Robert Shaw (The Sting) The Sting
Robert Shaw was not the first choice for Doyle Lonnegan. Richard Boone was originally cast but "vanished to Florida without explanation," and Shaw stepped into a role that would become one of the most memorable screen villains of the 1970s. Shaw played Lonnegan as contained fury -- narrowed eyes, clenched jaw, the repeated "D'ya follow?" that functions as both question and threat -- and his performance anchors the film's stakes. Without Shaw's menace, the con would be a charming exercise. With it, the con has consequences.
Shaw's handball injury became Lonnegan's signature limp
Two days before filming began, Shaw slipped on a handball court and injured his leg badly enough to require a brace. Rather than delay production, Hill encouraged Shaw to incorporate the limp into his character. The injury became one of Lonnegan's defining physical traits -- a visual marker of controlled physical power that reinforced Shaw's performance of barely restrained violence. (wikipedia)
Shaw stole the picture from Newman and Redford
The Variety review identified Shaw's contribution immediately.
"Shaw is a major coup; his taciturn menace commands attention even when he is simply part of a master shot." — A.D. Murphy, Variety (1973)
TCM's retrospective described the performance as "a terrific counterpoint to Newman's devil-may-care turn as expert con artist Henry Gondorff, which was perfectly exemplified in the card game where Lonnegan is out-cheated by Gondorff." Shaw's restraint makes Newman's flamboyance register: without a credible threat at the other end of the table, the poker scene is a parlor trick rather than a high-wire act. (tcm)
Conall McManus at Frame Rated captured what makes the performance work at a physical level.
"Robert Shaw is sublime as the antagonist. His white-hot fury is communicated with narrowed eyes and clenched jaw, his face containing calculated menace." — Conall McManus, Frame Rated (2023)
Shaw knew where the attention went, and it wasn't to him
Shaw was characteristically dry about the realities of co-starring with Newman and Redford. On the promotional tour, he observed the hierarchy clearly.
"I did notice that it was Newman everywhere we passed through... I picked up about two fans... and none of these absolute layers of girls knew who the hell I was." — Robert Shaw, TCM (2010)
The remark captures Shaw's position in the film and in the industry: the actor whose work makes the stars look good, who commands every scene he enters, and who goes home without the screaming fans.
Lonnegan is dangerous because he is not stupid
Lonnegan suspects something is wrong at multiple points in the con. He sends men to verify Hooker's story. He tests the parlor's credibility. He demands proof before committing his money. What defeats him is not gullibility but his own compulsion to dominate -- his need to be the one running the game, never the mark. The con men understand this need and exploit it at every stage.
"These grifters are masters of manipulating your insecurities, leading you to see the picture they desire. All the while, they will allow you to believe it was your own astuteness that guided you." — Conall McManus, Frame Rated (2023)
Shaw died of a heart attack in 1978 at age fifty-one, five years after The Sting and three years after Jaws. He left behind two of the great antagonist performances in American cinema.