- His performance as Captain Quint in Jaws (1975) is ranked #28 on "Premiere" Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
- Many of Captain Quint's ramblings in Jaws (1975) were actually Shaw's improvisations, and he is considered one of many authors of the famous USS Indianapolis scene.
- Was made to wear lifts when filming From Russia with Love (1963) to appear physically threatening to Sean Connery. Connery was about four inches taller than Shaw. He also dyed his hair blonde.
- In the town of Westhoughton in England, there is a pub called The Robert Shaw.
- Allegedly didn't get along with Richard Dreyfuss while filming Jaws (1975).
- One of three actors to have been Oscar-nominated for playing King Henry VIII of England. The other two are Charles Laughton and Richard Burton, but Laughton is the only one of the three to have won (in 1933).
- Although he had been paid $350,000 for his role in "Battle of the Bulge" (1965)--in those days, roughly £125,000 and more than he had made in his entire career up to that point--he was prepared to reduce his fee to £12,000 for his next film, "A Man For All Seasons", which he regarded as a film of much higher quality.
- Twice portrayed a villain opposite a hero played by Sean Connery. The first was that of SPECTRE killer Donald Grant in From Russia with Love (1963) opposite Connery as secret agent James Bond 007. The second was the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin and Marian (1976) opposite Connery as aging forest archer Robin Hood.
- A keen sportsman, he played rugby for London Wasps. In 1957 his school quarter-mile record still stood. He was an expert swordsman and a squash enthusiast.
- Once Robert Shaw began experiencing initial stardom, he quickly dismissed it as something to not take seriously.
- Has been acknowledged as a big influence on fellow actor Richard Dreyfuss.
- Was nominated for Broadway's 1969 Tony Award as author of best play nominee The Man in the Glass Booth.
- One regular means of relaxation, was to play music loudly on his stereo at home. Robert Shaw enjoyed listening to the likes of the Beatles and Joe Cocker.
- Marvel Comics villain Sebastian Shaw was named and modeled after him.
- Appeared in two Best Picture Academy Award winners: A Man for All Seasons (1966) and The Sting (1973), and one other Best Picture nominee: Jaws (1975).
- Was reportedly unhappy with the film adaptation of his play, "The Man in the Glass Booth." So much so, the actor refused to have his name included on the film's credits.
- True to his acting roots, Robert Shaw continued working in the theatre throughout his life.
- His film career began to falter during the latter half of the 1960s before it regained momentum.
- In "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" (1973), Orson Welles was due to play The Oracle but his agent asked for an extortionate fee for the expected 3 days of voice work. The film company turned to Robert Shaw who was holidaying in Spain where the unit was, and he did the work in a day.
- After his TV role in The Buccaneers (1956), he changed track and joined the London Old Vic Company ,playing in many Shakespearean dramas which then took him to the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-on-Avon, England.
- Father of film editor, Penelope Shaw.
- From the early 1960s, Robert Shaw viewed Sean Connery as his main rival in terms of succeeding as a big star.
- Moved to the Irish Republic in 1965, where he lived with his family for the rest of his life.
- Throughout his life, the actor said that he experienced more satisfaction from writing than acting.
- Uncle of author, actor and filmmaker Scott Shaw.
- Some actors who worked with Shaw, found him to be rather competitive on the set and issuing challenges of different kinds.
- Was considered for the role of Peter Janeway in Marathon Man (1976).
- Due to a back injury as a young man, Robert Shaw had a particular gait where his one shoulder was lower than the other.
- He has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Sting (1973) and Jaws (1975).
- Until recently, very little footage of Robert Shaw being interviewed was thought to exist.
- Had a farm in Ireland.
- Reportedly, the actor wasn't interested in playing the role of Quint. It took a lot of persuasion from his wife, Mary Ure, before changing his mind.
- Before deciding on an acting career, Robert Shaw briefly worked as a school teacher.
- After "The Buccaneers" show was canceled, acting jobs were scarce for a while. Robert Shaw worked in a food factory for about a year, as a result.
- Father of Ian Shaw and Colin Shaw.
- During his time as a RADA student in the late 1940s, Shaw's acting tended to be criticized for being raucous and bombastic.
- Disliked working with Maximilian Schell during filming of "End of the Game," when the latter was director.
- When director Sam Peckinpah was planning his war movie "Cross of Iron," he wanted Robert Shaw for the leading role of Sergeant Steiner.
- Both he and director Mark Robson, passed away before the release of "Avalanche Express," in which they were both working.
- Is one of 13 actors to have received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of a real-life king. The others in chronological order are Charles Laughton for The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), Robert Morley for Marie Antoinette (1938), Basil Rathbone for If I Were King (1938), Laurence Olivier for Henry V (1944) and Richard III (1955), José Ferrer for Joan of Arc (1948), Yul Brynner for The King and I (1956), John Gielgud for Becket (1964), Peter O'Toole for Becket (1964) and The Lion in Winter (1968), Richard Burton for Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), Kenneth Branagh for Henry V (1989), Nigel Hawthorne for The Madness of King George (1994), and Colin Firth for The King's Speech (2010).
- In the novel "The Taking of Pelham 123", one of the characters liked to walk off nervous energy, and Shaw played the villain in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974); he tried to walk off chest pains in 1978 and wound up dying of a heart attack.
- Wrote a draft of The Ipcress File (1965) that wasn't used.
- Wasn't very keen on driving cars or any other vehicle.
- For two years during the 1940s, Shaw was directed in the theatre by John Gielgud.
- Appeared in a theatre production of "Old Times" by Harold Pinter in 1971.
- Played the title role in a stage musical of "Elmer Gantry" in 1970.
- Was in the original stage production of "The Long and the Short and the Tall" in 1959. Shaw played Sergeant Mitchem.
- Appeared in a theatre production of Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker" in 1961. Along with fellow cast members Alan Bates and Donald Pleasence, he reprised his role for the film version in 1963.
- His play "The Man in the Glass Booth," made its debut on Broadway in 1967. Directed by Harold Pinter and starring Donald Pleasence in the lead, the play received positive reviews.
- Parents were Thomas and Doreen Shaw. He had three sisters and one brother.
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