Born in Westhoughton, England. The son of a physician whose losing bout with alcoholism led to his suicide when Robert was 12, he was raised in Scotland, then in England's Cornwall, and was drawn to both acting and writing at a young age. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his stage debut in 1949 with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-on-Avon and subsequently appeared in many plays and films. On the screen from the 1950s, he was seen mainly in character roles, often as a nasty villain, in both British and US films, but in the mid-70s, around the age of 50, he suddenly emerged as a highly paid star in such popular films as THE STING (1973), JAWS (1975), SWASHBUCKLER (1976) and THE DEEP (1977). Other notable screen credits include THE DAM BUSTERS (1955), A HILL IN KOREA and DOUBLECROSS (both 1956), MAN FROM TANGIER (1957), SEA FURY (1958), LIBEL (1959), THE VALIANT (1962), THE CARETAKER, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and THE CRACKSMAN (all 1963), TOMORROW AT TEN and THE LUCK OF GINGER COFFEY (both 1964), BATTLE OF THE BULGE (1965), A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966), CUSTER OF THE WEST (1967), THE BIRTHDAY PARTY (1968), THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN and THE ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN (both 1969), FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE (1970), A TOWN CALLED HELL (1971), YOUNG WINSTON (1972), REFLECTION OF FEAR and THE HIRELING (both 1973), THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1974), DIAMONDS (1975), ROBIN AND MARION (1976), BLACK SUNDAY (1977), and FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE and his last film, AVALANCHE EXPRESS (both 1979). He wrote a play, Off the Mainland, and several novels, including The Hiding Place (1959), The Sun Doctor (1961), The Flag (1965), and The Man in the Glass Booth (1967). He adapted the latter into a play that was presented successfully on the London stage and on Broadway in 1967-68 and was turned into a film in 1975. The Hiding Place provided the basis for the screen comedy SITUATION HOPELESS -- BUT NOT SERIOUS (1965). Shaw, who had made his home on a vast estate in County Mayo, Ireland, with his third wife and 10 children, died of a heart attack at 51. His second wife was actress Mary Ure.  Nominated for Supporting Actor 1966: A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS 1 nomination