Michael Shea was born in 1858 in St. Catherines, Ontario, and at an early age, his family moved to the First Ward in Buffalo. At age 25, he became a vaudville theater owner, opening Shea's Music Hall, a cellar concert saloon in downtown Buffalo. He eventually opened more theaters in Buffalo, and at his peak, owned and operated ten theaters in the Buffalo area.

Due to his fair dealings with booked acts, he became known as "the Prince of Buffalo." In 1925, he began construction of his flagship theater, the Buffalo. Shea's Buffalo opened in 1926, and was his career achievement. It was designed by the preeminent theater architects Rapp & Rapp of Chicago.

Michael Shea died in 1934, and is buried in Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Cheektowaga.