 Immediately upon returning to London after the war , Shaw lost his Albany flat and his acting contract , and essentially had to restart his acting career . Although he made 20 films before the war and had already begun to develop a reputation as a strong leading man , in later years he would describe himself as " a rotten actor " in the 1930s who landed roles based mainly on his good looks . He used the phrase " a piece of cinema beefcake " to describe himself as an actor during that period . He felt that after his return home from military service , he learned to act properly and began to mature as a performer . Shaw 's Royal Air Force experience was put to good use when he played a pilot in Journey Together , the 1946 RAF training film in which actor Edward G. Robinson coached actor Richard Attenborough in the rudiments of flying . 
