Robert Archibald Shaw was born August 9, 1927, in Westhoughton, Lancashire, England, which was once a center for coal, cotton-spinning, and textile manufacturing. His father, Doctor Thomas Archibald Shaw was a chronic abuser of alcohol who had taken his own life when Robert was only twelve years old. His mother, Doreen Nora, was a nurse born in Swaziland.
Beginnings
Shaw did not want to pursue a career in medicine, like his father. Rather, he wanted to become an actor. As a boy, he attended school in Truro, Cornwall, and was quite an athlete, competing in rugby, squash, and track events. However, he turned down an offer for a scholarship at 17 in order to go to London, with further education in Cambridge.
Shaw was also heavily inspired by one of the schoolmasters, Cyril Wilkes, who had gotten him to read just about everything, including all of the classics. Wilkes would routinely take three or four of the boys to London to see plays.
Robert Shaw’s 1948 graduation photo from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
The first play Shaw would ever see was Hamlet in 1944 at the Haymarket, starring Sir John Gielgud. Shaw would later attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art with a £1,000 inheritance that he had received from his grandmother.
In 1948, after two years at the Academy, Shaw made his stage debut at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, where he was directed by Sir Arthur John Gielgud. Gielgud would say to Shaw:
“I do admire you and think you’ve got a lot of ability, and I’d like to help you, but you make me so nervous.”
Robert Shaw in the TV series “The Buccaneers” (1956).
Onto The Screen
Shaw’s first credited role on the silver screen was “Sgt. J. Pulford” in the 1955 film The Dam Busters. More information about that film can be found here. Shaw had another military role in his next big-screen role as Cpl. Hodge in the 1956 film A Hill In Korea. A war film about a small British recon group surrounded by Chinese troops in Korea.
Robert then jumped to the small screen in various minor roles. He got his first big break as “Captain Dan Tempest” in the series The Buccaneers, which ran from 1956 to 1957. Once the series concluded, Shaw appeared in several guest roles in other series, as well as in supporting roles in films for several years.
Shaw would gain notoriety in 1963’s From Russia With Love, playing “Donald “Red” Grant.” Red was a SPECTRE agent trained to assassinate James Bond in retaliation for the death of “Dr. No.” The film was a box office success that ensured many more Bond films to be produced in the future.
Robert Shaw and Sean Connery in 1963’s “From Russia With Love”.
After Bond
Besides being an actor, Shaw was also a writer. He published five novels, and several plays and also adapted one of his works into a screenplay Situation Hopeless… But Not Serious (1965). The film starred Sir Alec Guinness, Robert Redford, and Mike Conners.
Another adaption was based on a play Shaw had written called The Man In The Glass Booth (1975). He was unhappy with the adaptation and had his name removed from the credits. Upon seeing the completed film, Shaw changed his mind but was too late to have his name added back in.
Shaw’s focus would switch towards feature going forward, only taking six more TV roles between 1964 and 1974. Noteworthy movie roles included Battle Of The Bulge (1965) and the Oscar-winning A Man For All Seasons (1966) where he played King Henry VIII. Shaw received his only Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for that film.
Robert Shaw in his Academy Award-nominated role “A Man for All Season” (1966).
1973 was another highlight of Shaw’s acting career, getting third billing behind Robert Redford and Paul Newman in The Sting, a box-office hit earning $159 million. With another successful role in The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (1974), one could argue that Shaw was at the pinnacle of his career. You would be wrong.
Jaws And The 1970’s
Shaw was unsure about taking the role of “Quint” in the Steven Spielberg classic Jaws (1975), as he wasn’t impressed by the script, and didn’t know who the director was. He also disliked the name “Jaws.” It, of course, went on to be the biggest film of all time, at the time and made Shaw a superstar.
However, due to some personal tax issues that he was having, Shaw never made any money from the film. He also became a recluse during this time, as his second wife Mary Ure had died of a barbiturate overdose in April 1975.
Robert Shaw as Quint in “Jaws” (1975).
A lot of Shaw’s dialogue in Jaws was improvised. He also rewrote the “USS Indianapolis” scene, which was initially written by Howard Sackler and John Milius. Shaw would drink between takes while shooting Jaws. He was so drunk that the footage for the monologue about the ship, the Indianapolis was unusable. The scene was shot again the next day in one take.
After Jaws, Shaw was seen in the drama End Of The Game (1975) with John Voight and Jacqueline Bisset, as well as the crime drama Diamonds (1975) with Richard Roundtree, Barbara Hershey, and Shelly Winters.
Shaw would be a nemesis to Sean Connery once again in Robin And Marian (1976). His pirate skills would be used in Swashbuckler (1976), which co-starred James Earl Jones, Peter Boyle, as well as Geneviève Bujold.
Robert Shaw and Sean Connery square off in “Robin And Marian” (1976) directed by Richard Lester.
1977 would also see Robert Shaw return in another commercially successful adventure titled Black Sunday. The film was written by famed screenwriter Ernest Lehman and directed by John Frankenheimer.
Final Years
Due to the overwhelming success of Jaws, another Peter Benchley novel was developed for the screen. This time Shaw was the star in 1977’s The Deep. It would be the 9th highest-grossing film of that year, and Shaw’s biggest payday; $650,000 plus percentage points. He signed on to the project before even reading the script. Shaw would later state:
“This is the first time in my career that I’ve committed myself to a movie before reading the script. So why this time? Just instinct. This production has terrific potential. It has smelled like a winner from the beginning.”
Robert Shaw and Fritz Weaver in John Frankenheimer’s “Black Sunday” (1977).
Towards the end of his life, Robert Shaw’s career, as well as his personal life, were both on the upswing. The actor had remarried for the third and final time to Virginia Jansen in 1976. He was later quoted in 1977:
“I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time. I have my new marriage. I have my new baby, my tenth child. I don’t have to work in third-rate movies anymore, and I’m in great physical shape.”
After filming Force 10 From Navarone (1978), his alcoholism finally caught up to him. During his last film, Avalanche Express (1979), he was unable to deliver his final lines. Robert Tietty and Rich Little were used to dub the lines for Shaw.
Robert Shaw with Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte in “The Deep” (1977).
It was reported that 90% of Shaw’s role was completed before he was forced to step back from the picture. Also, the director of the film, Mark Robson died during the film’s post-production, in June 1978.
On August 28th, 1978, Shaw was in Ireland, driving to his cottage with his wife and youngest son after playing a round of golf with some friends. The actor had experienced some chest pains during the round, and again on the way home.
He stopped the car close to his cottage, telling his wife that he was going to try to walk off the pain that he was having in his chest. Shaw subsequently collapsed on the side of the road, after taking several steps. His wife ran to the cottage to call for help.
Franco Nero, Harrison Ford, Robert Shaw, Edward Fox, and Carl Weathers in “Force 10 From Navarone” (1978).
An ambulance soon arrived, but he was announced dead on arrival at the hospital. The cause of death was a massive coronary attack. Shaw was cremated, with his ashes being scattered near his home in Tourmakeady, Ireland.
Legacy
Robert Shaw fathered eight children and adopted two others from his previous marriages. Sebastian Shaw in the X-Men comics is named after him. In Westhoughton, Greater Manchester there is a pub named The Robert Shaw. In Shaw’s New York Times obituary, dated August 29, 1978, he was quoted:
“When they write my obituary I would like them to say, ‘He was an author who wrote one book that will last and he was also a remarkable actor.’”
Robert Shaw, Mike Connors, and Lee Marvin in “Avalance Express” (1979).
Shaw’s widow, Virginia had this to say about her husband:
“He was a wonderful person. He was fun, generous, naughty, drank too much and loved his children. He just wanted to be himself. He didn’t like the razzmatazz of Hollywood. He wanted real life. Tourmakeady gave him that.”
