Russell Shaw
Gritty Actor with a Comedic twist
Film, TV & Theatre Actor
'Russell has been fantastic to work with and takes his craft very seriously but maintains a great sense of humour. He is also flexible and adaptable and his performance in Adventure Boyz has been extremely well received. I would definitely recommend and work with him again' - Howard J Ford, Director "Adventure Boyz'
"I was really drawn to Russell Shaw's performance;
he has the gift of acting with his eyes" - Cannes 2019 Adventure Boyz, Marc Zammit, Director
Russell is a Northern actor who now lives in the South. He has retained his strong northern accent and comes to the profession through a variety of different job roles and life experiences which have all enriched his acting profile, lending authenticity to many of the gritty acting roles in which he has been cast.
He studied performing arts at Arden School of Acting in Manchester and it was during his time at Arden that he landed his first proper acting role as the fella in ‘Madforit’ directed by Gregory Hersov and Marianne Elliott at the Royal Exchange in Manchester – subsequently he landed roles in big productions such as West Side Story, and Cabaret then was cast as the lead actor in a multitude of shows including ‘A Day in the Death of Joe Egg’ and ‘And then there were none.
He has a rare versatility as an actor, and in his four years with the award winning ‘Bite-Size’ company was cast in parts that encompassed the whole gamut of human emotions from the highly comedic to the dark and gritty in short plays which received rave reviews at both the Edinburgh Fringe and Brighton Fringe – and were eventually featured on a long term broadcast on Sky Arts – this alongside long term contracts with touring company ‘Murder One’ allowed him to explore acting out every aspect of human behaviour.
His work has ranged from theatre to film and to the small screen being cast in various advertisements and short feature films both in the UK and abroad, some of which were aired at festivals such as the Berlin International Film festival, in which his film won the coveted Silver Bear Award. He has also worked in the music video genre being lucky enough to be cast in the Arctic Monkeys music video of ‘Scummy Man’ alongside renowned actor, Stephen Graham.
His acting CV includes a period working with the touring Pericles Theatre company, playing six characters in their namesake production ‘Pericles’, and being cast as ‘ Benedick’ in the critically acclaimed long-running production of Festival Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing’.
Russell’s diversity as an actor has been explored over the recent years with roles ranging from the romantic and emotional in the intense two-actor play ‘So you say’ to the grittiest of characters in the gruelling and award-winning production, ‘Bully Beef’. Upcoming feature films, to be released 2019 and distributed in not only the UK but the US include roles in Carlos Boellinger’s ‘Clay’s Redemption’, Luing Andrews, ‘8ish’ and excitingly a significant part in award-winning director Howard J Ford’s family movie, ‘Adventure Boyz now available in US/Canada and now in the UK on Amazon Prime/Sky.
His latest role playing Thomas one of the lead roles in @Movie_Witch Directed by Craig Hinde and Marc Zammit Skylark Vision. Release Dates: 29th April 2024 on digital UK & US
Russell playing 'Boult', in 'Pericles Prince Of Tyr' Goetheanum, Switzerland
Russell also works as a voice-over artist represented by Voicefox-
Commercial/Narrative/Drama reel can be found here- www.simplynorthern.co.uk
