---
name: "John Shearin"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-shearin"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "27 September 1944"
died: "9 April 2017"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T13:55:11.465157+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# John Shearin

Actor. Born 27 September 1944 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Died 9 April 2017.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 27 September 1944, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
- **Died:** 9 April 2017

## Biography

John Shearin was an American actor born on 27 September 1944 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He appeared in the 1982 film *Eating Raoul* as Mr. Baker and had recurring or guest roles in numerous television series, including *Hunter* (as Lt. Ambrose Finn), *Bret Maverick* (as Sheriff Mitchel Dowd), *M*A*S*H*, *Matlock*, *Dawson's Creek* and *American Gothic*.

Shearin was a Vietnam War veteran who later pursued a career in theatre and academia. He earned a BA in Theatre and Speech from the College of William & Mary and an MFA from Penn State University. From 1990 he served as chair of the Department of Theatre Arts (later the College of Theatre and Dance) at East Carolina University, where he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He was married to Jennifer Wilson until his death on 9 April 2017 in Greenville, North Carolina.

*Sources: imdb.com, findagrave.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Eating Raoul* (1982), Fi1m 75, as Mr. Baker — [page](https://film.one/film/eating-raoul.md)

## Also known for

- *M*A*S*H* (1972), The Chopper Pilot — [page](https://film.one/tv/m-a-s-h-1972.md)
- *Dawson's Creek* (1998), Emmett Creed
- *Remington Steele* (1982), Dallas
- *Matlock* (1986), Det. Schroeder, Peter Eastland, Jason Edmunds
- *Surface* (2005), MP Supervisor
- *Doogie Howser, M.D.* (1989), Captain Adams
- *Hunter* (1984), Ambrose Finn
- *Falcon Crest* (1981), Deputy Sheriff

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/john-shearin