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Sebastian Lewis Shaw (29 May 1905 – 23 December 1994) was an English actor, director, novelist, playwright and poet. During his 65-year career, he appeared in dozens of stage performances and more than 40 film and television productions. Shaw was born and brought up in Holt, Norfolk, and made his acting debut at age eight at a London theatre. He studied acting at Gresham's School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Although he worked primarily on the London stage, he made his Broadway debut in 1929, when he played one of the two murderers in ''Rope's End''. He appeared in his first film, ''Caste'', in 1930 and quickly began to create a name for himself in films. He described himself as a "rotten actor"〔"Sebastian Shaw Obituary," the ''Daily Telegraph'', 2 January 1995.〕 as a youth and said his success was primarily due to his good looks. He claimed to mature as a performer only after returning from service in the Royal Air Force during World War II. Shaw was particularly known for his performances in productions of Shakespeare plays which were considered daring and ahead of their time. In 1966, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he remained for a decade and delivered some of his most acclaimed performances. He also wrote several poems and a novel, ''The Christening'', in 1975. He is also known for his brief but important performance in ''Return of the Jedi'', the original third installment in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, in which he portrayed an unmasked Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker's ghost in the original version of the film. == Early life and career == Shaw was one of three children born to Dr. Geoffrey Shaw, the music master at Gresham's School, a Norfolk independent boarding school, where Shaw began his education.〔Leech, Richard. "Better Than Beefcake: Sebastian Shaw," ''The Guardian'', 29 December 1994, Features (section), pg. T12.〕 His uncle, Martin Shaw, was a composer of church music, and his family's love of music heavily influenced Shaw's career path.〔"Sebastian Shaw," ''The Times'', 30 December 1994, Features (section).〕 Shaw made his acting debut at age eight on the London stage as one of the juvenile band in ''The Cockyolly Bird'' at the Royal Court Theatre in Chelsea〔 on New Year's Day of 1914.〔 During his time at Gresham's, he also played Petruchio in ''The Taming of the Shrew'', his first of many performances from the works of William Shakespeare; schoolmate W. H. Auden, who would go on to become a highly regarded poet, portrayed Katherina in the play opposite him.〔 After Gresham's, Shaw planned to become a painter and spent two years at the Slade School of Fine Art before switching his interests to acting; regarding the change, his father informed him, "I wondered when you would come to your senses."〔 He earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in Bloomsbury, London.〔 Actor Charles Laughton enrolled in the Academy at the same time as Shaw, who later said his first impression of Laughton was "a poor fat boy".〔Kernan, Michael. "Sebastian Shaw & the Shades of the Bard" ''The Washington Post'', 1 March 1980, Style (section), pg. B2.〕 Although Shaw and his fellow students initially felt pity for Laughton, they were quickly impressed with his talent.〔 Shaw appeared in regional theatres in Bristol, Liverpool and Hull. In 1925, he performed in London as the Archangel in ''The Sign of the Sun'', and played first Lewis Dodd and then the Major in separate productions of ''The Constant Nymph''.〔 He received instruction in verse speaking under famed theatre director William Bridges-Adams in the Stratford Festival Company at Stratford-upon-Avon,〔 where he played some of his early Shakespeare roles, including Romeo in ''Romeo and Juliet'', Ferdinand in ''The Tempest'' and Prince Hal in ''Henry IV'' in 1926. He was criticised for the audacity he displayed in the latter role. When Prince Hal takes on his kingship and rejects the self-indulgent character Falstaff, convention of the day called for Prince Hal to change from a jovial drinking partner to an arrogant snob, but Shaw saw the view as simple-minded and contradictory toward Shakespeare's script. Instead, he displayed inward regrets about leaving Falstaff and accepting the new responsibilities. The interpretation was criticised at the time but, years later, became the standard approach to the character.〔Seaton, Ray. "Mr. Shaw's Voyage of Discovery," ''Express and Star'', 29 April 1974.〕 Shaw made his Broadway debut in 1929, when he played the murderer Wyndham Brandon in Patrick Hamilton's stage thriller, ''Rope's End''; although he played the role in New York, he was passed over when the show moved to London. In 1929, he married Margaret Delamere and lived with her in the Albany, an apartment complex off of Piccadilly in London.〔 The two would eventually have a daughter together named Drusilla (born 1932).〔"IN MEMORIAM Mr. Sebastian Shaw," ''The Daily Telegraph'', 15 February 1995.〕 He returned to the works of William Shakespeare in 1931, playing Claudio in ''Measure for Measure'' at London's Fortune Playhouse. In 1932 he once again played Romeo at the Embassy Theatre.〔 Other works around this period included productions of Ivor Novello's ''Sunshine Sisters'' in 1933, ''Double Door'' alongside actress Sybil Thorndike in 1934, J.M. Barrie's ''A Kiss for Cinderella'' in 1937, and Robert Morley's ''Goodness, How Sad'' in 1938.〔 The first film Shaw appeared in was ''Caste'' in 1930. He soon began to make a name for himself in films such as ''Brewster's Millions'' in 1935, ''Men Are Not Gods'' in 1936 and ''Farewell Again'' in 1937.〔 He was making about £300 a week during this stage of his career,〔 a significant sum higher than the salary of the British Prime Minister of the time. He brought what the ''Daily Telegraph'' described as a "smooth villainy"〔 to the role of Frank Sutton in ''The Squeaker'' in 1937, while in 1939 he played the hero Cmdr. David Blacklock alongside Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson in ''The Spy in Black'', Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's first collaboration.〔 Shaw described himself as a film buff and called Academy Award-winning actor Spencer Tracy his "great god of all screen actors";〔Pirani, Adam. "Sebastian Shaw: The Return of Anakin Skywalker," ''Starlog'', July 1987, Vol. 11, Iss. 120, pg. 56–57,+96.〕 he was so impressed by Tracy's technique that he claimed to become depressed while watching his films because Tracy made acting look simple, while Shaw claimed to find it so difficult to master himself.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sebastian Shaw (actor)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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