Stan Shaw (born July 14, 1952) is an American actor. He began his career performing on Broadway musicals ''
Hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...
'' and ''
Via Galactica
''Via Galactica'' is a rock musical with a book by Christopher Gore and Judith Ross, lyrics by Gore, and music by Galt MacDermot. It marked the Broadway debut of actor Mark Baker.
Originally entitled ''Up!'', it offers a futuristic story of so ...
'', before making his feature film debut appearing in ''
Truck Turner
''Truck Turner'', also known as ''Black Bullet'', is a 1974 American blaxploitation film, starring Isaac Hayes and Yaphet Kotto, and directed by Jonathan Kaplan. The screenplay was written by Michael Allin, Leigh Chapman (under a pseudonym, J ...
'' (1974). Shaw later appeared in films such as ''
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings'' (1976), ''
Rocky
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also star ...
'' (1976), ''
The Boys in Company C'' (1978), ''
The Great Santini
''The Great Santini'' is a 1979 American drama film written and directed by Lewis John Carlino. It is based on the 1976 novel by Pat Conroy. The film stars Robert Duvall, Blythe Danner, and Michael O'Keefe.
Plot
A warrior without a war, Lt. ...
'' (1979), ''
Runaway'' (1984), ''
The Monster Squad
''The Monster Squad'' is a 1987 American horror comedy film directed by Fred Dekker, and written by Dekker and Shane Black. Peter Hyams and Rob Cohen served as executive producers. It was released by Tri-Star Pictures on August 14, 1987. T ...
'' (1987), ''
Harlem Nights
''Harlem Nights'' is a 1989 American crime comedy drama film starring, written, and directed by Eddie Murphy. The film co-stars Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx (in his last film appearance before his death in 1991), Danny Aiello, Michael Lerner, Del ...
'' (1989), ''
Fried Green Tomatoes
''Fried Green Tomatoes'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Avnet and based on Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel '' Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''. Written by Flagg and Carol Sobieski, and starring Kathy Bates, J ...
'' (1991), ''
Rising Sun'' (1993), ''
Cutthroat Island
''Cutthroat Island'' is a 1995 adventure swashbuckler film directed by Renny Harlin and written by Robert King and Marc Norman from a story by Michael Frost Beckner, James Gorman, Bruce A. Evans, and Raynold Gideon. It stars Geena Davis, M ...
'' (1995), ''
Daylight
Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunlig ...
'' (1996) and ''
Snake Eyes'' (1998).
Early life
Born in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, he is the son of Bertha Shaw and saxophonist
Eddie Shaw, and cousin of the late soul singers
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...
and
Tyrone Davis
Tyrone Davis (born Tyrone D. Fettson or Tyrone D. Branch, October 3, 1937 – February 9, 2005) (although many sources have his date of birth as May 4, 1938), was an American blues and soul singer with a long list of hit records over more th ...
.
His brother is Vaan Shaw, a guitarist also known as Eddie Shaw Jr.
Stan Shaw is married to Dr. Zoe Shaw, who is an author and psychotherapist.
Career
Shaw started his acting career
in the Chicago production of the musical ''
Hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...
'' as well as the Broadway production of ''The Me Nobody Knows''. He starred in the Broadway rock musical ''
Via Galactica
''Via Galactica'' is a rock musical with a book by Christopher Gore and Judith Ross, lyrics by Gore, and music by Galt MacDermot. It marked the Broadway debut of actor Mark Baker.
Originally entitled ''Up!'', it offers a futuristic story of so ...
'' directed by
Peter Hall in 1972. Before becoming an actor, Shaw was a
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
,
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
, and
jujutsu
Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...
instructor in Chicago. He holds first ''dan''
black belt in judo and jujutsu and a second dan in karate. He made his big screen debut appearing in the
blaxploitation
In American cinema, Blaxploitation is the film subgenre of action movie derived from the exploitation film genre in the early 1970s, consequent to the combined cultural momentum of the black civil rights movement, the black power movement, ...
films ''
Truck Turner
''Truck Turner'', also known as ''Black Bullet'', is a 1974 American blaxploitation film, starring Isaac Hayes and Yaphet Kotto, and directed by Jonathan Kaplan. The screenplay was written by Michael Allin, Leigh Chapman (under a pseudonym, J ...
'' and ''
TNT Jackson'', both released in 1974. The following year he appeared in the musical film ''
Darktown Strutters''.
In 1976, Shaw starred in the sports comedy film ''
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings'' as Joseph Vanderbilt "Esquire Joe" Calloway alongside
Billy Dee Williams
William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American retired actor, novelist and painter. He has appeared in over 100 films and television roles over six decades. He is best known for portraying Lando Calrissian in the ''Star Wars ...
,
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. A pioneer for black actors in the entertainment industry, Jones is known for his extensive and acclaimed roles on stage and screen. Jones is one of the few perfor ...
and
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...
. Later that year, Shaw appeared in the sports drama ''
Rocky
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also star ...
'' (1976) as "Big Dipper" Brown, a rival boxer who taunts Rocky after being given his locker. In 1978 he went to star in the war drama film, ''
The Boys in Company C'' about
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
recruits preparing for duty and their subsequent combat in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. In 1979 he had supporting role in the drama film ''
The Great Santini
''The Great Santini'' is a 1979 American drama film written and directed by Lewis John Carlino. It is based on the 1976 novel by Pat Conroy. The film stars Robert Duvall, Blythe Danner, and Michael O'Keefe.
Plot
A warrior without a war, Lt. ...
''. Later in 1979, Shaw starred as
Alex Haley
Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family.'' ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and ...
's maternal grandfather Will Palmer in the television miniseries ''
Roots: The Next Generations''. In his 1979 interview to ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Shaw said : “I've turned the sitcom down. I think I'm worthy of better things. People have choices, and careers are made up of what you choose and turn down. It's a career for me, and I'm looking for something that's going to make me last."
Shaw starred in a number of television pilots, notable 1979 NBC Western ''Buffalo Soldiers'' about black cavalry corps known as the
Buffalo Soldiers, who protected the Western territories after the end of the Civil War. From 1983 to 1984 he starred in the CBS legal drama series, ''
The Mississippi
The Mississippi River is the primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota ...
''. In 1984 he starred in the HBO prison drama series, ''
Maximum Security''. The following year he starred in ''
Displaced Person
Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of perse ...
'', the episode of anthology series, ''
American Playhouse
''American Playhouse'' is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
It premiered on January 12, 1982, with ''The Shady Hill Kidnapping'', written and narrated by John Cheever and direc ...
''. In 1986 he co-starred opposite
Cicely Tyson
Cecily Louise "Cicely" Tyson (; December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, she is known for her portrayals of complex and strong-willed African American women. She received sev ...
and
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...
in the made-for-television movie ''
Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story'' and in 1987 starred in the controversial miniseries ''
Billionaire Boys Club''. He also made appearances in television series ''
Hill Street Blues
''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the Metropolitan Police Department staff ...
'', ''
Fame'', ''
The Young Riders
''The Young Riders'' is an American Western television series created by Ed Spielman that presents a fictionalized account of a group of young Pony Express riders (some of whom are young versions of legendary figures in Old West history) based ...
'', ''
Wiseguy'' and ''
Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...
''. He also appeared as Isaac in the 1994 miniseries ''
North and South''. He received
NAACP Theatre Awards
The NAACP Theatre Awards are an NAACP member voted awards started in 1991 and presented annually by the Beverly Hills-Hollywood branch of the NAACP to honor outstanding people of color in theater. The ceremonies usually take place in the Los Ange ...
for performance in
Samm-Art Williams' play ''Home''.
Shaw played a professional fighters in films ''
Tough Enough'' (1983), ''Busted Up'' (1986), ''
Harlem Nights
''Harlem Nights'' is a 1989 American crime comedy drama film starring, written, and directed by Eddie Murphy. The film co-stars Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx (in his last film appearance before his death in 1991), Danny Aiello, Michael Lerner, Del ...
'' (1989), and ''
Snake Eyes'' (1998). He also appeared in films ''
Runaway'' (1984), ''
The Monster Squad
''The Monster Squad'' is a 1987 American horror comedy film directed by Fred Dekker, and written by Dekker and Shane Black. Peter Hyams and Rob Cohen served as executive producers. It was released by Tri-Star Pictures on August 14, 1987. T ...
'' (1987), ''
Body of Evidence'' (1993) and ''
Rising Sun'' (1993). In 1991, Shaw appeared in the comedy-drama film ''
Fried Green Tomatoes
''Fried Green Tomatoes'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Avnet and based on Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel '' Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''. Written by Flagg and Carol Sobieski, and starring Kathy Bates, J ...
''. He had a role in the 1995 comedy film ''
Houseguest
''Houseguest'' is a 1995 American comedy film starring Sinbad and Phil Hartman and directed by Randall Miller, released to theaters in the United States on January 6, 1995.
Plot
Kevin Franklin is an inner city Pittsburgh native. Raised in an o ...
'', alongside
Sinbad, and appeared as a pirate in ''
Cutthroat Island
''Cutthroat Island'' is a 1995 adventure swashbuckler film directed by Renny Harlin and written by Robert King and Marc Norman from a story by Michael Frost Beckner, James Gorman, Bruce A. Evans, and Raynold Gideon. It stars Geena Davis, M ...
'' (1995) with
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Davis made her acting debut in the satirical romantic comedy ''Toots ...
. He appeared as George Tyrell in the 1996 disaster film ''
Daylight
Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunlig ...
'' and as Archie Mullen in the television film ''
Freedom Song'' (2000).
In 2000s and early 2010s, Shaw left the screen, making only selected appearances in television series ''
The X Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to May 19, 2002, on Fox, spanning nine seasons, with 202 episodes. A tenth season of six e ...
'' and ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. In 2017 he made his big screen return starring in the horror film ''
Jeepers Creepers 3''. In 2019 he guest-starred in the
Kristoff St. John's funeral episode of CBS soap opera ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
''. In 2020 he appeared in the horror film ''
The Pale Door''. In 2022 he joined the cast of BET+ drama series, ''
The Family Business'' playing Larry Duncan. In 2024 he was cast in its spin-off series, ''
The Family Business: New Orleans''. In 2023 he had recurring role in the NBC medical drama series, ''
Chicago Med
''Chicago Med'' is an American medical drama series broadcast by NBC and created by Dick Wolf as the third installment of the ''Chicago'' franchise. It stars Nick Gehlfuss, Yaya DaCosta, Torrey DeVitto, Rachel DiPillo, Colin Donnell, ...
''.
Filmography
Television and film roles
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Stan
1952 births
Living people
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male judoka
American jujutsuka
American male karateka
Male actors from Illinois
American male television actors
21st-century African-American male actors
21st-century American male actors
20th-century African-American male actors
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American sportsmen