Paula Shaw

Paula Shaw, a veteran actress and workshop leader who helped countless individuals expand and honor their own authentic self-expression, passed away peacefully in her sleep September 10th in Vancouver, B.C., after a lengthy illness. She was 84.

Born to progressive Russian-Polish Jewish immigrants in The Bronx, Paula began acting on stage as a teenager and, upon graduating from Bard College, studied with the legendary Uta Hagen over the course of nine years while working on-and-off Broadway and in summer stock. After relocating to Los Angeles in the late 1960s for the west coast debut of Gus Weill’s groundbreaking play Geese, she auditioned for Lee Strasberg, who invited her to become a lifetime member of The Actors Studio.

In addition to abundant appearances on stage, Paula’s seven-decade acting career included memorable roles on iconic television programs such as The Bob Newhart Show, Barney Miller, Three’s Company, 21 Jump Street, and The X-Files, as well as in numerous feature films including Insomnia (with Al Pacino) and Freddy vs. Jason. More recently, she appeared in a string of Hallmark Channel holiday movies, often portraying the pivotal, wise and witty grandmother.

Paula's calling as a workshop leader emerged in the 1970s when she discovered the personal growth movement. What began with leading est (Erhard Seminars Training) graduate seminars evolved into a lifetime spent helping both actors and "civilians" break through personal barriers to find and harness their authentic voices.

"Never could I have predicted how acting and healing might come together for me, nor how powerful that joining would become," Paula once wrote. "I discovered that the secret to well-being and self-fulfillment was to ongoingly challenge personal limits of who I think I am and what I'm capable of creating in my life."

For over 30 years, Paula led "THE MAX: Stretching the Limits of Your Self-Expression" and other workshops at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA, and internationally. Utilizing her unique blend of theatre technique, improvisational games, and personal growth expertise, she created and facilitated a platform for thousands of people to discover, traverse, and maximize the reaches of their creativity and self acceptance. Paula had an exquisite talent for masterfully guiding workshop participants to remain aware and present “in the moment” while safely exploring and expressing their raw emotions of love, anger, fear, need – all balanced with humor; always with lots of joy and laughter in equal measure to the tears.

Paula divided her time between Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Big Sur, continuing to act while nurturing her beloved workshop community until quite recently. She brought the same fearless authenticity to her life that she inspired in others. For these and countless other reasons, her legacy will long endure.

Paula is survived by her sister Greta and brother-in-law Gary, nephew Nicholas and his wife Raphaela, their daughter Elowyn, as well as her godchildren Marissa and David.

Contact Information

The MAX with Paula Shaw

[email protected]

www.themaxwithpaulashaw.com