How tall was Robert Shaw

Nol said on 29/Nov/23
Rob what would you expect Robert’s head height to be?

Arch Stanton said on 14/Dec/22
Baffling how some of these alcoholic actors actually looked better in their later years than when younger. Him and Richard Burton for instance. Around 5 ft 10 seems accurate.There was something psychopathic about Shaw, great casting in From Russia With Love as he was quite believable as the assassin. It takes a certain type of guy to father 10 children. Elon Musk, Clint Eastwood probably at least that, only 8 officially.

Sinclair said on 16/Sep/22
Rob, can Shaw please get 5’10.25”?

He looked about 5’11” in Black Sunday.

Rich Paul said on 13/Sep/22
He and Robert Evans were the same height. Evans was no more than 5-9.

Sinclair said on 28/Jul/22
Rob, could you please add Avalanche Express to Shaw’s credits?

viper said on 19/Apr/21
I agree with you that Roy could look 5-10 in Jaws

Alfie_7 said on 18/Apr/21
He didn’t look that much shorter than Harrison Ford in Force 10 from Navarone, who I think could have been a genuine 6’1 at his peak. 3 inches at a push. I’d go for 5’10 for Robert Shaw. Extraordinary actor.
He also looked around the same height as Roy Scheider in Jaws, I think he may have also gone for 5’10, not 5’9’ many say.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 31/Dec/20
Rob, is 177cm or 179cm likelier peak?

Sinclair said on 12/Aug/20
I thought Shaw’s character in From Russia With Love was similar in appearance to Daniel Craig’s James Bond. I believe Shaw wore lifts in From Russia With Love and he may have worn lifts in Jaws. Nevertheless, Shaw gets 5’10.25” from me but a flat 5’10” is definitely not out of the question.

movieguy12 said on 18/May/20
A poster mentioned Robert Shaw walking with a limp. I read a biography of Shaw a while ago and I think it mentioned he had a problem with his spine which explains his slightly unusual gait. His performance as Quint in Jaws is one of the all time great movie roles. I think he was 5'10'' or so. He died young at 51 years of age and thanks to the internet and DVD's is still widely remembered.

Mightyman said on 8/Feb/20
Mr Shaw was about 5'7 to 5'8 max. The camera angles always were used try to hide this. He was great on screen with great charisma.

fifi said on 17/Jun/19
I think he was 1h78/1m-80 (5'10/5'11) but nobody thinks the others to compare with him were underrated ? (Roy Sheider, Nick Nolte, HArrisson Ford)

James B 172cm said on 13/Sep/18
rob for years my dad thought this guy was 6ft3. Interesting how people look taller on the big screen

Ian C. said on 5/Feb/18
I have amused myself in the past by watching Robert Shaw movies and checking to see if he was hiding a limp. I suspect he had bad wheels, because he lurched when he walked. The limp he used to such good effect in The Sting was probably his real gait. Oddly, he could run without limping, as he does in Swashbuckler, and briefly in From Russia With Love.

Charlie said on 7/Nov/17
Robert Shaw was 5'8 when he did Jaws. He was 3 inches shorter than 5'5 Richard Dreyfuss all though i feel Richard Dreyfuss was 5'4. Robert was a bit shorter than Roy Scheider who was about 5'8.5 at most.

Rising - 174 cm said on 31/Jul/17
He was clearly taller than Robert Redford in a wide shot, but oddly looked very close to Paul Newman's height in The Sting. He could be 5'10", but I strongly believe Nolte was an even 6 feet. I don't know of a celebrity who seems more aware of his height than Nolte. I believe Ford was only slightly taller at 183.5 cm so I'll have to check that and Paul Newman himself was probably 176 cm, imo. But I can't explain how Shaw looked with Redford, who I think was 177, maybe 178 cm. Lifts don't explain it because of how he looked with Newman in the same film. Roy Scheider was indeed never taller than 5'9", but wore big heels, thick boots and lifts at times.

JJAK said on 30/Jul/17
This is a tough one to judge he has looked close to 6 ft and even under this listing.
I suspect he had some serious help in certain flicks and his back must have been bad later on.
Always thought he was older died at 51 wow had a style all his own R.I.P.
I think probably a big 5 10 to half young and middle age a weak 5 10.

berta said on 15/May/17
there is a big possibility that he could have been even a little shorter than this. Ford could really look 6 foot 1 beside him if he was this height. i think he could have been 176,5-177

Arch Stanton said on 12/Apr/17
Well there's no chance of 5 ft 11 with Nick Nolte in the Deep. In fact he could look 177 in some scenes but I reckon Rob slightly underestimates a peak Nolte. Really has to be one of the most intimidating actors to ever appear on screen, just his whole manner and look, you got the impression that he was unpredictable and never knew if he was serious or joking, a dangerous dude LOL

James said on 27/Feb/17
Robert Shaw was 5'9".

Nx74ls6 said on 25/Feb/17
I met Shaw's last wife Virginia Jensen - she said he always claimed to be 5-11 but was actually just under that height - so I would say 5-10.5 .

jtm said on 9/Jul/16
Scheider was 5'9 max.

richie said on 6/Jul/16
Robert Shaw was a strong 5'9", he was actually slightly shorter than Roy Scheider who was 5'10" back in the 70's, camera angles in Jaws made him appear taller but watch closely and you'll see Scheider was a little taller

James B said on 6/Apr/16
He's not a short man just not as tall as advertised

Larry said on 18/Sep/15
Robert Shaw was 5'9".

Chase Witherspoon said on 1/Aug/15
This is a photo I've seen before from a slightly different angle in a book and reminded me of the lifts he was wearing in "A Man For All Seasons"..
Click Here
They look like 3" lifts (or thereabouts) and if Paul Scofield was approx. 6'1" and appears to be wearing loafers, then I'd be guessing Mr Shaw stands in the 5'10-11" range barefoot.. maybe 179cm in the metric system?

Sam said on 19/May/15
In the photo above, could pass for Michael Fassbender's grandpa IMO.

Arch Stanton said on 3/Mar/15
Rob can you add a photo and films like From Russia with Love, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, A Man for All Seasons, Swashbuckler, Battle of the Bulge, Black Sunday, and Force 10 from Navarone?

Van said on 23/Sep/14
Shaw was wearing lifts in "From Russia with Love", and camera angles were used to disguise the difference in height.

5ft7 in bare feet said on 26/May/14
He looks about 3 inches shorter than Harrison Ford in Force 10 from Navarone.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 1/Dec/13
It's amazing that he was this short. In FRWL I could've sworn I was looking at a big, burly 6ft3+ guy. It was only when he greets Connery at the station that his true stature was revealed. Thought his bleached hair in that movie was real aswell!

Mastro said on 22/Nov/13
I just saw Black Sunday - and Shaw walks past some of the football players- who tower over him. I was surprised- I thought he was 6-something but no-

Oh-and I DON'T mean Too Tall Jones.

Viper said on 16/Sep/13
He looked pretty tall in James Bond.

Ian C. said on 6/Aug/13
Speaking of Bond villains who were shorter than you thought, another site on the Net says that Harold Sakata, who played Oddjob in Goldfinger, was only five foot eight. That would have been five inches shorter than Sean Connery, as James Bond. Finding this out has made watching Goldfinger a little funnier than suits my taste. In the big Fort Knox scene in Goldfinger, Oddjob runs towards Bond with mayhem in mind, and 007 actually runs the other way, madly looking for something to use as a weapon. I have never been an international secret agent in an expensive suit and a toupee, but I suspect that it would be a violation of Secret Service protocol to run away from a short fat guy who does not have a gun.

Knowitall said on 4/Aug/13
Roy Scheider was five nine.

Shaw was five ten.

Ian C. said on 3/Aug/13
This is the only entry on this site that really surprised me, as I always assumed that Robert Shaw was six foot three. I came away from repeated viewings of From Russia With Love with the impression that Shaw was taller than Sean Connery. He probably pulled this off by virtue of having a powerful physique and a nasty, bullying demeanor. Notice how much bigger he seems than Roy Scheider in Jaws, for example, even though they are about the same height.

Willy said on 30/Aug/12
Lenya was reportedly 5'0.25'' (153 cm). But is it indeed confirmed that Shaw wore lifts in From Russia With Love? When I rewatched the film, I was surprised to see that Connery had almost four inches on Shaw, covered a bit by the fact that Shaw wears a rather ill-fitting hat when their characters first meet. Peak 189 cm Connery was certainly 6'3'' in shoes and Shaw reaches his eyebrow level, so that I'd say 5'11.5'' for Robert in shoes. Maybe they should have given him even bigger lifts, particularly since Sean also has noticeably broader shoulders. Or is it possible that Shaw woke up at 5'11'' while filming FRWL in his mid-30s, and therefore was a legitimate 180 cm (5'10.75'') at peak who did not wear lifts even when standing right next to James Bond?

Shaun said on 28/Aug/12
Yeah Sam in From Russia With Love in the garden scene he gave the impression of being the typical 6'2" + hulking blonde Bond assassin.

stingfan said on 20/Aug/12
If Robert Redford is 5' 7", then Robert Shaw must be 5' 10" at least. Bigger and taller, he towered over Redford in The Sting.

Jake: 1.82 m-- 1.83 m-- 1.84 m said on 6/Aug/12
He was an excellent actor and this listing seems fair enough. I wouldn't rule out 5ft10.5in/1.79 m though, he had a bit of height on Scheider in "Jaws".

Sam said on 13/Dec/11
I guess he really was 5'10". Its funny since the impression I had from a very young age of him in From Russia with Love, The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 and Jaws, I thought he was a hulking guy easily over 6 feet tall. I don't know what's going on here (Shaw may be partially seated) but he sure does look shorter than Ian McKellen here:
Click Here

Shaun said on 4/Dec/11
Yeah he did look believable didn't he as a SMERSH/SPECTRE thug. He looked tallish in From Russia but he apparently wore lifts in his scenes with Connery. Barefoot though next to Rosa Kleb who I suspect was no more than 5'2" he looks big and imposing at 5'10.

Carter said on 8/Aug/11
What a good actor. Very menacing in FRWL...looked much stronger than Connery, who was a former bodybuilder and a very big man. I could believe 5'9.5 or even 5'11 for Shaw. Hard to tell.

Caesar said on 1/Nov/10
Thanks for the interesting tidbits about the lifts in FRWL. He did look shorter than Connery in that movie, but not by much. Very much a physical match in that fight.

OdDiTy said on 15/Mar/09
...Agreed, 5'10" is not short... not at all... I am watching From Russia with Love right now and came to this site to see what you had Robert Shaw listed as and am suprised that he is "only" 5'10" cuz he looks about 2 1/2 inches less than Connery who is listed at 6'2" here... so he is at least 5'10" .....

toadyking said on 21/Feb/09
Oh of course not when he's barefoot in that scene, but obviously when next to Connery they put lifts on him. 5'10 is slightly above average height anyway so it's not short at all. And really though i don't think a taller actor could have acted better than Shaw did to play that badass role.

Doug said on 6/Feb/09
Lifts? Do you still think he was wearing lifts when he was standing barefoot in From Russia with Love and was knuckle dustered by Rosa Klebb?? You could see the guy standing barefoot and might I say the guy looked pretty imposing, I thought he looked near 5'10"-6 foot barefoot personally. I love the way a lot of people see 5'10" as short on here!

adam said on 3/Nov/08
Never more than 5-10. Was an awesome actor.

David said on 8/Aug/08
A picture of Robert Shaw and Ian McKellen. McKellen is listed as 5'11
Click Here

rjacobt67 said on 14/Jan/08
Saw him around 1977 in New York City. I'M 5'10. He was 5'8 maybe 5'9 tops.

Anonymous said on 16/Dec/07
I always thought he was a 6' guy after watching From Russia with Love. But then in Jaws he looks only 1-1.5" taller than 5'9" Roy Scheider and I don't think he was wearing heels then. Maybe 5'10.5"

sam said on 17/Jul/07
If Frank2 is to be believed, it would explain why Shaw would look close in height to Connery in From Russia with Love & Robin and Marian. I thought Shaw a big guy over 6 feet from Jaws, but looking back on it now, he looks at most 2 inches over Roy Scheider and usually less.

Frank2 said on 26/May/06
Maybe Ian was floating in that photo with Shaw.

Bates was no more than 5'10" and Donald Pleasance was quite short.

And when I saw Ian he looked to be about 5'10". Just look how short he is next to 6'3" Brendan Fraser in Gods and Monsters or next to 5'11.5" David Dukes in the same film. McKellen was at least an inch shorter than Dukes and five inches shorter than Fraser.

McKellen with Fraser: Click Here

Shaw with 5'9" Roy Scheider: Click Here
In that film Shaw was about an inch taller.

Frank2 said on 25/May/06
Nevertheless, Shaw was no more than 5'10". I stood right next to him when he was wearing normal shoes. I was taller by an inch.

Glenn said on 24/May/06
I met Dreyfus and he is 5-5.but your right he can look 5-8,5-9 in movies.

Mario said on 24/May/06
Shaw appears at the beginning of FRWL barefoot (at the spectre training camp) he appears tall next the Russian Lady and even next Walter Gotell, a guy who looks tall in all his movies.

Frank2 said on 23/May/06
I worked with Shaw and he was 5'10". He wore lifts in both From Russia With Love and Swashbuckler, the film I unfortunately was involved in. Way back when he did the Bond film a magazine did an article on him where he admitted he wore lifts to make himself appear to be the same height as Sean Connery. He stated he was 5'11" which wasn't really true. I saw him many times without his lifts and he was always shorter than me. If you watch From Russia With Love you'll notice that even with his lifts he was still at least two inches shorter than Connery. And the lifts he wore in that film were huge. In The Sting he's the same height as Robert Redford.

In Jaws he's taller than 5'9" Roy Scheider. And he's more than four inches taller than 5'5" Richard Dryfuss. In that film the actor who played the deputy was Jeff Kramer who's got a thread here with a photo of me standing next to him. He's 5'8". If you watch Jaws you'll notice he's slightly shorter than Scheider. Jeff is now a successful TV producer and an extraordinarily nice fellow.

Mario said on 23/May/06
What if Dreyfuss was standing on a Box? In many films Dreyfuss can look unussualy tall.

Steve D said on 22/May/06
Robert Shaw was one of my favourite actors - but 5'11"? I don't think so. Check out the scene near the end of "Jaws" when he helps Richard Dreyfuss put on his air tank. You have Drefuss down as 5'5", and Shaw is no more than 3-4 inches taller. My guess: Shaw was no more than 5'9"

Frank2 said on 4/Mar/06
I worked with Shaw on the awful film Swashbuckler. Without his lifts he was 5-10. He was drinking heavilly at that time and having a troubled affair with co-star Geneviève Bujold. In fact while filming a scene, Shaw took his sword and put it to her throat. Even though the blade was dull he ended up cutting he slightly causing blood to flow scaring her to death. That was a day I'll never forget as long as I live!

sam said on 24/Aug/05
He looked closer in height to Connery in Robin & Marian. He also looked quite tall in The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three. I always got the impression he was at least 6 feet tall.

Mario Nariano said on 23/Aug/05
This guy is funny, in some of his movie´s he looks like 6 ft 1 and some times 5 ft 10. Great actor, in From Rissia he is 3 inches shorter than Connery.