Patrick Archibald Shaw, a renowned British actor, was born into a family of Welsh and English descent. He was one of three siblings and graduated from the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1962. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Shaw reached the pinnacle of his popularity.
Shaw's journey on the London stage began in 1963, followed by his television debut the subsequent year. Although he did not achieve widespread recognition until 1967, when he landed the role of paranormal investigator Michael West in the miniseries Haunted. He was briefly considered for the part of James Bond in 1968 but was deemed too young for the role.
Instead, Shaw made his mark with featured roles in Hammer's The Devil Rides Out (1968) and AIP's Cry of the Banshee (1970),as well as guest spots in popular action series such as Department S (1969),UFO (1970),and Paul Temple (1969). Between 1970 and 1973, he experienced a breakthrough, playing the unscrupulous assassin James Cross in Callan (1967) and Detective Chief Inspector Tom Haggerty in the police drama Special Branch (1969).
The success of Special Branch led to him receiving top billing in another cop show, Target (1977),as Detective Superintendent Steve Hackett. However, he chose not to be typecast and moved on after the show's cancellation in 1978. Shaw also made an impact in a trio of miniseries: as Edmund, the main antagonist of King Lear (1974),as Brother Damian in Marco Polo (1982),and in the gripping BBC supernatural drama The Dark Side of the Sun (1983),which explored a sinister conspiracy on the island of Rhodes.
In recent years, Shaw has become a beloved figure in the world of soap operas, playing the recurring role of Rodney Blackstock in Emmerdale Farm (1972),a character he has portrayed in over 1300 episodes since October 2000. On stage, he has portrayed a variety of characters, including Mortimer in Edward II, Orsino in Twelfth Night, Richard Sherman in The Seven Year Itch, and Maxim de Winter in Rebecca, famously played on screen by Laurence Olivier.
