Paula Shaw, the character actress known for her roles in horror films and Hallmark movies, died peacefully in her sleep on September 10, 2025, at her home in Vancouver, British Columbia. She was 84 years old.
Shaw passed away after a lengthy illness, according to a statement from The Max workshop. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce Paula passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 morning at 9:00 am,” the statement read. The organization noted that Shaw touched countless lives through her transformational work and that her legacy lives on in the communities she helped create.
Born in the Bronx, New York, on July 17, 1941, Shaw began acting as a teenager at NYU’s Bronx campus before women were officially enrolled there. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts from Bard College on a full scholarship.
After college, Shaw studied with the legendary acting teacher Uta Hagen for nine years, working in off-Broadway shows and summer theater. During a production of “The Rainmaker,” she met actor James Mendenhall. Together they ran a summer theater called Playhouse-on-the-Mountain in Ellenville, New York, for three seasons. Shaw performed in major productions including “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “Rain.”
Shaw moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s for the West Coast debut of Gus Weill’s play “Geese.” This opportunity led her to audition for Lee Strasberg, who invited her to join The Actors Studio as a lifetime member. The prestigious association opened doors to television work on popular shows including “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Barney Miller,” “Three’s Company,” and “Lou Grant.”
Her film career included playing Wulla Jean in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (1982) with Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton. She also appeared in Christopher Nolan’s “Insomnia” (2002) with Al Pacino. Television credits expanded to include “21 Jump Street,” “The X-Files,” “Supernatural,” and “Van Helsing.”
Horror fans knew Shaw best for playing Pamela Voorhees, Jason’s mother, in “Freddy vs. Jason” (2003). She took over the role originally played by Betsy Palmer. Shaw also appeared in other horror films, including “Chupacabra Terror.”
Shaw found new audiences through the Hallmark Channel, where she played Charlotte Jeffers on “Cedar Cove” in 2013. The role led to numerous holiday movies, including “Hanukkah on Rye,” “Picture a Perfect Christmas,” “A Mrs. Miracle Christmas,” and “Round and Round,” which was one of her final performances.
Hallmark writer Julie Sherman Wolfe fondly remembered Shaw. “We often chatted on FaceTime after she filmed Hanukkah on Rye, mostly about our shared heritage,” Wolfe wrote on Instagram. She added that Shaw would always be one of her honorary bubbies.
Beyond acting, Shaw became a workshop leader in the 1970s through the personal growth movement. She began leading EST graduate seminars, which evolved into helping both actors and regular people break through personal barriers. Shaw once described how acting and healing came together for her in powerful ways. She discovered that well-being and self-fulfillment stemmed from challenging her personal limits, both in terms of who she thought she was and what she could create in her life.
Shaw developed and led “The Max: Stretching the Limits of Your Self-Expression” workshop at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, for over 30 years. The course became a requirement for Esalen staff and maintained a reputation as one of the institute’s most challenging offerings. Using theater techniques, games, and personal growth methods, Shaw developed a program that enabled thousands of people to discover their creativity and foster self-acceptance.
The Esalen Institute remembered Shaw’s contributions in a statement. Officials said she used a blend of theater technique, improvisational games, and personal growth expertise to create and facilitate a platform for thousands of people to discover, traverse and maximize the reaches of their creativity and self-acceptance.
Shaw’s teaching had a lasting impact that extended beyond the United States to Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. She considered herself a student of Uta Hagen and credited Werner Erhard’s training in self-expression as foundational to her development of the workshop. “Many years ago, Werner Erhard trained me in self-expression, and I have led many workshops, including THE MAX, since then,” Shaw stated.
Shaw divided her time among Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Big Sur, continuing to act and conduct workshops until recently. She starred as Mrs. Byrne, a history teacher, on the Canadian sitcom “Mr. Young” from 2011 to 2013, spanning three seasons. Her career spanned decades, beginning with her first film role in 1969.
Shaw is survived by her sister Greta, brother-in-law Gary, nephew Nicholas, his wife Raphaela, their daughter Elowyn, and godchildren Marissa and David. Memorial service details will be announced on The Max workshop website.
