Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw was an influential English actor and writer, born on August 9, 1927, in Westhoughton, Lancashire. He was the eldest of five children in a family that faced significant challenges, including the early death of his father, a physician who struggled with alcoholism. After a promising academic and theatrical career at Truro School, Shaw chose to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art over Cambridge University. He gained fame through his performances in notable Shakespearean roles and later starred in popular television series and films, including "Jaws" and "A Man for All Seasons."
Beyond acting, Shaw explored writing, producing his first novel, "The Hiding Place," in 1959, which received critical acclaim. He continued to write, with his work often delving into complex psychological and ethical themes, notably in "The Man in The Glass Booth," which was adapted for stage and film. Throughout his career, Shaw garnered prestigious nominations and awards, including an Academy Award nomination and a Tony Award nomination. He passed away on August 28, 1978, leaving a legacy that interwove his dual passions for acting and writing.
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Robert Shaw
- Born: August 9, 1927
- Birthplace: Westhoughton, Lancashire, England
- Died: August 28, 1978
- Place of death: Tourmakeady, County Mayo, Ireland
Biography
Robert Shaw was born on August 9, 1927, in Westhoughton, Lancashire, England, the first of five children born to Thomas Shaw, a physician, and his wife, Doreen. The family moved from Cornwall to the Orkney Islands. Shaw’s father struggled with alcoholism and for a while he was separated from the family. He eventually reconciled with his family, but he committed suicide when Shaw was twelve years old.
When his father died, Shaw was attending the Truro School as a boarder. He was very successful academically, athletically, and theatrically at Truro and won a scholarship to Cambridge University. However, with little encouragement from any quarter, he enrolled instead at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, supporting himself with funds from an inheritance. After graduation, he played roles in some of William Shakespeare’s plays in Stratford-on-Avon and with the Old Vic, and he then played a variety of roles in other London venues. In 1957, he became a star in a television series The Buccaneers. Shaw went on to take major roles on the legitimate stage in London and on Broadway, on television, and in films, including roles in the motion pictures From Russia With Love (1964), A Man for All Seasons (1966), Young Winston (1972), The Sting (1973), and Jaws (1974).
While he was enjoying extraordinary success as an actor, he began writing plays, and in 1956 his play Off the Mainland was produced but failed commercially and critically. After a theatrical manager suggested that the first act of one of Shaw’s plays read like a novel, he decided to try his hand at long fiction. His first novel, The Hiding Place (1959), a thriller with psychological depth and philosophical overtones, sold well on both sides of the Atlantic and earned critical praise. Shaw adapted it for television in Britain and a different adaptation aired on American television. He followed the literary success of The Hiding Place with another success, The Sun Doctor (1961). In the 1960’s, he wrote three more novels, the best known and most controversial of which was The Man in The Glass Booth (1967), the psychologically and ethically complex story of a Jewish victim of the Holocaust who poses as a Nazi war criminal and is tried in Israel. In 1967 Robert Shaw adapated The Man in the Glass Booth into a stage play as well, and its production evoked both reserved and enthusiastic critical responses in London and New York. The Man in the Glass Booth was later made into a film.
Nominated for an Academy Award for A Man for All Seasons and a Tony Award for The Man in the Glass Booth, Shaw also won the Hawthornden Prize for The Sun Doctor. He observed of his two careers that “Acting releases the childlike side of me. . . and allows the serious side to go into books.” Shaw died on August 28, 1978.