Darwin Shaw

Last updated

Darwin Shaw
Born
Brampton, England
Occupation(s)Actor
Filmmaker
Screenwriter.

Darwin Shaw is a British stage, film and television actor, and director. Formerly practicing as a medical doctor, he retrained as an actor at LAMDA in 2004 after studying theatre in New York City.

Contents

Early life

Shaw, the elder of two boys, was born in Brampton, Cumbria, England. Shaw comes from a background of mixed culture, religion and experiences - his father was born in Amritsar (his paternal grandparents were from Kashmir and Afghanistan) and his mother is British (his maternal grandfather was the local vicar, a relation of Orde Wingate). Shaw grew up in Leeds [1] and later studied at King's College London where he graduated as a medical doctor. [2]

Career

Shaw worked as a doctor at King's College Hospital before retraining in classical theatre at LAMDA. His first professional role was in Deborah Warner's production of Julius Caesar at the Barbican Theatre with a cast which included Ralph Fiennes, Fiona Shaw and Simon Russell Beale. His first 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 has played in several independent movies including as 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 worked for Pixar in spring 2010 on the film John Carter , with an ensemble cast that included Mark Strong, Willem Dafoe, Taylor Kitsch and Dominic West, and directed by Oscar winner Andrew Stanton. The following year, he appeared in the opening scene of Prometheus directed by Ridley Scott as one of the Elder Engineers. [4]

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. Other television appearances include Call the Midwife as Zakir, Trigger Point with Josh Dallas, Endeavour as Prince Nabil and as Augustino in the second series of The Borgias for Showtime with Sean Harris. [5] Shaw was a guest star as the leader of the Hashashin, Hassan-i Sabbah in the Netflix production, Marco Polo .

He made his debut for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2011 playing Will Scarlet in the premiere of the critically acclaimed The Heart of Robin Hood [6] directed by Gisli Ӧrn Gardarsson [7] of Vesturport, an Icelandic theatre company known for their use of aerial acrobatic skills, in this case corde lisse. [8] He has also performed two plays by Obie award winning playwright Naomi Wallace.

Shaw played the leading role of Saint Peter in the television mini-series, The Bible , produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, which is based on the Bible. It aired on The History Channel in 2013. [9] His first biblical role was as Adam in a 2002 addition to 1979's Jesus which, according to The New York Times , [10] ..."is likely the most-watched motion picture of all time". [11] [12]

Shaw played unscrupulous lawyers [13] in Homeland as Ahmed Nazari, with a storyline with Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) and Allison Carr (Miranda Otto) and also in the final season of House of Cards as Rafiq Nasser opposite Robin Wright (Claire Underwood) and Patricia Clarkson (Jane Davis). He has more recently appeared in Moon Knight with Oscar Isaac and Sugar with Colin Farrell.

Film-making

Shaw is developing an international television anthology titled The Antiviral Film Project. [14] The second film The Last Ranger has won ten best live-action drama awards including best narrative short at the Oscar qualifying Pan-African Film Festival . [15]

Trivia

Shaw has modelled for the photographer David Bailey. [16] His character of Asoka from the film Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was reproduced as a LEGO figure. He was awarded the gold medal in Advanced Stage Combat by the British Academy of Dramatic Combat.

Filmography

Film

Television

Related Research Articles

<i>The Adventures of Robin Hood</i> 1938 film by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley

The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and written by Norman Reilly Raine and Seton I. Miller.

<i>The Adventures of Robin Hood</i> (TV series) British television series (1955–1959)

The Adventures of Robin Hood is a British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes broadcast weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV. It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood, and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show followed the legendary character Robin Hood and his band of merry men in Sherwood Forest and the surrounding vicinity. While some episodes dramatised the traditional Robin Hood tales, most were original dramas created by the show's writers and producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Stephens</span> British actor (born 1969)

Toby Stephens is a British actor who has appeared in films in the United Kingdom, United States and India. He is known for the roles of Bond villain Gustav Graves in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day, for which he was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, William Gordon in the 2005 Mangal Pandey: The Rising film and Edward Fairfax Rochester in the 2006 BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre. From 2014 to 2017, he starred as Captain Flint in the Starz television series Black Sails, followed by one of the lead roles in the Netflix science fiction series Lost in Space from 2018 to 2021. He has starred as the Greek God Poseidon in Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Shaw</span> English actor (born 1945)

Martin Shaw is an English stage, television, and film actor. He came to national recognition in the role of Ray Doyle in ITV crime-action television drama series The Professionals (1977–1983). Further notable television parts include the title roles in The Chief (1993–1995), Judge John Deed (2001–2007) and Inspector George Gently (2007–2017). He has also acted on stage and in film, and has narrated numerous audiobooks and presented various television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Collins</span> English actor (1946–2013)

Lewis Collins was an English actor, best known for his career-defining role playing 'Bodie' in the late 1970s – early 1980s British television series The Professionals.

Alan-a-Dale is a figure in the Robin Hood legend. According to the stories, he was a wandering minstrel who became a member of Robin's band of outlaws, the "Merry Men".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Arnatt</span> British actor (1917–1999)

John Edwin Arnatt was a British actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Zuber</span> Indian actor (1944–2003)

Zubair Ahmed Siddiqi, better known as Marc Zuber, was an actor who appeared in many British and Hindi films and television dramas.

<i>Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time</i> (film) 2010 American action fantasy film

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2010 American action fantasy film directed by Mike Newell from a screenplay by Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard, based on the video game series Prince of Persia created by Jordan Mechner. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, and Alfred Molina. It is an adaptation of the 2003 video game of the same name published by Ubisoft. Elements from its sequels Warrior Within and The Two Thrones are also incorporated.

Jeremy Mahony Sinden was an English actor who specialised in playing eccentric military men and overgrown schoolboys.

George Innes is a British actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swashbuckler film</span> Subgenre of the adventure film genre

A swashbuckler film is characterised by swordfighting and adventurous heroic characters, known as swashbucklers. While morality is typically clear-cut, heroes and villains alike often, but not always, follow a code of honor. Some swashbuckler films have romantic elements, most frequently a damsel in distress. Both real and fictional historical events often feature prominently in the plot.

The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the local people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes. Robin Hood fights against him, stealing from the rich, and the Sheriff, in order to give to the poor; it is this characteristic for which Robin Hood is best known. The Sheriff is considered the archenemy of Robin Hood, as he is the most recurring enemy of the well-known outlaw.

Walter Leonard Sparrow was an English film and television actor best known for his appearance as Duncan in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner.

Lego Prince of Persia Lego theme

Lego Prince of Persia was a Lego theme based on the 2010 film Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. It was licensed from Walt Disney Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, and Ubisoft. The theme was introduced in 2010 and was discontinued by the end of 2011.

<i>The Borgias</i> (2011 TV series) Television series

The Borgias is a historical drama television series created by Neil Jordan; it debuted in 2011 and was canceled in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gísli Örn Garðarsson</span> Icelandic actor and director

Gísli Örn Garðarsson is an Icelandic actor and director. He is one of the founders of Vesturport, a theatre and film company based in Reykjavík, and is also sometimes a scriptwriter and producer. Before focusing on acting, he competed internationally as a gymnast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Toussaint</span> British actor

Stephen Toussaint is a British actor and writer. He first gained prominence through his role in the ITV crime drama The Knock (1994–2000). Currently, he plays Lord Corlys Velaryon in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selva Rasalingam</span> British film actor (born 1968)

Selva Rasalingam is a British actor. He has appeared on stage in London's West End and the Royal Shakespeare Company, on television in Doctor Who, Luther and Hustle, and film in Damascus Cover, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Skyfall in which he was a member of the stunts cast. He played the role of Jesus in the 2014 version of The Gospel of John.

References

  1. ↑ Interview on BBC Radio Asian Network with Gagan Grewal, 3 January 2007
  2. ↑ Singer, Michael (2010). We Make Our Own Destiny, p. 76. Disney Editions, New York. ISBN   978-1-4231-1754-4
  3. ↑ Williams, Greg (2006) Bond on Set, p. 16-19. Dorling Kindersley, London. ISBN   1-4053-1658-6
  4. ↑ What is Going On in 'Prometheus'? A Universe of Questions, Answers and Theories Archived 9 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine . Rope of Silicon.
  5. ↑ "The Choice - the Borgias Fan Wiki". Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  6. ↑ Bentley, David. (21 November 2011) Prince of Persia and John Carter actor in new Robin Hood stage production – Coventry Telegraph – The Geek Files Archived 4 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine . Blogs.coventrytelegraph.net.
  7. ↑ This week's new theatre and dance | Stage. The Guardian.
  8. ↑ The Heart of Robin HoodVesturport. Vesturport.
  9. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (8 February 2013). "Mark Burnett, Roma Downey promo 'Bible' mini to faithful". Variety Media. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  10. ↑ The Passion's Precedent: The Most-Watched Film Ever?. NYTimes.com Article (8 February 2004).
  11. ↑ The New York Times, 22 July 2003, page 1AR "1979 Bible Film is the Most-Watched Movie of All Time"
  12. ↑ Wilson, Giles. (21 July 2003) The most watched film in history. BBC News.
  13. ↑ "Who Plays Rafiq Nasser In 'House Of Cards' Season 6? Darwin Shaw Has Portrayed A Suspicious Lawyer Before". 2 November 2018.
  14. ↑ Pandemic-Themed 'Antiviral Film Project' Launches From Darwin Shaw, Will Hawkes
  15. ↑ [https://www.paff.org/awards
  16. ↑ Bailey, David (2005) Bailey's Democracy. Thames and Hudson, London. ISBN   0-500-54315-1
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.