 In 1978 , Shaw earned acclaim for his performance as a judge in the stage debut of Whose Life Is It Anyway ? at the Mermaid Theatre . The production won Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Play and Best Actor ( Tom Conti ) . Although 73 years old , Shaw did not let his age slow down his career . During the run of this production a mugger tried to steal his money , but Shaw chased him down , tackled him and recovered his property . Later that year , he was painted in the nude by his nephew , Brian Ocean . During his later years , Shaw suffered a physical disability that made him tremble , which had a negative impact on his television roles , particularly when handling cups or trays of drinks . One of his later television appearances was in The Old Curiosity Shop , a 1979 mini @-@ series based on the novel by Charles Dickens . Around this time , he also voiced the part of Squire <unk> in a radio production of The Adventures of Harry Richmond , which the Daily Telegraph said was " remembered with affection " . He lent his voice to several radio performances , both Shakespearean and modern , including protagonist John Tanner in the five @-@ hour Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw . 
