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Denis Shaw

Denis Shaw

Actor · Died February 28, 1971, aged 49 · Dulwich, London, England, UK

Douglas "Denis" Findlay Shaw (7 February 1921 – 28 February 1971) was a British character actor who specialized in portraying villains. Shaw was born in Dulwich on 7 February 1921. In the 1950s and 1960s, he was frequently cast as villains in films and television shows, most notably as the German guard Priem in The Colditz Story (1955), as well as a number of British horror films including Jack the Ripper (1959), The Mummy (1959) and The Curse of the Werewolf (1961). He was cast in the leading role of The Great Van Robbery (1959) as the judo-throwing Interpol detective Caesar Smith. Shaw's television credits include The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Avengers, Danger Man, Dixon of Dock Green, The Prisoner, Sherlock Holmes and Z-Cars. Shaw died from a heart attack in London on 28 February 1971, at the age of 50. A familiar face around the bars of Soho in London, he is mentioned in Keith Waterhouse's play Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 7, 1921
Died
February 28, 1971 (aged 49)
From
Dulwich, London, England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 53 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 30% in 30 days

What are Denis Shaw's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 25th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
23%
Bonds
21%
Survival
21%
Self
17%
Power
9%
Society
6%
Ideas
3%
Justice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Melancholic
3
Dread
2
Joyful
1
Bittersweet
2
Other
4

How their films linger

Bittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Denis Shaw's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Denis Shaw's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

53 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page.

  • Bright's Boffins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 39 episodes · Actor

  • The Misfit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 1 episode · as Aircraft Passenger

  • The File of the Golden Goose(1969)

    as Vance

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Magnificent Six and ½: It's Not Cricket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Heavyset Workman

  • The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Wu Tong

  • Tom Grattan's War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 2 episodes · as Koestler

  • The Magnificent Six and ½: Kontiki Kids (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Nasty Workman

  • The Prisoner(1967)

    Show 2 episodes · as Shopkeeper

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • The Viking Queen(1967)

    as Osiris

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Deadly Affair(1967)

    as Wolfe - Publican

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Londoners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Louie

  • Sherlock Holmes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Theatre 625 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Matvei

  • Espionage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Frohlich

  • The Pirates of Blood River(1962)

    as Silver (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Stryker of the Yard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Nothing Barred (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Convict

  • The Curse of the Werewolf(1961)

    as Gaoler

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Carry on Regardless(1961)

    as Sinister Passenger (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Hellfire Club(1961)

    as Sir Richard Benlow

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The Avengers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · as Murray

  • Ticket to Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Giuseppe

  • The Night We Got the Bird (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Wolfie's Stooge

  • The Criminal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Taxi Customer at Racetrack (uncredited)

  • Beyond the Curtain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Krumm

  • Trouble with Eve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as George Rigby

  • International Detective (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Horse Carlucci · as Victor Prado

  • The Mummy(1959)

    as Mike

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Could Cheat Death(1959)

    as Tavern Customer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Jack the Ripper(1959)

    as Simes

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Innocent Meeting(1959)

    as Uncle

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Great Van Robbery(1959)

    as Caesar Smith

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Naked Fury (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Captain Horst

  • Passport to Shame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Mac

  • Links of Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Heath

  • A Woman Possessed(1958)

    as Bishop

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Moment of Indiscretion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Inspector Marsh

  • Soapbox Derby(1958)

    as Lender

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Depraved (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Inspector O'Flynn

  • The Beasts of Marseilles(1957)

    as Fat German Soldier

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Let's Be Happy(1957)

    as Fat Man in Train Corridor (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Weapon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Groggins

  • Armchair Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 1 episode · as Ziggy

  • Port Afrique (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Grila

  • Who Done It? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Professor Stumpf

  • The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Biggs

  • The Adventures of Robin Hood(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Butcher (as Dennis Shaw)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Prisoner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Plainclothesman (uncredited)

  • The Colditz Story(1955)

    as Priem

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Forbidden Cargo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Ship's Cook

  • House of Blackmail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Bassett

  • The Long Memory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Shaw (uncredited)

  • Girdle of Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Choirmaster

Career shape

Star power in the 80th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 53 titles from 1952 to 1970.

Highest rated

The Colditz Story (1955)

Midcredits 79th

Most popular right now

The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting53 of 53: 53 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score42nd

By decade

1950s27 · acting1960s24 · acting1970s2 · acting

Billing

usually 10th · top billed in 0% of 6 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Denis Shaw's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 30th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

17thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

None of their 19 titles divides audiences: 8 are Broadly Agreed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed3

Most loved · actor

The Colditz Story (1955)

Midcredits 79th · 71% liked

Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Denis Shaw work with?

People who share at least 2 of Denis Shaw's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Brian Clemens shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers