A Zoomer Only Knew Wallace Shawn From ‘Young Sheldon’ And Now All Our Backs Hurt

To some members of the younger generation, Wallace Shawn is just “the actor who plays Dr. Sturgis on Young Sheldon.” To anyone whose first cellphone had an antenna, that assessment of Shawn’s career is very difficult to understand.  

Over the 81-year-old Shawn’s six decades as a working actor and writer, his career has gone through many different phases. From his start on the stage in the 1970s to his emergence in the film world throughout the 1980s to his time as a Disney staple in the 1990s, Shawn has amassed a resume to match anyone in entertainment with countless credits in all-time classics that came out long before the new generation of voters were even born.  

When an artist has been in the public eye for as long as Shawn has, each new era in entertainment requires a fresh introduction to young audiences who may have never seen The Princess Bride, but who can inexplicably find themselves deeply invested in the love life of Meemaw on Young Sheldon.  

This past weekend, a young woman canvassing for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani posed with Shawn for a picture, posting it on Twitter with a caption that brought us to our aching knees:  

To all the fellow chopped uncs out there who also didn't know that Vizzini himself played a recurring character on Young Sheldon, apparently, the 81-year-old film legend performed the role of a brilliant but troubled professor who courts Young Sheldon's grandmother Meemaw for a time, but who suffers from mental health issues that complicate his romantic ambitions.   

To all the teenagers who delight in making people with 401ks feel older than Peter Falk, long before Shawn played Dr. Sturgis on Young Sheldon, he starred in (and occasionally wrote) absolutely seminal films such as The Princess Bride and My Dinner with Andre that still resonate with your graying and decrepit cousins in their 30s and 40s.  

At least all of us ancient Shawn-heads can take comfort in knowing that, at 81 years old, the legendary artist is still winning over new fans and making his impact on the world of entertainment. And, since Shawn still has the energy to continue working and to canvass for his favorite mayoral candidate, we can also hope and pray that, one day, Gen Z's kids will wonder why their parents brought up some show called Young Sheldon when they snapped a selfie with the 101-year-old star of the Ms. Rachel Cinematic Universe.