Robert Shaw died in County Mayo, Ireland, on 28 August 1978, aged 51. He suffered a heart attack while travelling from Castlebar towards his home at Tourmakeady.

Shaw became ill during the journey and stopped the car. After getting out, he collapsed beside the road. He was taken to Castlebar General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Born in Westhoughton, Lancashire, in 1927, Shaw began his career in the theatre. He worked with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre and the Old Vic before becoming increasingly familiar through film.

He played the assassin Red Grant opposite Sean Connery in From Russia with Love (1963). His performance as Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons brought him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. Later roles included Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting and Quint, the shark hunter in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.

Jaws became the film with which Shaw was most closely associated, but acting was only part of his work. He was also a novelist and playwright. His novel The Sun Doctor won the Hawthornden Prize in 1962, while The Man in the Glass Booth became a successful stage play after first appearing as a novel.

Shaw was still working when he died. He had recently completed his role in Avalanche Express, which was released after his death. His body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered near his home at Tourmakeady.