Emma Shannon has spent more than a decade building a resume most adult actors would envy, and she did it before turning twenty. As of 2026, Emma Shannon is best known for playing young Judy Gemstone on HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones, a role she carried across four seasons opposite an ensemble cast built around Danny McBride. That part alone would define most young performers’ careers, but Emma Shannon’s filmography stretches back to voice work and guest spots in the mid-2010s.
What makes her trajectory notable isn’t a single breakout moment. It’s the sheer range: animated voice roles, network sitcom guest spots, feature films from major studios, and a recurring television part on a prestige cable drama. Below is a full look at where Emma Shannon started, what she’s worked on, and what is actually known about her outside the credits list.
Personal Information of Emma Shannon
Public records and verified sources confirm only a handful of personal details about Emma Shannon. Where a fact hasn’t been publicly confirmed, it’s left out rather than guessed at.
Full Name
Emma Shannon’s full name, as credited across her acting work, is Emma Shannon.
Date of Birth
Emma Shannon was born on August 19, 2006.
Age
As of 2026, Emma is 20 years old.
Nationality
Emma identified as an American actress in industry records and cast listings.
Mother
Emma Shannon is the daughter of Tammy Shannon, according to her IMDb biography page.
Profession
Emma works as an actress, with additional listed sound department credits on some projects.
Early Career and First Screen Credits
Emma Shannon’s earliest credited work dates to the mid-2010s, when she began landing small television roles and voice parts. She appeared in episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Scorpion, and Teachers, the kind of guest and background work that typically forms the foundation of a young actor’s resume. She also had a role in an episode of Conan and appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, giving her early exposure to live television formats alongside scripted work.
During this period, Emma also began building an animation résumé. She voiced characters in DreamWorks Dragons: Race to the Edge and Whisker Haven Tales With the Palace Pets, two projects aimed at younger audiences that gave her recurring voice work rather than one-off appearances. That mix of live-action guest spots and animated voice roles became a pattern that carried into her later career.
Breaking Into Network Television
As Emma Shannon’s résumé grew, she picked up recurring and guest roles on established network shows. She appeared in Fuller House, the Netflix continuation of the original Full House sitcom, and had a role in Henry Danger, the Nickelodeon series built around a teenage superhero sidekick. She also appeared in Bunk’d, playing Lou, and in Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything, playing Eva, both Disney Channel productions aimed at a young-adult demographic.
Emma Shannon also took on a role in Little People, playing Mia, and appeared in black-ish, portraying Susie Kwest. These credits show a steady climb through mainstream network and streaming comedy, giving her repeated exposure to sitcom pacing and ensemble casts before she moved into more dramatic material.
Feature Film Work
Beyond television, Emma Shannon built a feature film résumé that includes both major studio releases and smaller productions. She appeared in Wonder Park, an animated film from Paramount, and had a role in Finding Dory, the Pixar sequel that became one of the highest-grossing animated films of its release year. She also appeared in The Grinch, the 2018 animated adaptation, and in Duck Duck Goose, another animated feature.
On the live-action side, Emma Shannon’s film credits include The House With a Clock in Its Walls, The Darkest Minds, A Wrinkle in Time, and The BFG, all studio productions released between 2016 and 2018. She also appeared in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie and in Klaus, an animated feature. Her film work extends to Rim of the World, a Netflix original, and Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, giving her credits across streaming and traditional theatrical releases alike.
The Righteous Gemstones Breakthrough
Emma Shannon‘s most prominent role came when she was cast as young Judy Gemstone on HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones, a satirical drama about a family of televangelists created by Danny McBride. She played the character across the show’s first four seasons, appearing in flashback and younger-timeline sequences that filled in the backstory of Edi Patterson’s adult Judy Gemstone.
The Righteous Gemstones ran from 2019 to 2025 and became one of HBO’s more distinctive comedy-dramas, mixing dark humor with family dysfunction. Emma Shannon’s presence in the show gave her recurring exposure on a prestige cable series, a notable step up from the guest and voice work that filled most of her earlier résumé. Her episodes required her to match tone and characterization with an older actress playing the same role, a challenge specific to young-actor casting in flashback-heavy shows.
Grease Rise of the Pink Ladies
In 2023, Emma Shannon took on the role of Betty Rizzo in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, a Paramount+ prequel series set before the events of the original 1978 Grease film. The series reimagined the world of Rydell High a few years before Danny and Sandy’s story, giving Emma Shannon a chance to originate a version of a character with deep cultural recognition tied to the original film’s Stockard Channing performance.
Playing Betty Rizzo required stepping into a role audiences already had strong associations with, even in a prequel format. The series was produced for Paramount+ and positioned Emma Shannon in a lead ensemble role rather than a supporting or background part, a shift from much of her earlier career.
Pretty Freekin Scary and Recent Work
Also in 2023, Emma Shannon appeared in Pretty Freekin Scary, a project that IMDb lists among her most recent and prominent credits alongside The Righteous Gemstones and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Her presence across three notable 2023 credits reflects a period of increased visibility, coming after years of steady but lower-profile work in television and animation.
Her broader credit list also includes Cousins for Life, Schooled, Heathers, Chelsea, Lemon, and Better Things, spanning networks and streaming platforms and reflecting steady, consistent casting rather than a single breakout show carrying her entire career.
Voice Acting and Animation Credits
Animation has remained a consistent thread throughout Emma’s career. Alongside DreamWorks Dragons: Race to the Edge and Whisker Haven Tales With the Palace Pets, she voiced roles in Klaus, an acclaimed Netflix animated feature, and appeared in Duck Duck Goose and The Grinch. Voice work often runs parallel to live-action careers for young performers, offering steady credits that don’t require the same on-camera scheduling demands as filmed projects.
This animation work also gave Emma exposure to major studios and streaming platforms outside the traditional network system, broadening the range of projects on her résumé beyond live-action television and film.
Physical Appearance
No modeling agency profile, official biography, or verified interview currently discloses Emma Shannon‘s physical statistics. Rather than estimate these figures, each field below is marked as not publicly confirmed.
Height
Emma Shannon’s height is not publicly confirmed.
Weight
weight is not publicly confirmed.
Eye Color
Emma eye color is not publicly confirmed.
Hair Color
Emma Shannon’s hair color is not publicly confirmed.
Body Type
Emma body type is not publicly confirmed.
Skin Tone
Emma skin tone is not publicly confirmed.
Shoe Size
Emma shoe size is not publicly confirmed.
Tattoos
Whether Emma has any tattoos is not publicly confirmed.
Piercings
Whether Emma has any piercings is not publicly confirmed.
Distinctive Features
No distinctive physical features have been publicly documented for Emma .
Social Media Profiles
No social media accounts have been officially confirmed as belonging to Emma at this time.
Not publicly confirmed.
Not publicly confirmed.
X (Twitter)
Not publicly confirmed.
TikTok
Not publicly confirmed.
YouTube
Not publicly confirmed.
Official Website
Not publicly confirmed.
Charitable Involvement
According to her IMDb biography, Emma Shannon is a supporter of the Starlight Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on delivering support and moments of happiness to seriously ill children and their families. Beyond this listed affiliation, there is no additional publicly confirmed detail about the scope or duration of her involvement.
What Comes Next for Emma Shannon
With The Righteous Gemstones having concluded its run in 2025 and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies having wrapped its Paramount+ season, Emma Shannon enters the later part of the 2020s with a broad and varied résumé behind her. As of 2026, no new projects have been widely confirmed in public reporting.
Her past pattern, however, suggests she is likely to continue splitting time between live-action and voice work as she transitions out of youth-oriented casting and into roles better suited to her current age.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Emma Shannon?
Emma Shannon is an American actress born on August 19, 2006, known for playing young Judy Gemstone on HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones and Betty Rizzo in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.
How old is Emma Shannon?
As of 2026, Emma Shannon is 20 years old, having been born on August 19, 2006.
What is Emma Shannon known for?
Emma Shannon is best known for The Righteous Gemstones, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, and Pretty Freekin Scary, along with a long list of earlier television and animated film credits.
What role did Emma Shannon play on The Righteous Gemstones?
She played young Judy Gemstone, the younger version of Edi Patterson’s adult character, appearing across the show’s first four seasons from 2019 to 2025.
Did Emma Shannon appear in Grease Rise of the Pink Ladies?
Yes. Emma Shannon played Betty Rizzo in the 2023 Paramount+ prequel series set before the events of the original Grease film.
What movies has Emma Shannon been in?
Her film credits include Finding Dory, Wonder Park, The Grinch, Klaus, The House With a Clock in Its Walls, A Wrinkle in Time, The BFG, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, and Rim of the World.
Who are Emma Shannon’s parents?
Public sources confirm that her mother is Tammy Shannon. No verified public information is available about her father.
Is Emma Shannon on social media?
No officially confirmed social media accounts for Emma Shannon are publicly documented at this time.
What does Emma Shannon look like?
Detailed physical statistics such as height, weight, and eye color are not publicly confirmed for Emma Shannon, as no official source has disclosed them.
What was Emma Shannon’s first acting role?
Her earliest verified credits date to the mid-2010s, including guest appearances on shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Scorpion, and Teachers.
Has Emma Shannon done voice acting?
Yes. She has voiced roles in DreamWorks Dragons: Race to the Edge, Whisker Haven Tales With the Palace Pets, Klaus, Duck Duck Goose, and The Grinch.
Is Emma Shannon involved in charity work?
According to her IMDb biography, she supports the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which works to bring support to seriously ill children and their families.
Conclusion
Emma Shannon’s career reflects a steady, credit-by-credit climb rather than a single overnight breakthrough. From early guest spots and animated voice work to a four-season run on The Righteous Gemstones and a lead role in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, her filmography shows consistent work across television, film, and animation. As of 2026, Emma Shannon’s next steps aren’t publicly confirmed, but her track record suggests continued work across multiple formats. For readers following her career, her existing credits on The Righteous Gemstones and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies remain the clearest picture of where her career stands today.
