Sebastian Lewis Shaw was an English actor, director, author, playwright, and poet who was born on May 29, 1905. He appeared in scores of theatrical productions and more than 40 film and television productions during his 65-year career.
Shaw was born and raised in Holt, Norfolk, and had his acting debut in a London theatre at the age of eight. He went to Gresham’s School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art to study acting. He made his Broadway debut in 1929, playing one of the two murderers in Rope’s End, despite working mostly on the London stage.
In 1930, he made his film debut in Caste and immediately established himself as a leading man in the industry. As a child, he characterized himself as a ‘rotten actor’ who attributed his success to his beautiful looks. He claimed that only after returning from World War II service in the Royal Air Force did he mature as a performer.
Shaw was particularly well-known for his bold and ahead-of-his-time performances in Shakespeare productions. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966 and stayed for a decade, giving some of his most celebrated performances there.
In 1975, he published The Christening, a novel that he composed after several poems. He had a brief but significant appearance as the redeemed Anakin Skywalker in the third installment of the original Star Wars Trilogy, Return of the Jedi, in 1983, as well as Skywalker’s ghost in the film’s initial 1983 theatrical release.
Shaw died of natural causes on December 23, 1994, in Brighton, Sussex, England, at the age of 89. On February 15, 1995, a memorial ceremony was held at St Paul’s, Covent Garden, well known as the Actors’ Church because of its long relationship with the theatre community.
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