  sebastian lewis shaw (29 may 1905&nbsp;â 23 december 1994) was an english actor, director, novelist, playwright and poet. during his 65-year career, he appeared in dozens of stage performances and more than 40 film and television productions. shaw was born and brought up in holt, norfolk, and made his acting debut at age eight at a london theatre. he studied acting at gresham's school and the royal academy of dramatic art. although he worked primarily on the london stage, he made his broadway debut in 1929, when he played one of the two murderers in rope's end. he appeared in his first film, caste, in 1930 and quickly began to create a name for himself in films. he described himself as a "rotten actor""sebastian shaw obituary," the daily telegraph, 2 january 1995. as a youth and said his success was primarily due to his good looks. he claimed to mature as a performer only after returning from service in the royal air force during world war ii. shaw was particularly known for his performances in productions of shakespeare plays which were considered daring and ahead of their time. in 1966, he joined the royal shakespeare company, where he remained for a decade and delivered some of his most acclaimed performances. he also wrote several poems and a novel, the christening, in 1975. he is also known for his brief but important performance in return of the jedi, the original third installment in the star wars franchise, in which he portrayed an unmasked darth vader and anakin skywalker's ghost in the original version of the film. == early life and career == shaw was one of three children born to dr. geoffrey shaw, the music master at gresham's school, a norfolk independent boarding school, where shaw began his education.leech, richard. "better than beefcake: sebastian shaw," the guardian, 29 december 1994, features (section), pg. t12. his uncle, [[martin shaw (composer)|martin 
1905_births 1994_deaths 20th-century_English_male_actors Alumni_of_the_Royal_Academy_of_Dramatic_Art English_male_film_actors English_male_stage_actors English_male_television_actors People_educated_at_Gresham\'s_School People_from_Holt,_Norfolk Royal_Air_Force_airmen Royal_Shakespeare_Company_members