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Irwin Shamforoff was born in the Bronx, New York City to Russian Jewish immigrants. Shortly after Irwin's birth, the Shamforoffs moved to Brooklyn, and their family name was changed to Shaw. Irwin spent most of his childhood in Brooklyn.

Shaw graduated from Brooklyn College with a Bachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts B. or A. is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. Duration The BA generally lasts three years in the United Kingdom (except Scotland) and Australia or four years in North America, degree in 1934Events January-April January 1 Alcatraz becomes a federal prison. January 7 First Flash Gordon comic strip is published. January 10 Execution of Marinus van der Lubbe January 24 Einstein visits White House January 26 The Apollo Theater opens in Harlem, Ne. During his time at the college, he wrote for a school newspaperBrookgreen Gardens Pawleys Island, South Carolina A newspaper is a lightweight and disposable publication, usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint, containing a journal of current news in a variety of topics. These topics can include political. Shaw began screen writing in 1935Events January January 1 Italian colonies of Tripoli and Kyrenaika are joined together as Libya January 7 World War II: Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French foreign minister Pierre Laval conclude agreement in which each power undertakes not to oppo, at the age of 21. Among other things, he wrote several radio show s and adapted several episodes of Dick TracyDick Tracy is a newspaper comic strip created in 1931 by Chester Gould and distributed by the Chicago Tribune Syndicate. Dick Tracy is a hard hitting, fast shooting, and supremely intelligent police detective who matched wits with a variety of colorful vi.

In 1936Events January-February January 15 The first building to be completely covered in glass is completed in Toledo, Ohio, for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. January 20 Death of George V of the United Kingdom. His son Edward VIII succeedes him as King of th, Shaw's first play, Bury the Dead , about a group of soldierCorporal, armed with an MP-5) A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or was conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment to defend that country or its interests. Soldiers are a part of ss killed in a battle, was produced. During the 1940sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s Years: 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Events and trends Technology First nuclear bomb First cruise missile, the, Shaw wrote for a number of films, including 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 footballer faced with being unable to play due to a medical condition).

Shaw enlisted in the U.S. Army and was a warrant officer during World War II.

The hugely successful The Young Lions , Shaw's first novel, was published in 1948, based on his experiences in Europe during the war. It was adapted into a film in 1958, however, the film bore little resemblance to the book, which embittered Shaw.

Shaw's second novel, The Troubled Air , chronicling the rise of McCarthyism, was published in 1951. That same year, Shaw left the United States to Europe, where he would live for the next 25 years, mostly in Paris and Switzerland.

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).

While living in Europe, Shaw wrote more bestselling books, notably Two Weeks in Another Town , Rich Man, Poor Man (which he would later write a less successful sequel to) and Evening in Byzantium . Rich Man, Poor Man was adapted into a highly successful miniseries in 1975.

During his life, Irwin Shaw won a number of prestigious awards, including two O. Henry Awards, a National Institute of Arts and Letters grant and three Playboy Awards .

Shaw died in Davos, Switzerland.