Stan Shaw

Stan Shaw (born July 14, 1952) is an American actor. He began his career performing on Broadway musicals Hair and Via Galactica, before making his feature film debut appearing in Truck Turner. Shaw later appeared in films such as: The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976), Rocky (1976), The Boys in Company C (1978), The Great Santini (1979), Runaway (1984), The Monster Squad (1987), Harlem Nights (1989), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Rising Sun (1993), Cutthroat Island (1995), Daylight (1996) and Snake Eyes (1998).

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 also known as Eddie Shaw Jr. Stan Shaw (42) was married to Dr. Zoe Shaw (19) in 1996, who is an author and psychotherapist. They divorced in 2023.

Career Shaw started his acting career 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. He made his big screen debut appearing in the blaxploitation films Truck Turner 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, James Earl Jones and Richard Pryor. Later that year, Shaw appeared in the sports drama Rocky (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 recruits preparing for duty and their subsequent combat in the Vietnam War. In 1979 he had a supporting role in the drama film The Great Santini. Later in 1979, Shaw starred as Alex Haley's maternal grandfather Will Palmer in the television miniseries Roots: The Next Generations. In his 1979 interview to The New York Times, shortly after having been offered a role in a situation comedy, 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. In 1984 he starred in the HBO prison drama series, Maximum Security. The following year he starred in Displaced Person, an episode of anthology series, American Playhouse. In 1986 he co-starred opposite Cicely Tyson and Martin Sheen 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, Fame, The Young Riders, Wiseguy and Murder, She Wrote. He also appeared as Isaac in the 1994 miniseries North and South. He received NAACP Theatre Awards for performance in Samm-Art Williams' play Home. In 2019 he guest-starred in the Kristoff St. John's funeral episode of CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. 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 a recurring role in the NBC medical drama series, Chicago Med.

Filmography

Television and film roles