Robert Shaw (actor)
Encyclopedia
Robert Archibald Shaw was an English
actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting
(1973), From Russia with Love
(1963), A Man for All Seasons
(1966), the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Black Sunday
(1977), The Deep
(1977) and Jaws
(1975), where he played the shark hunter Quint.
, England, in 1927. His mother, Doreen (née Avery), was a former nurse born in Piggs Peak
, Swaziland
, and his father, Thomas Shaw, was a physician. He had three sisters and one brother. When he was seven, the family moved to Stromness
, Orkney, Scotland
. When he was 12 his father, a manic depressive and alcoholic, took his own life. The family then moved to Cornwall
, where he went to the independent Truro School
. Shaw was a teacher in Saltburn-by-the-Sea
in the North Riding of Yorkshire
for a brief period, then attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
in London.
at the Embassy Theatre
in Caro William
.
During the 1950s, Shaw starred in a British TV series which also appeared on American television as The Buccaneers
. Shaw's best-known film performances include a turn as the dangerous enemy secret agent, Donald Grant, in the second James Bond
film From Russia with Love
(1963); the relentless panzer
officer Colonel Hessler in Battle of the Bulge
(1965); a young Henry VIII
in A Man for All Seasons
(1966); Lord Randolph Churchill
, in Young Winston
(1972); the ruthless mobster Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting
(1973), the equally-ruthless subway-hijacker and hostage-taker "Mr. Blue" in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974); the shark-obsessed fisherman Quint in Jaws
(1975); and lighthouse keeper and treasure hunter Romer Treece in The Deep
(1977), and the Israeli Mossad
agent David Kabakov in Black Sunday
(1977), which was the most successful of his appearances in movies as the principal good-guy.
Shaw was nominated for the Golden Globe Award
and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
for his role in A Man for All Seasons.
He performed on stage as well, both in Britain and on Broadway
, where his notable performances include Harold Pinter
's Old Times
and The Caretaker
, Friedrich Dürrenmatt
's The Physicists directed by Peter Brook
, and The Man in the Glass Booth
, inspired by the kidnapping and trial of Adolf Eichmann
, written by Shaw himself, and directed by Pinter.
His penetrating, stage-trained shouting voice can be heard briefly in A Man for All Seasons, Black Sunday, Force Ten from Navarone, and The Sting.
, published in 1960, met with positive reviews. His next, The Sun Doctor
, published the following year, was awarded the Hawthornden Prize
in 1962.
Shaw then embarked on a trilogy of novels – The Flag
(1965), The Man in the Glass Booth
(1967) and A Card from Morocco
(1969); it was his adaptation for the stage of The Man in the Glass Booth that gained him the most attention for his writing. The book and play present a complex and morally ambiguous tale of a man who, at various times in the story, is either a Jewish businessman pretending to be a Nazi war criminal, or a Nazi war criminal pretending to be a Jewish businessman. The play was quite controversial when performed in the US and the UK, some critics praising Shaw's sly, deft, and complex examination of the moral issues of nationality and identity, others sharply criticizing Shaw's treatment of such a sensitive subject. The Man in the Glass Booth was further developed for the screen, but Shaw disapproved of the resulting film and had his name removed from the credits.
Shaw also adapted The Hiding Place into a screenplay for the film Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious
starring Alec Guinness
. His play Cato Street
, about the 1820 Cato Street Conspiracy
, was produced for the first time in 1971 in London.
on 28 August 1978 in Ireland
after completing filming of Avalanche Express
. He was 51 years old. His remains were cremated and his ashes scattered near his home in Ireland. A stone memorial to him was unveiled there in his honour in August 2008.
named after him in the town of his birth, Westhoughton
, Lancashire
. The pub is called the Robert Shaw.
Also, villain Sebastian Shaw
from the X-Men
comics is named and modelled after Shaw.
(1963-75) with whom he had two sons and two daughters; this marriage ended with her death from an overdose. His third and last wife was Virginia Jansen (1976-78) with whom he had one son and adopted Jansen's son from a previous relationship. One of Shaw's sons by Mary Ure is the actor Ian Shaw
.
For the last seven years of his life, Robert Shaw lived at Drimbawn House, in the village of Tourmakeady
, County Mayo
in Ireland
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting
The Sting
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
(1973), From Russia with Love
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
(1963), A Man for All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons (1966 film)
A Man for All Seasons is a 1966 film based on Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons about Sir Thomas More. It was released on December 12, 1966. Paul Scofield, who had played More in the West End stage premiere, also took the role in the film. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann, who had...
(1966), the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Black Sunday
Black Sunday (1977 film)
Black Sunday is a 1977 American thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer and based on the novel by Thomas Harris. The film starred Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, and Marthe Keller and was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture in 1978...
(1977), The Deep
The Deep (film)
The Deep is a 1977 adventure film directed by Peter Yates and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The film stars Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, and Nick Nolte.-Plot:...
(1977) and Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
(1975), where he played the shark hunter Quint.
Early life
Robert Shaw was born in Westhoughton, near Bolton, LancashireWesthoughton
Westhoughton is a town and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester....
, England, in 1927. His mother, Doreen (née Avery), was a former nurse born in Piggs Peak
Piggs Peak
Piggs Peak is a town in north western Swaziland. It was founded around gold prospecting in 1884, but its main industry is now forestry. The Phophonyane Falls lie near the town. Piggs Peak Casino takes its name from the area...
, Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, and his father, Thomas Shaw, was a physician. He had three sisters and one brother. When he was seven, the family moved to Stromness
Stromness
Stromness is the second-biggest town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the south-west of Mainland Orkney. It is also a parish, with the town of Stromness as its capital.-Etymology:...
, Orkney, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. When he was 12 his father, a manic depressive and alcoholic, took his own life. The family then moved to Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, where he went to the independent Truro School
Truro School
Truro School is a mixed independent school located in the city of Truro, Cornwall, UK. The current Headmaster is Paul Smith. Deputy Headteachers are Nick Fisher and Anita Firth . Phil Brewer is Assistant Head and Head of Sixth Form...
. Shaw was a teacher in Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a seaside resort in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The town is around east of Middlesbrough, and had a population of 5,912 at the 2001 Census.-Old Saltburn:...
in the North Riding of Yorkshire
North Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the English county of Yorkshire, alongside the East and West Ridings. From the Restoration it was used as a Lieutenancy area. The three ridings were treated as three counties for many purposes, such as having separate...
for a brief period, then attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
in London.
Acting career
Shaw began his acting career in theatre, appearing in regional theatre throughout England. In 1952 he made his London debut on the West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at the Embassy Theatre
Embassy Theatre (London)
The Embassy Theatre is a theatre at 64, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London.- Early years :The Embassy Theatre was opened as a repertory company in September 1928 on the initiative of Sybil Arundale and Herbert Jay., when the premises of Hampstead Conservatoire of Music were adapted by architect...
in Caro William
Caro William
Caro William is a play by William Douglas-Home which premiered at the Embassy Theatre in 1952. The cast included Robert Shaw as Mr. George Lamb, Rachel Gurney as Mrs. George Lamb and Freda Gaye as Lady Melbourne. This play was the London stage acting debut of Robert Shaw....
.
During the 1950s, Shaw starred in a British TV series which also appeared on American television as The Buccaneers
The Buccaneers (TV series)
The Buccaneers was a 1956 Sapphire Films television drama series for ITC Entertainment, networked by CBS in the US and shown on ATV and selected ITV companies in the UK....
. Shaw's best-known film performances include a turn as the dangerous enemy secret agent, Donald Grant, in the second James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film From Russia with Love
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
(1963); the relentless panzer
Panzer Division
A panzer division was an armored division in the army and air force branches of the Wehrmacht as well as the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II....
officer Colonel Hessler in Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge (film)
Battle of the Bulge is a widescreen war film produced in Spain that was released in 1965. It was directed by Ken Annakin. It starred Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Telly Savalas, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews and Charles Bronson...
(1965); a young Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in A Man for All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons (1966 film)
A Man for All Seasons is a 1966 film based on Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons about Sir Thomas More. It was released on December 12, 1966. Paul Scofield, who had played More in the West End stage premiere, also took the role in the film. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann, who had...
(1966); Lord Randolph Churchill
Lord Randolph Churchill
Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill MP was a British statesman. He was the third son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and his wife Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane , daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry...
, in Young Winston
Young Winston
Young Winston is a 1972 British film based on the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.The film was based on the book My Early Life: A Roving Commission by Winston Churchill. The first part of the film covers Churchill's unhappy schooldays, up to the death of his father...
(1972); the ruthless mobster Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting
The Sting
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
(1973), the equally-ruthless subway-hijacker and hostage-taker "Mr. Blue" in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974); the shark-obsessed fisherman Quint in Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
(1975); and lighthouse keeper and treasure hunter Romer Treece in The Deep
The Deep (film)
The Deep is a 1977 adventure film directed by Peter Yates and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The film stars Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, and Nick Nolte.-Plot:...
(1977), and the Israeli Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
agent David Kabakov in Black Sunday
Black Sunday (1977 film)
Black Sunday is a 1977 American thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer and based on the novel by Thomas Harris. The film starred Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, and Marthe Keller and was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture in 1978...
(1977), which was the most successful of his appearances in movies as the principal good-guy.
Shaw was nominated for the Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for his role in A Man for All Seasons.
He performed on stage as well, both in Britain and on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, where his notable performances include Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
's Old Times
Old Times
Old Times is a play by the Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter. It was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre in London on June 1, 1971. It starred Colin Blakely, Dorothy Tutin, and Vivien Merchant, and was directed by Peter Hall...
and The Caretaker
The Caretaker
The Caretaker is a play by Harold Pinter. It was first published by both Encore Publishing and Eyre Methuen in 1960. The sixth play that Pinter wrote for stage or television production, it was his first significant commercial success...
, Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Friedrich Dürrenmatt was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant-garde dramas, philosophically deep crime novels, and often macabre satire...
's The Physicists directed by Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
, and The Man in the Glass Booth
The Man in the Glass Booth
The Man in the Glass Booth is a 1975 American drama film directed by Arthur Hiller. The screenplay was adapted from Robert Shaw's 1967 novel and 1968 stage play, both of the same name. The plot was inspired by images of the trial of Adolf Eichmann....
, inspired by the kidnapping and trial of Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
, written by Shaw himself, and directed by Pinter.
His penetrating, stage-trained shouting voice can be heard briefly in A Man for All Seasons, Black Sunday, Force Ten from Navarone, and The Sting.
Writing career
In addition to his acting career, Shaw was also an accomplished writer of novels, plays and screenplays. His first novel, The Hiding PlaceThe Hiding Place
The Hiding Place is the title of:*The Hiding Place , a 1971 book by Corrie ten Boom*The Hiding Place , a 1975 film based on the book by ten Boom*The Hiding Place , a novel by Trezza Azzopardi...
, published in 1960, met with positive reviews. His next, The Sun Doctor
The Sun Doctor
The Sun Doctor was the second novel written by author and actor Robert Shaw. It was published in 1961, and won the 1962 Hawthornden Prize....
, published the following year, was awarded the Hawthornden Prize
Hawthornden Prize
The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender. Authors are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature" which can be written in either poetry or prose...
in 1962.
Shaw then embarked on a trilogy of novels – The Flag
The Flag (novel)
The Flag is a novel written by author and actor Robert Shaw. It was published in 1965. The Flag was the first in a trilogy of novels, to be followed by The Man in the Glass Booth , and A Card from Morocco ....
(1965), The Man in the Glass Booth
The Man in the Glass Booth
The Man in the Glass Booth is a 1975 American drama film directed by Arthur Hiller. The screenplay was adapted from Robert Shaw's 1967 novel and 1968 stage play, both of the same name. The plot was inspired by images of the trial of Adolf Eichmann....
(1967) and A Card from Morocco
A Card from Morocco
A Card from Morocco is a novel written by author and actor Robert Shaw. It was published in 1969. A Card from Morocco was the final novel in a trilogy, having been preceded by The Flag and The Man in the Glass Booth ....
(1969); it was his adaptation for the stage of The Man in the Glass Booth that gained him the most attention for his writing. The book and play present a complex and morally ambiguous tale of a man who, at various times in the story, is either a Jewish businessman pretending to be a Nazi war criminal, or a Nazi war criminal pretending to be a Jewish businessman. The play was quite controversial when performed in the US and the UK, some critics praising Shaw's sly, deft, and complex examination of the moral issues of nationality and identity, others sharply criticizing Shaw's treatment of such a sensitive subject. The Man in the Glass Booth was further developed for the screen, but Shaw disapproved of the resulting film and had his name removed from the credits.
Shaw also adapted The Hiding Place into a screenplay for the film Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious
Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious
Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious is a 1965 comedy film starring Alec Guinness, Mike Connors and Robert Redford. It is based on the novel The Hiding Place by Robert Shaw....
starring Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
. His play Cato Street
Cato Street
Cato Street is a play by the British actor and writer Robert Shaw. The play's subject matter is the Cato Street Conspiracy of 1820. The play was first produced in London in November 1971, at the Young Vic, and the cast included Vanessa Redgrave, James Hazeldine, Bob Hoskins, George Innes,and...
, about the 1820 Cato Street Conspiracy
Cato Street Conspiracy
The Cato Street Conspiracy was an attempt to murder all the British cabinet ministers and Prime Minister Lord Liverpool in 1820. The name comes from the meeting place near Edgware Road in London. The Cato Street Conspiracy is notable due to dissenting public opinions regarding the punishment of the...
, was produced for the first time in 1971 in London.
Death
Shaw died of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on 28 August 1978 in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
after completing filming of Avalanche Express
Avalanche Express
Avalanche Express is a cold war adventure thriller about a defecting Russian general, released in 1979. It starred Lee Marvin, Robert Shaw , Maximilian Schell, and Linda Evans, and was directed by Mark Robson and Monte Hellman...
. He was 51 years old. His remains were cremated and his ashes scattered near his home in Ireland. A stone memorial to him was unveiled there in his honour in August 2008.
Legacy
Shaw has a public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
named after him in the town of his birth, Westhoughton
Westhoughton
Westhoughton is a town and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. The pub is called the Robert Shaw.
Also, villain Sebastian Shaw
Sebastian Shaw (comics)
Sebastian Hiram Shaw is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and an adversary of the X-Men.A mutant, Shaw possesses the ability to absorb energy and transform it into raw strength...
from the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
comics is named and modelled after Shaw.
Personal life
Shaw was married three times and had ten children, one of whom he adopted. His first wife was Jennifer Bourke (1952-63) with whom he had four daughters. His second wife was the actress Mary UreMary Ure
Eileen Mary Ure was a Scottish actress of stage and film.-Early life:Born in Glasgow where she studied at the school of drama, Ure was the daughter of civil engineer Colin McGregor Ure and Edith Swinburne. She went to the independent Mount School in York and trained for the stage at the Central...
(1963-75) with whom he had two sons and two daughters; this marriage ended with her death from an overdose. His third and last wife was Virginia Jansen (1976-78) with whom he had one son and adopted Jansen's son from a previous relationship. One of Shaw's sons by Mary Ure is the actor Ian Shaw
Ian Shaw (actor)
Ian Shaw is a British actor. He is the son of actress Mary Ure and actor Robert Shaw. His first role was in 1993 in an episode of Casualty. Since then he has appeared in the films Century , Moondance , The Boys From County Clare , The Contract with Morgan Freeman and John Cusack, and Johnny...
.
For the last seven years of his life, Robert Shaw lived at Drimbawn House, in the village of Tourmakeady
Tourmakeady
Tuar Mhic Éadaigh is a small village in County Mayo, Ireland. It has a population of about 1000 people. It is located on the shores of Lough Mask. Part of Tourmakeady was originally in neighbouring County Galway, but was placed under the administration of County Mayo in 1898...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Stage
- The CaretakerThe CaretakerThe Caretaker is a play by Harold Pinter. It was first published by both Encore Publishing and Eyre Methuen in 1960. The sixth play that Pinter wrote for stage or television production, it was his first significant commercial success...
(1962) - The Physicists (1964)
- The Man in the Glass BoothThe Man in the Glass BoothThe Man in the Glass Booth is a 1975 American drama film directed by Arthur Hiller. The screenplay was adapted from Robert Shaw's 1967 novel and 1968 stage play, both of the same name. The plot was inspired by images of the trial of Adolf Eichmann....
(1968) - GantryGantry (musical)Gantry is a musical with a book by Peter Bellwood, lyrics by Fred Tobias, and music by Stanley Lebowsky.Based on the 1927 novel Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis, it tells the story of a womanizing, self-righteous, self-proclaimed preacher who joins forces with a female evangelist to sell religion to...
(1970) - Old TimesOld TimesOld Times is a play by the Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter. It was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre in London on June 1, 1971. It starred Colin Blakely, Dorothy Tutin, and Vivien Merchant, and was directed by Peter Hall...
(1972) - Dance of Death (1974)
Filmography
- The Lavender Hill MobThe Lavender Hill MobThe Lavender Hill Mob is a 1951 comedy film from Ealing Studios, written by T.E.B. Clarke, directed by Charles Crichton, starring Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway and featuring Sid James and Alfie Bass...
(1951) (uncredited) - Operation Secret (1952) (uncredited) - Jacques
- The Dam BustersThe Dam Busters (film)The Dam Busters is a 1955 British Second World War war film starring Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd and directed by Michael Anderson. The film recreates the true story of Operation Chastise when in 1943 the RAF's 617 Squadron attacked the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams in Germany with Wallis's...
(1954) - Flight Sgt. J. Pulford - A Hill in KoreaA Hill in KoreaA Hill in Korea is a 1956 British war film based on Max Catto's 1953 novel of the same name. The original name was Hell in Korea, but was changed for distribution reasons, except in the U.S. It was directed by Julian Amyes and the producer was Anthony Squire...
(1956) - Lance Corporal Hodge - Double CrossDouble crossDouble Cross may refer to:In film and television:* Double Cross , a film by Albert H. Kelley* Double Cross , a Bollywood action film* Double Cross , a Bollywood film...
(1956) - Man from TangierMan from TangierMan from Tangier is a 1957 British crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Robert Hutton, Lisa Gastoni and Martin Benson. It was also released as Thunder over Tangier...
(1957) - Johnny - The BuccaneersThe Buccaneers (TV series)The Buccaneers was a 1956 Sapphire Films television drama series for ITC Entertainment, networked by CBS in the US and shown on ATV and selected ITV companies in the UK....
(1957) - Captain Dan Tempest - Television (39 episdes) - Sea FurySea Fury (film)Sea Fury is a 1958 British action film directed by Cy Endfield and starring Stanley Baker, Victor McLaglen, Luciana Paluzzi and Grégoire Aslan...
(1958) - Gorman - LibelLibel (film)Libel is a 1959 British drama film. It stars Olivia de Havilland, Dirk Bogarde, Paul Massie, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Robert Morley. The film's screenplay was written by Anatole de Grunwald and Karl Tunberg from a 1935 play of the same name by Edward Wooll, and it was directed by Anthony Asquith.The...
(1959) - Newspaper Photographer - The Four Just Men (1960) - TV episode - Crack Up - Stuart
- Danger ManDanger ManDanger Man is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the program and wrote many of the scripts...
(1961) - TV episode - Bury The Dead - Tony Costello - The Winter's TaleThe Winter's TaleThe Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
(1961) - Leontes - The ValiantThe Valiant (1962 film)The Valiant is a 1962 film directed by Roy Ward Baker, and starring John Mills, Ettore Manni, Roberto Risso, Robert Shaw, and Liam Redmond. Based on the Italian manned torpedo attack against two British battleships at the port of Alexandria in December 1941.- See also :*HMS Valiant*Luigi Durand de...
(1962) - Lieutenant Field - The CaretakerThe Caretaker (film)The Caretaker is a 1963 British drama film directed by Clive Donner and based on the Harold Pinter play of the same name. It was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear Extraordinary Jury Prize....
(1963) - Aston - From Russia with LoveFrom Russia with Love (film)From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
(1963) - Donald 'Red' Grant - The CracksmanThe CracksmanThe Cracksman is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Peter Graham Scott.-Plot:Charlie Drake plays an honest locksmith whose problem is that he cannot resist the challenge of a lock. He gets smoothtalked into a safecracking scheme by a couple of ruthless gangsters. He is duped by a debonair con...
(1963) - Moke - The Luck of Ginger CoffeyThe Luck of Ginger CoffeyThe Luck of Ginger Coffey is a 1964 film directed by Irvin Kershner. It was filmed in Montreal by Crawley Films. It is based on the Governor General's Award winning novel by Northern Irish-Canadian writer Brian Moore.- Plot :...
(1964) - Ginger Coffey - Carol for Another ChristmasCarol for Another ChristmasCarol for Another Christmas, scripted by Rod Serling as a modernization of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and a plea for global cooperation between nations, was telecast only once—December 28, 1964. The only TV movie ever directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, this was the film in which Peter...
(1964) - Ghost of Christmas Future - Tomorrow at TenTomorrow at TenTomorrow at Ten is a 1964 British thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring John Gregson, Robert Shaw, Kenneth Cope and William Hartnell in his final film appearance.-Plot:...
(1964) - Marlowe - HamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
(1964) - Claudius, King of Denmark - Battle of the BulgeBattle of the Bulge (film)Battle of the Bulge is a widescreen war film produced in Spain that was released in 1965. It was directed by Ken Annakin. It starred Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Telly Savalas, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews and Charles Bronson...
(1965) - Col. Martin Hessler - A Man for All SeasonsA Man for All Seasons (1966 film)A Man for All Seasons is a 1966 film based on Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons about Sir Thomas More. It was released on December 12, 1966. Paul Scofield, who had played More in the West End stage premiere, also took the role in the film. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann, who had...
(1966) - King Henry VIII - Custer of the WestCuster of the WestCuster of the West is a 1967 American Western film directed by Robert Siodmak. It tells a highly fictionalised version of the life and death of George Armstrong Custer. It was directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Robert Shaw as Custer, Robert Ryan and Mary Ure...
(1967) - Gen. George Armstrong Custer - The Birthday PartyThe Birthday Party (film)The Birthday Party is a 1968 British drama film directed by William Friedkin, based on an unpublished screenplay by 2005 Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter, which he adapted from his own play The Birthday Party, considered an example of Pinter's "comedy of menace".-Plot:The protagonist is a lodger in his...
(1968) - Stanley Webber - Battle of BritainBattle of Britain (film)Battle of Britain is a 1969 Technicolor film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the Battle of Britain...
(1969) - "Skipper" - The Royal Hunt of the SunThe Royal Hunt of the Sun (film)The Royal Hunt of the Sun is a 1969 British-American film based on the Peter Shaffer play of the same name. With a small rag-tag band of soldiers, Franciso Pizarro enters the Inca Empire and captures its leader, Atahualpa...
(1969) - Francisco Pizarro - Figures in a LandscapeFigures in a Landscape (film)Figures in a Landscape is a 1970 British film directed by Joseph Losey and written by star Robert Shaw. It is based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Barry England.-Synopsis:...
(1970) - MacConnachie (also adapted for the screen) - A Town Called Bastard (a.k.a. A Town Called Hell) (1971) - The Priest
- Young WinstonYoung WinstonYoung Winston is a 1972 British film based on the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.The film was based on the book My Early Life: A Roving Commission by Winston Churchill. The first part of the film covers Churchill's unhappy schooldays, up to the death of his father...
(1972) - Lord Randolph Churchill - A Reflection of Fear (a.k.a. Labyrinth) (1973) - Michael
- The HirelingThe HirelingThe Hireling is a 1973 British drama film directed by Alan Bridges, based on a 1957 novel by LP Hartley, which starred Robert Shaw and Sarah Miles...
(1973) - Steven Ledbetter - The StingThe StingThe Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
(1973) - Doyle Lonnegan - The Golden Voyage of SinbadThe Golden Voyage of SinbadThe Golden Voyage of Sinbad is a fantasy film released in 1974 and starring John Phillip Law as Sinbad. It includes a score by composer Miklós Rózsa and is known mostly for the stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen...
(1974) (uncredited) - The Oracle of All Knowledge - The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) - Mr. Blue - Bernard Ryder
- JawsJaws (film)Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
(1975) - Quint - The Man in the Glass BoothThe Man in the Glass BoothThe Man in the Glass Booth is a 1975 American drama film directed by Arthur Hiller. The screenplay was adapted from Robert Shaw's 1967 novel and 1968 stage play, both of the same name. The plot was inspired by images of the trial of Adolf Eichmann....
(1975) - - Der Richter und sein HenkerDer Richter und sein HenkerDer Richter und sein Henker is a novella by the Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt written in 1950 and first published in English in 1954, in a translation by Cyrus Brooks and later in a translation by Therese Pol. A new translation by Joel Agee appeared in 2006, published together with Suspicion ...
(a.k.a. End of the Game, Murder on the Bridge, Deception, and Getting Away with Murder) (1975) - Richard Gastmann - DiamondsDiamonds (film)Diamonds is a 1975 Israeli-American heist film. Robert Shaw stars in a dual role as twin brothers. Richard Roundtree, Barbara Hershey and Shelley Winters are co-stars...
(a.k.a. Diamond Shaft) (1975) - Charles/Earl Hodgson - Robin and MarianRobin and MarianRobin and Marian is a 1976 British/American co-produced romantic adventure period film filmed in Pamplona, Spain starring Sean Connery as Robin Hood, Audrey Hepburn as Lady Marian, Nicol Williamson as Little John, Robert Shaw as the Sheriff of Nottingham and Richard Harris as King Richard. It also...
(1976) - Sheriff of Nottingham - SwashbucklerSwashbuckler (film)Swashbuckler is a romantic adventure film produced in the U.S. by Universal Studios and released in 1976. It is a story that takes place in Jamaica in 1718 about a band of buccaneer pirates, led by Captain “Red” Ned Lynch, pitted against a greedy overlord, evil Lord Durant...
(a.k.a. Scarlet Buccaneer) (1976) - Ned Lynch - Black SundayBlack Sunday (1977 film)Black Sunday is a 1977 American thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer and based on the novel by Thomas Harris. The film starred Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, and Marthe Keller and was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture in 1978...
(1977) - Major David Kabokov - The DeepThe Deep (film)The Deep is a 1977 adventure film directed by Peter Yates and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The film stars Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, and Nick Nolte.-Plot:...
(1977) - Romer Treece - Force 10 from Navarone (1978) - Major Keith Mallory
- Avalanche ExpressAvalanche ExpressAvalanche Express is a cold war adventure thriller about a defecting Russian general, released in 1979. It starred Lee Marvin, Robert Shaw , Maximilian Schell, and Linda Evans, and was directed by Mark Robson and Monte Hellman...
(1979) - General Marenkov
Writing
- The Hiding PlaceThe Hiding PlaceThe Hiding Place is the title of:*The Hiding Place , a 1971 book by Corrie ten Boom*The Hiding Place , a 1975 film based on the book by ten Boom*The Hiding Place , a novel by Trezza Azzopardi...
(1960) - The Sun DoctorThe Sun DoctorThe Sun Doctor was the second novel written by author and actor Robert Shaw. It was published in 1961, and won the 1962 Hawthornden Prize....
(1961) - The FlagThe Flag (novel)The Flag is a novel written by author and actor Robert Shaw. It was published in 1965. The Flag was the first in a trilogy of novels, to be followed by The Man in the Glass Booth , and A Card from Morocco ....
(1965) - Situation Hopeless... But Not SeriousSituation Hopeless... But Not SeriousSituation Hopeless... But Not Serious is a 1965 comedy film starring Alec Guinness, Mike Connors and Robert Redford. It is based on the novel The Hiding Place by Robert Shaw....
(1965) (screenplay adaptation of The Hiding PlaceThe Hiding PlaceThe Hiding Place is the title of:*The Hiding Place , a 1971 book by Corrie ten Boom*The Hiding Place , a 1975 film based on the book by ten Boom*The Hiding Place , a novel by Trezza Azzopardi...
) - The Man in the Glass BoothThe Man in the Glass BoothThe Man in the Glass Booth is a 1975 American drama film directed by Arthur Hiller. The screenplay was adapted from Robert Shaw's 1967 novel and 1968 stage play, both of the same name. The plot was inspired by images of the trial of Adolf Eichmann....
(1967) - The Man in the Glass BoothThe Man in the Glass BoothThe Man in the Glass Booth is a 1975 American drama film directed by Arthur Hiller. The screenplay was adapted from Robert Shaw's 1967 novel and 1968 stage play, both of the same name. The plot was inspired by images of the trial of Adolf Eichmann....
(1968) (play adaptation) - A Card from MoroccoA Card from MoroccoA Card from Morocco is a novel written by author and actor Robert Shaw. It was published in 1969. A Card from Morocco was the final novel in a trilogy, having been preceded by The Flag and The Man in the Glass Booth ....
(1969) - Cato StreetCato StreetCato Street is a play by the British actor and writer Robert Shaw. The play's subject matter is the Cato Street Conspiracy of 1820. The play was first produced in London in November 1971, at the Young Vic, and the cast included Vanessa Redgrave, James Hazeldine, Bob Hoskins, George Innes,and...
(1971) (play)