Ian Shaw

Ian Shaw is an English actor and playwright born on 18 December 1969 in London, England. The son of actors Robert Shaw and Mary Ure, he studied American Studies at Sussex University before training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

Shaw's stage career has spanned both classical and contemporary work across major British venues. At the Royal Exchange Manchester he appeared in repertory productions including Widowers' Houses, The Importance of Being Earnest, Nude With Violin, The Philadelphia Story, and The Brothers Karamazov. His other stage credits include Much Ado About Nothing in the West End, Three Sisters at the Nuffield and in Bath, Private Lives and Closer at Birmingham Rep, and The Rivals at Derby Playhouse and the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. At the National Theatre he played Friedrich in War Horse.

On screen, Shaw made his television debut in 1993 in an episode of Casualty and has since appeared in series including EastEnders, Soldier Soldier, The Bill, The Queen, Sharpe, Ultimate Force, Ghosts, Silent Witness, and Medics. His film appearances include Century (1993), Moondance (1995), The Boys From County Clare (2003), The Contract (2006), and Johnny English Reborn (2011).

Shaw co-wrote The Shark Is Broken with Joseph Nixon. The play centers on the making of Jaws, with Shaw performing the role of his own father, Robert Shaw. Directed by Guy Masterson, the production was the hit of the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, selling out its entire run. A planned London reopening at the Ambassadors Theatre in May 2020, produced by Sonia Friedman, was halted by the closure of British theatres during the COVID-19 pandemic. The production eventually reopened in October 2021, with Shaw reprising his role alongside Demetri Goritsas as Roy Scheider and Liam Murray Scott as Richard Dreyfuss. The play subsequently transferred to Broadway, where it opened in 2023, marking Shaw's Broadway debut as both performer and book writer.