Shear is best known for her portrayal of Mae West in her own play Dirty Blonde, which ran on Broadway and subsequently transferred to the West End. The piece earned her Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for Best Play and Best Actress as well as a Theatre World Award. Her other stage credits include her solo show Blown Sideways Through Life and The Smell of the Kill. Her film and television credits include It Could Happen to You, Living Out Loud, Friends, Earthly Possessions and her adaptation of Blown Sideways Through Life.