And we're talking the good version of the Shining.

Forget Joan Allen or John Malkovich and quite possibly Burl Ives. Danny Lloyd may be the coolest actor to ever to walk Eastern's campus.

He also may be one of the most secretive. From what we’ve been able to gather, Danny Lloyd walked the campus in the mid- to late 1990s, getting both bachelor's and master's degrees in the sciences. He has taught throughout Central Illinois, including area colleges.

But Lloyd made his mark in life in 1980, when he played Danny Torrence, the ESP-powered child in the Stanley Kubrick version of Stephen King's The Shining. The film was made legendary in part because of a couple of famous lines from Danny, such as "Danny's not here Mrs. Torrence" and the unforgettable "REDRUM!"

Some critics consider the movie the scariest ever made. And Lloyd’s presence on campus confirms that EIU has a tradition of turning out actors that play total nutball characters.

It is amazing that a guy who had such a popular film role was able to keep it quiet while he was at EIU. But from what we can tell, Danny Lloyd kept his life as an actor secret during his college and adult years. There's barely any information on Lloyd on the Internet.

And really you can't blame him. Could you imagine going through college with every drunk you run into screaming "REDRUM! REDRUM!" at you?

It feels good to be a Panther after learning Danny is one of us. Maybe Eastern doesn't realize it, but having Danny from the Shining as an alum sends EIU's cool stock skyrocketing.

Maybe Eastern should recreate the Overlook Hotel maze somewhere on campus as a tribute to Lloyd.

Sources for information and some photos: Yahoo.com, IMDB