Stan Shaw facts for kids

Stan Shaw (born July 14, 1952) is an American actor.

Early life

Born in Chicago, Illinois, he is the son of Bertha Shaw and saxophonist Eddie Shaw, and cousin of the late soul singers Sam Cooke and Tyrone Davis. His brother is Vaan Shaw, a guitarist. He 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 as well as the Broadway production of The Me Nobody Knows. His last Broadway show, Via Galactica was directed by Peter Hall.

Before becoming an actor, Shaw was a karate, judo, and jujutsu instructor in Chicago. He holds first dan black belt in judo and jujutsu and a second dan in karate. Shaw appears in The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings in 1976 as Esquire Joe Calloway. Shaw appears also in Rocky (1976) as Dipper, a rival boxer who taunts Rocky after being given his locker. He also played a professional fighter in Tough Enough (1983), Harlem Nights (1989), and Snake Eyes (1998).

One of his most notable roles was his appearance as Alex Haley's maternal grandfather Will Palmer in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations. Another notable role was Private Washington in The Boys in Company C (1978). Shaw also plays Toomer Smalls in The Great Santini (1979). After a part in the 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes, he had a role in the 1995 comedy Houseguest, alongside Sinbad, and appeared as a pirate in Cutthroat Island (1995) with Geena Davis. He appeared as George Tyrell in the 1996 disaster film Daylight and as Archie Mullen in the film Freedom Song (2000).

Shaw's television credits include episodes of Starsky & Hutch, The Moneychangers, Matlock, The Young Riders, Hill Street Blues, Murder, She Wrote, The X-Files, and a 2009 episode of CSI. He had a regular role in the 1983 TV series The Mississippi. He also appeared as Isaac in the miniseries North and South.

Shaw is working on a film project, Gargoyle Bob, with Vincent Ho and Ted Boonthanakit. They plan to also create a graphic novel of the story.

Partial filmography

• 1974 Truck Turner as Fontana
• 1974 TNT Jackson as Charlie
• 1975 Darktown Strutters as "Raunchy"
• 1976 The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings as Joseph Vanderbilt "Esquire Joe" Callaway, An All-Star (CF)
• 1976 Rocky as Dipper "Big Dipper" Brown
• 1978 The Boys in Company C as Tyrone Washington
• 1979 The Great Santini as Toomer Smalls
• 1979 Roots: The Next Generations as Will Palmer
• 1983 Tough Enough as P.T. Coolidge
• 1984 Runaway as Sergeant Marvin James
• 1986 The Gladiator as Joe Barker
• 1986 Busted Up as Angie
• 1987 The Monster Squad as Detective Rich Sapir
• 1987 Billionaire Boys Club as Frank Booker
• 1988 Red River as Jack Byrd
• 1989 Harlem Nights as Jack Jenkins
• 1990 Fear as Detective Webber
• 1991 Fried Green Tomatoes as George "Big George"
• 1993 Body of Evidence as Charles Biggs
• 1993 Rising Sun as Phillips
• 1993 Lifepod as Parker
• 1995 Houseguest as Larry, The Tattoo Artist
• 1995 Cutthroat Island as Mr. Glasspoole
• 1996 Daylight as George Tyrell
• 1998 Snake Eyes as Lincoln "The Atlantic City Executioner" Tyler
• 2000 Freedom Song as Archie Mullen
• 2003 Detonator as Robert Brickland
• 2016 Cassidy Way as Mr. Kane
• 2017 Jeepers Creepers 3 as Sheriff Dan Tashtego
• 2019 A Christmas Winter Song as Fred (main character)
• 2020 The Pale Door as Lester
• 2021 Greyson Family Christmas as Dr. Greyson
• 2022 A Christmas Prayer as Deacon Williams