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 (1974). 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).

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.^[2] His brother is Vaan Shaw, a guitarist also known as Eddie Shaw Jr.^[3] Stan Shaw is married to Dr. Zoe Shaw, who is an author and psychotherapist.

Shaw started his acting career^[3] in the Chicago production of the musical Hair as well as the Broadway production of The Me Nobody Knows. He starred in the Broadway rock musical Via Galactica directed by Peter Hall in 1972.^[4] 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[5] 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.^[6][7] In 1979 he had supporting role in the drama film The Great Santini.^[8] 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, 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."^[9]

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.^[10] 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, the episode of anthology series, American Playhouse.^[11] 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.^[2]

Shaw played a professional fighters in films Tough Enough (1983), Busted Up (1986), Harlem Nights (1989), and Snake Eyes (1998). He also appeared in films Runaway (1984), The Monster Squad (1987), Body of Evidence (1993) and Rising Sun (1993). In 1991, Shaw appeared in the comedy-drama film Fried Green Tomatoes. He had a role in the 1995 comedy film 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 television film Freedom Song (2000).

In 2000s and early 2010s, Shaw left the screen, making only selected appearances in television series The X Files and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In 2017 he made his big screen return starring in the horror film Jeepers Creepers 3.^[12][13] In 2019 he guest-starred in the Kristoff St. John's funeral episode of CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless.^[14] In 2020 he appeared in the horror film The Pale Door.^[15] In 2022 he joined the cast of BET+ drama series, The Family Business playing Larry Duncan.^[16] In 2024 he was cast in its spin-off series, The Family Business: New Orleans.^[17] In 2023 he had recurring role in the NBC medical drama series, Chicago Med.^[18]

Television and film roles

• Stan Shaw at IMDb
• Stan Shaw at AllMovie