Joe Norman Shaw was born in Anderson, Indiana, in the year 1957 to Norman and Mary Shaw. In 1966, he relocated to Elgin, Illinois, where he began his acting career at Kimball Jr. High School.
Seven years later, in 1972, his family moved to the eastern part of Toronto, specifically Scarborough, where Joe continued to hone his acting skills by participating in plays, delivering dramatic monologues, and being an active member of the wrestling team at West Hill Collegiate Institute.
After graduating from the University of Guelph's Drama Department in 1981, Joe returned to Toronto to pursue his career in the performing arts. His early work in the theater included an apprenticeship at The Shaw Festival in 1985 and two seasons with the Stratford Festival from 1987 to 1990.
During his time in Toronto, Joe appeared in numerous productions of innovative plays, such as "The Dressing Gown" at Buddies in Bad Times, "As Is" at the Toronto Free Theatre, "Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love" at Crows Theatre, and the Fringe Festival hit "I Slept with Tony Trouble: The Confessions of a Hollywood Hustler", which later toured to London and the Edinburgh Festival.
In 1991, Joe relocated to Vancouver, where he began to work more extensively in film and television, and started teaching acting and directing for the stage. His directorial debut was "The Zoo Story" for the Vancouver Fringe.
Four years later, in 1994, he moved to Calgary, where he has continued to work as an actor on stage, including a production of "Twelve Angry Men" at Vertigo Theatre, and in film and television projects primarily shot in Alberta.
In addition to his acting work, Joe is also the Co-Founder/Director of Company of Rogues Actors Studio and Rogueswest (Vancouver),as well as the Artistic Director of Rogues Theatre. He holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Calgary, where he has worked as an instructor.
Furthermore, Joe is the Director of Drama at St. Mary's University and has been an instructor for the Department of Theatre at Mount Royal University, Calgary, for 15 years.
