There have been two [career highlights]. Waking up in New York to hear I'd been nominated for Best Actor for a Tony Award on Broadway, for An Ideal Husband. The other one was waking up the morning after the opening night of A Man For All Seasons and reading the reviews.

Martin Shaw

Categorized in : Morning New York Husband

I think to be a rich and successful person in Roman society would be pretty fabulous. They had all of the comforts we want now - central heating, baths, medicine. If I could choose not to indulge in all the things they did I don't agree with, then I could be perfectly comfortable without a mobile phone, computer or anything.

Martin Shaw

indulge-in successful thinking

I saw a ghost when I was staying at Dartington Hall in Devon in the 1960s. I think there are many different kinds of entities, some are scary and some aren't, it depends on the state of mind you're in when you are confronted. I found that quite scary because it appeared when I was asleep, so it was quite a shock, but the other ones I've encountered, I didn't find scary. I have a lot more understanding of them.

Martin Shaw

scary understanding thinking

I can be very stubborn. I'm very opinionated and if people cross me at work - if people who don't know about the job try telling me what to do - I become very stubborn and really rather unpleasant.

Martin Shaw

trying jobs people

Be a vegetarian. That was the best advice I ever took. It means I'm not involved in killing, that's the main thing.

Martin Shaw

vegetarian advice mean

If you travel to the continent you never have any problems overtaking, this is the only country I know where the outside lane is congested and the two inner lanes are empty. It drives me crazy. I'm ashamed that is so typically British.

Martin Shaw

crazy two country

If I won the lottery,I would love to buy an airfield and populate it with enthusiasts like myself, and old airplanes.

Martin Shaw

lottery airplane ifs

The only thing is worrying about sleeping. If I have to be up early I worry about being able to get to sleep.

Martin Shaw

up-early worry sleep

My very first professional job was with a theatre company in 1965 and the first job they gave me was literally shovelling sht. I was an assistant stage manager and they told me to clear out the prop store. I opened it up and no-one had been in there for 25 years and it was inches deep in rat sht. So before I could get anywhere I had to clear it up. I thought, 'All these years of training, the best drama school in the world, and this is what I'm doing.'

Martin Shaw

jobs drama school

I tend to get starstruck with sports people. I was on a chat show with retired Scottish footballer Denis Law and I just lost it and couldn't talk to him.

Martin Shaw

law sports people

After a conversation with someone that went on all night, but I didn't take much persuading, and the next day I was a vegetarian. It came down to one question, can you be healthy without killing animals? If the answer is 'yes' then the only reason you're killing is because you like the taste. But you can't take a life just because you like its taste.

Martin Shaw

next-day animal night

I like watching DVDs, flying my plane, walking and going to my place in Scotland. I like yoga. It takes me a while to unwind, the subconscious parts of my mind take a while to catch up with the rest of me.

Martin Shaw

scotland dvds yoga

It would be nice to be a professional pilot. I'm an amateur pilot at the moment. I've got a lot of friends in the RAF and I don't think I've ever met a group of people who love their job as much as they do.

Martin Shaw

nice jobs thinking

If someone opens a glorious Scotch or a bottle of wine, it's no more than a whimsy, but after nearly 40 years I'm used to it. I don't find it difficult not being drunk when other people are, but I get uncomfortable because they're uncomfortable with where I am.

Martin Shaw

scotch wine years

I worked with Judi Dench in Cranford. She's not at all starry, she's very easy and funny to be around, but I had such an enormous respect and regard for her before I met her that I was quite starstruck.

Martin Shaw

enormous mets easy

I hate the standard of stupid and selfish driving we have in this country. We are the worst I've come across.

Martin Shaw

selfish hate country

Are there any celebs I'd like to meet? I'd love to meet the Dalai Lama.

Martin Shaw

dalai lama celebs

It sounds very pretentious, but I don't lie. It's too uncomfortable. A lot of people think because you're an actor that makes you a good liar, but one of the things I can't articulate is a bad lie.

Martin Shaw

liars lying thinking

I don't live in London - I'm based in Norfolk and have a place in Scotland.

Martin Shaw

norfolk scotland london