- Darwin Shaw
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David Shaw Born Daud Shah Occupation Stage actor
Television actor
Film actorDarwin Shaw, under both his stage name and his real name of Daud Shah, is a British stage, film and television actor. Formerly a medical doctor he retrained as an actor at LAMDA in 2004 after studying theatre in New York City.
Contents
Early life
Shaw, the eldest of two boys was born in Brampton, Cumbria, England where his Grandfather was the local vicar (a relation of Orde Wingate). Shaw grew up in Leeds, Yorkshire where his mother was a social worker and nurse and his father worked as a special needs teacher and race relations advisor for the BBC.[1] He attended King's College London where he graduated as a medical doctor.[2]
Career
Shaw's first job after graduating from LAMDA was in Deborah Warner's production of Julius Caesar at the Barbican Theatre with an all-star cast which included Ralph Fiennes, Fiona Shaw and Simon Russell Beale. His breakthrough feature film role was as Fisher, James Bond's first kill,[3] in the opening of 2006's Casino Royale that introduced Daniel Craig as the new 007, and was directed by Martin Campbell. He played the jilted fiancée of Bollywood star Lisa Ray in I Can't Think Straight.
Shaw played Asoka in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time released May 2010 in an action role protecting Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) and the dagger of time from Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) in the Jerry Bruckheimer and Walt Disney production directed by Mike Newell. Sir Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina lead the accomplished cast which includes Ronald Pickup, Richard Coyle and Toby Kebbell.
He workied for Pixar in spring, 2010, on the film John Carter of Mars with an ensemble cast which includes Mark Strong, Willem Defoe, Taylor Kitsch and Dominic West directed by Oscar winner Andrew Stanton. Shah will be seen as the nemesis to Joshua Dallas and Vincent Regan in the forthcoming thriller Shadowline and will be directed by Bruce Ornstein in Vamperifica, playing the 'king' of the vampires, later in 2010.
In other media, Shaw has appeared in the IMAX production, Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs with William Hope and Nassar Memazia and in two television movies, Messiah: The Rapture with Marc Warren and Saddam's Tribe with Stanley Townsend and Daniel Mays.
He has appeared in two plays by Obie award winning playwright Naomi Wallace.
His first film role was as Adam in a 2002 addition to 1979's Jesus which, according to The New York Times,[4] ..."is likely the most-watched motion picture of all time".[5][6]
Shaw has also modeled for the photographer David Bailey,[7] and Shaw's character of Asoka from the film Prince of Persia has been reproduced as a LEGO figure.[8]
Shaw has made two films with Samantha Whittaker for their production company, Silent Kisses.
He was awarded the gold medal in Advanced Stage Combat by the British Academy of Dramatic Combat.
Filmography
Film
- Jesus/The Jesus Film (New Version) (2002) as Adam
- Casino Royale (2006) as Fisher
- I Can't Think Straight (2008) as Hani
- Bus Stop (2006) as Matt
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) as Asoka
- Vamperifica (2011) as Raven
- John Carter of Mars (2012) as Matai
Television
- London's Burning (2 episodes, 2002)
- Harry and Cosh (1 episode, 2002) as Doctor Desai
- Mummy Autopsy (1 episode, 2005) as Inca Priest
- Wire in the Blood (1 episode, 2006) as Ahmed Khan
- Saddam's Tribe: Bound by Blood (2007)
- Holby City (1 episode, 2007) as Mohammed Sheik
- Messiah: The Rapture (2008) as Khalid Al Faluni
References
- ^ Interview on BBC Radio Asian Network with Gagan Grewal, 3rd January, 2007
- ^ Singer, Michael (2010). We Make Our Own Destiny, p. 76. Disney Editions, New York. ISBN 978-142311754-4
- ^ Williams, Greg (2006) Bond On Set, p. 16-19. Dorling Kindersley, London. ISBN 1-4053-1658-6
- ^ NYTimes.com Article: The Passion's Precedent: The Most-Watched Film Ever?
- ^ The New York Times, July 22, 2003, page 1AR "1979 Bible Film is the Most-Watched Movie of All Time"
- ^ BBC News: The most watched film in history
- ^ Bailey, David (2005) Bailey's Democracy. Thames and Hudson, London. ISBN 0-500-54315-1
- ^ http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/Asoka
External links
- David Shaw at the Internet Movie Database
- Darwin Shaw image gallery with biographical profile and list of works at Curtis Brown Literary and Talent Agency
Categories:- Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
- Alumni of the University of London
- English film actors
- Living people
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