Irwin Shaw
Writers

Irwin Shaw Net Worth

Irwin Shaw was an American author, novelist and playwright born in The Bronx, United States on February 27, 1913. His works, which include short stories, plays, novels, and Hollywood scripts, have collectively sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. He was ambitious from a young age and worked hard to achieve success. His short stories, published in various magazines in the 1940s, were praised for their plots, narration, and characterization. He was passionate about writing and enjoyed playing tennis and travelling in his Hillman-Minx car when he was not busy writing. Despite the success of his commercial writing, his literary reputation was weakened.
Irwin Shaw is a member of Writers

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Illness
Birth Day February 27, 1913
Birth Place The Bronx, United States
Age 107 YEARS OLD
Died On May 16, 1984(1984-05-16) (aged 71)\nDavos, Switzerland
Birth Sign Pisces
Occupation Playwright, Screenwriter, Novelist
Notable works Bury the Dead (1936) The Young Lions (1948) Rich Man, Poor Man (1969) Beggarman, Thief (1977)
Notable awards O. Henry Award (1944, 1945) National Institute of Arts and Letters Grant (1946) Playboy Award (1964, 1970, 1979) Honorary Doctorate, Brooklyn College
Spouse Marian Edwards (1916-1996)

💰 Net worth: $9 Million (2024)

Irwin Shaw, a renowned figure in the literary world, was an esteemed American author known for his remarkable storytelling skills. While his net worth stands at an impressive $9 million in 2024, it is important to note that his true worth transcends material possessions. Irwin Shaw's impact on American literature is immeasurable, with his thought-provoking works captivating readers for decades. Illness, as he is known in the United States, has left an indelible mark on the literary landscape, solidifying his legacy as a talented writer and storyteller.

Biography/Timeline

1934

Shaw was born Irwin Gilbert Shamforoff in the South Bronx, New York City, to Russian Jewish immigrants. His parents were Rose and Will. His younger brother, David Shaw, became a noted Hollywood Producer and Writer. Shortly after Irwin's birth, the Shamforoffs moved to Brooklyn. Irwin changed his surname upon entering college. He spent most of his youth in Brooklyn, where he graduated from Brooklyn College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1934.

1935

Shaw began screenwriting in 1935 at the age of 21, and scripted for several radio shows, including Dick Tracy, The Gumps and Studio One. He recaptured this period of his life in his short story "Main Currents of American Thought," about a hack radio Writer grinding out one script after another while calculating the number of words equal to the rent money:

1936

Shaw summered at the Pine Brook Country Club, located in the countryside of Nichols, Connecticut, which became the 1936 summer home of the Group Theatre (New York), whose roster included Elia Kazan, Harold Clurman, Harry Morgan, John Garfield, Frances Farmer, Will Geer, Clifford Odets and Lee J. Cobb.

1940

During the 1940s, Shaw wrote for a number of films, including The Talk of the Town (a comedy about civil liberties), The Commandos Strike at Dawn (based on a C.S. Forester story about commandos in occupied Norway) and Easy Living (about a football player unable to enter the game due to a medical condition). Shaw married Marian Edwards (daughter of well-known screen actor Snitz Edwards). They had one son, Adam Shaw, born in 1950, himself a Writer of magazine articles and non-fiction.

1948

The Young Lions, Shaw's first novel, was published in 1948. Based on his experiences in Europe during the war, the novel was very successful and was adapted into a 1958 film. Shaw was not happy with the film.

1950

In 1950, Shaw wrote a book on Israel with photos by Robert Capa named Report on Israel.

1951

Shaw's second novel, The Troubled Air, chronicling the rise of McCarthyism, was published in 1951. He was among those who signed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the John Howard Lawson and Dalton Trumbo convictions for contempt of Congress, resulting from hearings by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Accused of being a communist by the Red Channels publication, Shaw was placed on the Hollywood blacklist by the movie studio bosses. In 1951 he left the United States and went to Europe, where he lived for 25 years, mostly in Paris and Switzerland. He later claimed that the blacklist "only glancingly bruised" his career. During the 1950s he wrote several more screenplays, including Desire Under the Elms (based on Eugene O'Neill's play) and Fire Down Below (about a tramp boat in the Caribbean).

1956

While living in Europe, Shaw wrote more bestselling books, notably Lucy Crown (1956), Two Weeks in Another Town (1960), Rich Man, Poor Man (1970) (for which he would later write a less successful sequel entitled Beggarman, Thief) and Evening in Byzantium (made into a 1978 TV movie). Rich Man, Poor Man was adapted into a highly successful ABC television miniseries in 1976.

1980

His novel The Top of the Hill was made into a TV movie about the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid in 1980, starring Wayne Rogers, Adrienne Barbeau, and Sonny Bono.

1981

Shaw was highly regarded as a short story author, contributing to Collier's, Esquire, The New Yorker, Playboy, The Saturday Evening Post, and other magazines; and 63 of his best stories were collected in Short Stories: Five Decades (Delacorte, 1978), reprinted in 2000 as a 784-page University of Chicago Press paperback. Among his noted short stories are: "Sailor Off The Bremen", "The Eighty-Yard Run", and "Tip On A Dead Jockey". Three of his stories ("The Girls in Their Summer Dresses", "The Monument", "The Man Who Married a French Wife") were dramatized for the PBS series Great Performances. Telecast on June 1, 1981. This production was released on DVD in 2002 by Kultur Video.

1984

Shaw died in Davos, Switzerland on May 16, 1984, aged 71, after undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

Some Irwin Shaw images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.