Shane was born and raised in Brampton, Canada and graduated from Bramalea Secondary School. He briefly attended Sheridan college under the business program but quickly found that was not a career path he would enjoy.

He started late in the acting field after a car accident in 1989. After visiting an actor friend on set, he was bitten by the acting bug. He has trained with many coaches over the years including Harold Guskin who was the private coach of the late James Gandolfini.