor No. 1 | The title of the second Manhunt: Unabomber Season 2 episodes 1,2,5 |
| 2020 | Tommy | News Anchor | Season 1 episode 7 |
Awards
- 8 regional Emmy Awards (individual and group)
- 2 L.A. Press Club Awards
- Golden Mic. Award (Best Daytime Newscast)
- Wm. Randolph Hearst Award (investigative reporting)
Education
B.A., University of Southern California, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Kent Shocknek". KCBS/KCAL Los Angeles. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
- ^ Kent Shocknek at IMDb
- ^ a b Kent Shocknek's Web Site: http://kentshocknek.com
- ^ Kent Shocknek video bio. Retrieved July 11, 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ Earthquake captured on LIVE TV – TV Anchor freaks out!. Retrieved July 11, 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ Kent Shocknek video bio. Retrieved July 11, 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Longtime Anchor Kent Shocknek Signs Off From Local News". KCAL/KCBS. September 26, 2014.
- ^ Morrison, Patt (September 30, 2014). "No more Mr. News Guy – L.A. anchor Kent Shocknek signs off". Los Angeles Times.
External links
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| National | |
