Presidential succession Act - wikipedia Presidential succession Act Jump to : navigation , search A Presidential Succession Act is a federal statute establishing who shall exercise the powers and duties of the office of President of the United States in the event that neither a President nor Vice President is able to do so . Such acts have been enacted in 1792 , 1886 , and most recently in 1947 . Article II , Section 1 , Clause 6 of the United States Constitution authorizes Congress to enact such a statute . The role of Congress regarding presidential succession is also addressed by the Twentieth Amendment and by the Twenty - fifth Amendment . Contents ( hide ) 1 Current text 2 Previous acts 2.1 Presidential Succession Act of 1792 2.1. 1 Provisions 2.1. 2 Potential implementation 2.2 Presidential Succession Act of 1886 2.2. 1 Provisions 2.2. 2 Potential implementation 3 Presidential Succession Act of 1947 3.1 Potential implementations 3.2 Revisions 4 Constitutionality 4.1 Meaning of `` officer '' 4.2 Bumping 4.3 Political question 5 Twenty - fifth Amendment 6 Next in line 6.1 Under the Presidential Succession Act of 1792 6.2 Under the Presidential Succession Act of 1886 6.3 Under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 6.3. 1 Invocations of the Twenty - fifth Amendment 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Current text ( edit ) Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President ; officers eligible to act ( 3 U.S.C. § 19 ) ( a ) ( 1 ) If , by reason of death , resignation , removal from office , inability , or failure to qualify , there is neither a President nor Vice President to discharge the powers and duties of the office of President , then the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall , upon his resignation as Speaker and as Representative in Congress , act as President . ( 2 ) The same rule shall apply in the case of the death , resignation , removal from office , or inability of an individual acting as President under this subsection . ( b ) If , at the time when under subsection ( a ) of this section a Speaker is to begin the discharge of the powers and duties of the office of President , there is no Speaker , or the Speaker fails to qualify as Acting President , then the President pro tempore of the Senate shall , upon his resignation as President pro tempore and as Senator , act as President . ( c ) An individual acting as President under subsection ( a ) or subsection ( b ) of this section shall continue to act until the expiration of the then current Presidential term , except that -- ( 1 ) if his discharge of the powers and duties of the office is founded in whole or in part on the failure of both the President - elect and the Vice-President - elect to qualify , then he shall act only until a President or Vice President qualifies ; and ( 2 ) if his discharge of the powers and duties of the office is founded in whole or in part on the inability of the President or Vice President , then he shall act only until the removal of the disability of one of such individuals . ( d ) ( 1 ) If , by reason of death , resignation , removal from office , inability , or failure to qualify , there is no President pro tempore to act as President under subsection ( b ) of this section , then the officer of the United States who is highest on the following list , and who is not under disability to discharge the powers and duties of the office of President shall act as President : Secretary of State , Secretary of the Treasury , Secretary of Defense , Attorney General , Secretary of the Interior , Secretary of Agriculture , Secretary of Commerce , Secretary of Labor , Secretary of Health and Human Services , Secretary of Housing and Urban Development , Secretary of Transportation , Secretary of Energy , Secretary of Education , Secretary of Veterans Affairs , Secretary of Homeland Security . ( 2 ) An individual acting as President under this subsection shall continue so to do until the expiration of the then current Presidential term , but not after a qualified and prior - entitled individual is able to act , except that the removal of the disability of an individual higher on the list contained in paragraph ( 1 ) of this subsection or the ability to qualify on the part of an individual higher on such list shall not terminate his service . ( 3 ) The taking of the oath of office by an individual specified in the list in paragraph ( 1 ) of this subsection shall be held to constitute his resignation from the office by virtue of the holding of which he qualifies to act as President . ( e ) Subsections ( a ) , ( b ) , and ( d ) of this section shall apply only to such officers as are eligible to the office of President under the Constitution . Subsection ( d ) of this section shall apply only to officers appointed , by and with the advice and consent of the Senate , prior to the time of the death , resignation , removal from office , inability , or failure to qualify , of the President pro tempore , and only to officers not under impeachment by the House of Representatives at the time the powers and duties of the office of President devolve upon them . ( f ) During the period that any individual acts as President under this section , his compensation shall be at the rate then provided by law in the case of the President . Previous acts ( edit ) Presidential succession Act of 1792 ( edit ) The Presidential Succession Act of 1792 consisted of sections 9 and 10 of a larger federal statute . Provisions ( edit ) Wikisource has original text related to this article : Presidential Succession Act 1792 Section 9 declared that , in the event of the removal , resignation , death , or inability of both the President and Vice President , the President pro tempore of the United States Senate was next in line of succession after the Vice President , followed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives . If both the President and Vice President were removed , resigned , or died , section 10 required there to be a presidential election in December of the year in which section 9 was invoked ( or in December of the next year , if there was less than two months to go until December and the presidential term was not about to expire ) . Potential implementation ( edit ) While the 1792 Act was never implemented , there were ten instances when the Vice Presidency was vacant . Had the President died , resigned , been removed from office , or been disabled , the President pro tempore of the Senate would have become the Acting President of the United States : Vice Presidents John Tyler , Millard Fillmore , Andrew Johnson and Chester A. Arthur succeeded to the Presidency following the deaths of their predecessors . George Clinton , Elbridge Gerry , William R. King , Henry Wilson and Thomas A. Hendricks died in office , and John C. Calhoun resigned . The Act came very close to being implemented on three occasions : In 1844 , President John Tyler narrowly missed being killed by the explosion of a bow gun on board USS Princeton while sailing on a demonstration in the Potomac River below Washington ; had this occurred , President pro tempore Willie Person Mangum would have become Acting President . In 1865 , President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth . Two of Booth 's accomplices also intended to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward . Seward 's would - be assassin , Lewis Powell , attacked but failed to kill him , whereas George Atzerodt , who planned to murder Johnson , never acted . If Atzerodt had assassinated Johnson , President pro tempore Lafayette S. Foster would have become Acting President . In 1868 , after President Andrew Johnson was impeached by the House of Representatives , the Senate came one vote short of removing him from office ; if Johnson had been removed , President pro tempore Benjamin Wade would have become Acting President . Presidential succession Act of 1886 ( edit ) Provisions ( edit ) Wikisource has original text related to this article : Presidential Succession Act 1886 In 1886 , following the death of Vice President Thomas A. Hendricks in the previous year , a new Presidential Succession Act was adopted , replacing the President `` pro tempore '' of the United States Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the list with the members of the Presidential Cabinet . The order of succession was determined by the order in which each cabinet department had been created -- with the Secretary of State being first in line after the Vice President . Six former Secretaries of State went on to be elected President ; only one Congressional leader , Speaker of the House of Representatives James K. Polk , had done so to that time . The change to the order of succession was widely accepted . The 1886 Act did not require a special presidential election to be held . Potential implementation ( edit ) Like the 1792 Act , the 1886 Act was never implemented during its 61 years , but there were five instances where the Vice Presidency was vacant . Had the President died , resigned , been removed from office , or been disabled , the Secretary of State would have become Acting President : Vice Presidents Theodore Roosevelt , Calvin Coolidge , and Harry S. Truman assumed the Presidency following the deaths of their predecessors . Vice Presidents Garret Hobart and James S. Sherman died in office . President Woodrow Wilson drew up a plan whereby , given the turmoil of World War I , if his Republican opponent Charles Evans Hughes had won the 1916 election then Wilson would have appointed Hughes to be the Secretary of State . Wilson and Vice President Thomas R. Marshall would have then immediately resigned to allow Hughes to serve as Acting President until the end of the lame - duck period on March 4 , 1917 . Wilson 's narrow victory over Hughes rendered the plan moot . Presidential succession Act of 1947 ( edit ) Wikisource has original text related to this article : Presidential Succession Act 1947 ( original version ) Shortly after President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's death , President Harry S. Truman lobbied for a revision of the law and consequently the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 was passed . The 1947 Act restored the Congressional officers to places directly after the Vice President , but switched their order from the 1792 Act , placing the Speaker of the House first and the President pro tempore second . The Presidential Cabinet officers then follow in the order in which their respective departments were created . In 1947 , the Secretary of Defense was created , along with the United States Department of Defense , following the reorganization and removal from the cabinet of the Secretary of War ( renamed the Secretary of the Army ) and Secretary of the Navy , along with the creation of a new Department of the Air Force , also with its own Secretary . In 1948 , the new Secretary of Defense replaced the longtime historic offices of the old Secretaries of War and the Navy in the line of presidential succession . Potential implementations ( edit ) Like its predecessors , the 1947 Act has not been implemented . There have been seven instances where it would have been if the President or Acting President had died , resigned , been removed from office , or been disabled : During the first two years of this Act being in effect there was no Vice President . Harry S. Truman had become President upon Franklin D. Roosevelt 's death in 1945 . Following the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 , Lyndon B. Johnson became President . There was no Vice President until January 20 , 1965 , when Hubert H. Humphrey became Vice President . There was no Vice President during the two months in 1973 between Spiro Agnew 's resignation and Gerald Ford 's confirmation as Vice President . In 1974 , there was no Vice President during the four - month period between Ford 's succession to the Presidency and the confirmation of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller . In 1985 , President Ronald Reagan invoked Section 3 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment , making Vice President George H.W. Bush Acting President for approximately eight hours . In 2002 and 2007 , President George W. Bush invoked Section 3 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment , making Vice President Dick Cheney Acting President for a little over two hours each time . In the 1973 and 1974 cases , implementation of the 1947 Act was put off by Section 2 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment providing the ability to fill the two Vice Presidential vacancies . During the September 11 , 2001 terrorist attacks , several people holding offices in the line of succession ( among them Speaker Dennis Hastert and Senate President pro tempore Robert Byrd ) were taken to `` secure locations '' in order to guarantee that at least one officer in the line of succession would survive the attacks . When the President attends an event with the Vice-President , Speaker of the House , President pro tempore of the Senate , and the Cabinet , one member of the Cabinet does not attend , being the `` designated successor '' . This ensures there is always someone remaining to exercise the powers of the presidency , even if all the other officers are killed at the event . During the inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20 , 2009 , the Bush and Obama transition teams agreed to name Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as the `` designated successor '' and he was taken to a secure location instead of attending the ceremony . Revisions ( edit ) The Act has been modified several times with the addition of new cabinet positions , but the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002 caused controversy that delayed its secretary being placed in the succession order . Many in the Congress felt the Secretary of Homeland Security should have been placed higher in the order -- the rationale being that , as the officer responsible for disaster relief and security , the Secretary would be more capable of acting as President than , say , the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development . It was proposed that he be granted the position held by the Secretary of the Navy prior to the formation of the Department of Defense . In the 109th Congress , legislation was introduced to place the Secretary of Homeland Security into the line of succession after the Attorney General , but the bill expired at the end of the 109th Congress and was not reintroduced . The matter remained unresolved until March 9 , 2006 , when the Act was amended to add the Secretary of Homeland Security after the Secretary of Veterans Affairs . Constitutionality ( edit ) The constitutionality of the Act is disputed . Yale Law School Professor Akhil Reed Amar says the current Act is `` a disastrous statute , an accident waiting to happen '' . There are two main areas of concern . Meaning of `` Officer '' ( edit ) There are concerns regarding the constitutionality of having members of Congress in the line of succession . Article II , Section 1 , Clause 6 of the Constitution specifies that only an `` Officer '' may be designated as a Presidential successor . Constitutional scholars from James Madison to the present day have argued that the term `` Officer '' refers to an `` Officer of the United States , '' a term of art that excludes members of Congress . In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 16 , 2003 , Miller Baker said : The 1947 Act is probably unconstitutional because it appears that the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate are not `` Officers '' eligible to act as President within the meaning of the Succession Clause . This is because in referring to an `` Officer '' , the Succession Clause , taken in its context in Section 1 of Article II , probably refers to an `` Officer of the United States '' , a term of art under the Constitution , rather than any officer , which would include legislative and state officers referred to in the Constitution ( e.g. , the reference to state militia officers found in Article I , Section 8 ) . In the very next section of Article II , the President is empowered to `` require the Opinion , in writing , of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments '' and to appoint , by and with the advice and consent of the Senate , `` Officers of the United States '' . These are the `` Officers '' to whom the Succession Clause probably refers . This contextual reading is confirmed by Madison 's notes from the Constitutional Convention , which reveal that the Convention 's Committee of Style , which had no authority to make substantive changes , substituted `` Officer '' in the Succession Clause in place of `` Officer of the United States , '' probably because the Committee considered the full phrase redundant . In Is the Presidential Succession Law Constitutional , Akhil Reed Amar and Vikram Amar refer to Article I , Section 6 , Clause 2 ( a.k.a. , Incompatibility Clause ) as evidence that members of the Congress can not be in the Presidential line of succession . That clause states : No Senator or Representative shall , during the Time for which he was elected , be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States , which shall have been created , or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time ; and no Person holding any Office under the United States , shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office . Bumping ( edit ) The Act is also controversial because it provides that a cabinet officer can serve as Acting President only until a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate is chosen , who would then replace him as Acting President . This is sometimes referred to as `` bumping '' and appears to contradict the text of the Constitution , which says ( in Article II , Section 1 , Clause 6 ) : `` ... and such Officer shall act accordingly , until the Disability be removed , or a President shall be elected . '' The Continuity of Government Commission argued that as well as going against the language of the Constitution , bumping violates the doctrine of separation of powers by undermining the independence of the executive from the Congress : `` The Constitution on its face seems to stipulate that once a person is deemed to be acting president by the Presidential Succession Act , he or she can not be replaced by a different person . This interpretation makes some logical sense as the provision would presumably prevent the confusion that would arise if the presidency were transferred to several different individuals in a short period of time . It would also seemingly prevent Congress from exercising influence on the executive branch by threatening to replace a cabinet member acting as president with a newly elected Speaker of the House . '' Political question ( edit ) Even if a court heard a case regarding whether the Act is unconstitutional , a court may decide not to rule on the merits of such a case . For example , in The Political Question of Presidential Succession , Northwestern University Professor Steven G. Calabresi suggests that this Act 's constitutionality may be a political question . Twenty - fifth Amendment ( edit ) Main article : Twenty - fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution Section 2 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment allows the President to nominate a new Vice President when the office of Vice President is vacant . The nominee becomes Vice President if confirmed by each house of the Congress . Section 2 has been invoked twice : 1973 -- Gerald Ford became Vice President following Spiro Agnew resigning 1974 -- Nelson Rockefeller became Vice President following President Richard Nixon 's resignation and Ford becoming President . In addition , Section 3 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment provides that whenever the President of the United States transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office , the powers and duties of the presidency shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President , until the President transmits to the President pro tempore and the Speaker a written declaration that he has recovered . During such time , the Vice President would not be able to exercise his duties as President of the Senate , which would make the President pro tempore of the Senate the body 's presiding officer . Section 3 has been invoked three times : July 13 , 1985 -- President Ronald Reagan underwent surgery to remove cancerous polyps from his colon . Prior to undergoing surgery , he transmitted a letter to Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neill and President pro tempore of the Senate Strom Thurmond declaring his incapacity . Vice President George H.W. Bush was Acting President from 11 : 28 a.m. until 7 : 22 p.m. , when Reagan transmitted a second letter to resume the powers and duties of the office . June 29 , 2002 -- President George W. Bush declared himself temporarily unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office prior to undergoing a colonoscopy , which was done under sedation . He invoked Section 3 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment in letters given to White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales , who transmitted them by fax to Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert and President pro tempore of the Senate Robert Byrd . Gonzales called Hastert 's and Byrd 's offices to confirm receipt of the letters , and then contacted Vice President Dick Cheney to advise him of the transfer . Cheney was Acting President from 7 : 09 a.m. to 9 : 24 a.m. , whereupon Bush transmitted a second letter to resume the powers and duties of the office . July 21 , 2007 -- Under the same circumstances as the 2002 invocation , President George W. Bush transmitted a letter to President pro tempore of the Senate Robert Byrd and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi declaring himself temporarily unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office prior to undergoing a colonoscopy , which was done under sedation . Vice President Cheney was Acting President from 7 : 16 a.m. to 9 : 21 a.m. that day . Next in line ( edit ) The following people have been next in line for the powers and duties of the Presidency ( i.e. , to become Acting President , in the event of the death , resignation , removal , or disability of the President ) when there was either no Vice President or the Vice President was Acting President : Under the Presidential Succession Act of 1792 ( edit ) # Name Office Title Party Dates Reason President William Harris Crawford President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic - Republican April 20 , 1812 -- March 4 , 1813 Death of Vice President George Clinton Madison Langdon Cheves Speaker of the House Democratic - Republican November 23 , 1814 -- November 25 , 1814 Death of Vice President Elbridge Gerry Madison John Gaillard President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic - Republican November 25 , 1814 -- March 4 , 1817 Elected President pro tempore Madison Hugh Lawson White President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic December 28 , 1832 -- March 4 , 1833 Resignation of Vice President John C. Calhoun Jackson 5 Samuel L. Southard President pro tempore of the Senate Whig April 4 , 1841 -- May 31 , 1842 Death of President William Henry Harrison Tyler 6 Willie P. Mangum President pro tempore of the Senate Whig May 31 , 1842 -- March 4 , 1845 Elected President pro tempore upon the resignation of President pro tempore Samuel L. Southard Tyler Vacant / Howell Cobb July 9 , 1850 -- July 11 , 1850 Death of President Zachary Taylor ; vacancy in office of President pro tempore of the Senate ; Speaker of the House Howell Cobb was not yet 35 years old and so might not have been eligible , depending on whether the qualifications for the presidency apply to becoming Acting President . Fillmore 7 William R. King President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic July 11 , 1850 -- December 20 , 1852 Elected President pro tempore Fillmore 8 David Rice Atchison President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic December 20 , 1852 -- March 4 , 1853 Elected President pro tempore Fillmore 9 David Rice Atchison President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic April 18 , 1853 -- December 4 , 1854 Death of Vice President William R. King Pierce 10 Lewis Cass President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic December 4 , 1854 -- December 5 , 1854 Elected President pro tempore Pierce 11 Jesse D. Bright President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic December 5 , 1854 -- June 9 , 1856 Elected President pro tempore Pierce 12 Charles E. Stuart President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic June 9 , 1856 -- June 10 , 1856 Elected President pro tempore Pierce 13 Jesse D. Bright President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic June 11 , 1856 -- January 6 , 1857 Elected President pro tempore Pierce 14 James M. Mason President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic January 6 , 1857 -- March 4 , 1857 Elected President pro tempore Pierce 15 Lafayette S. Foster President pro tempore of the Senate Republican April 15 , 1865 -- March 2 , 1867 Death of President Abraham Lincoln A. Johnson 16 Benjamin F. Wade President pro tempore of the Senate Republican March 2 , 1867 -- March 4 , 1869 Elected President pro tempore A. Johnson 17 Thomas W. Ferry President pro tempore of the Senate Republican November 22 , 1875 -- March 4 , 1877 Death of Vice President Henry Wilson Grant Vacant September 19 , 1881 -- October 10 , 1881 Death of President James A. Garfield ; vacancy in offices of President pro tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House Arthur 18 Thomas F. Bayard President pro tempore of the Senate Democratic October 10 , 1881 -- October 13 , 1881 Elected President pro tempore Arthur 19 David Davis III President pro tempore of the Senate Independent October 13 , 1881 -- March 3 , 1883 Elected President pro tempore Arthur 20 George F. Edmunds President pro tempore of the Senate Republican March 3 , 1883 -- March 3 , 1885 Elected President pro tempore Arthur Vacant November 25 , 1885 -- December 7 , 1885 Death of Vice President Thomas A. Hendricks ; vacancy in offices of President pro tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House Cleveland 21 John Sherman President pro tempore of the Senate Republican December 7 , 1885 -- January 19 , 1886 Elected President pro tempore Cleveland Under the Presidential succession Act of 1886 ( edit ) # Name Office Title Party Dates Reason President 22 Thomas F. Bayard Secretary of State Democratic January 19 , 1886 -- March 4 , 1889 Change in line of succession Cleveland 23 John Hay Secretary of State Republican November 21 , 1899 -- March 4 , 1901 Death of Vice President Garret Hobart McKinley 24 John Hay Secretary of State Republican September 14 , 1901 -- March 4 , 1905 Death of President William McKinley T. Roosevelt 25 Philander C. Knox Secretary of State Republican October 30 , 1912 -- March 4 , 1913 Death of Vice President James S. Sherman Taft 26 Charles Evans Hughes Secretary of State Republican August 2 , 1923 -- March 4 , 1925 Death of President Warren G. Harding Coolidge 27 Edward Stettinius , Jr . Secretary of State Democratic April 12 , 1945 -- June 27 , 1945 Death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt Truman 28 Henry Morgenthau , Jr . Secretary of the Treasury Democratic June 27 , 1945 -- July 3 , 1945 Resignation of Secretary of State Edward Stettinius , Jr . Truman 29 James F. Byrnes Secretary of State Democratic July 3 , 1945 -- January 21 , 1947 Appointed Secretary of State Truman 30 George Marshall Secretary of State Democratic January 21 , 1947 -- July 17 , 1947 Appointed Secretary of State upon the resignation of James F. Byrnes Truman Under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 ( edit ) # Name Office Title Party Dates Reason President 31 Joseph William Martin , Jr . Speaker of the House Republican July 17 , 1947 -- January 3 , 1949 Change in line of succession Truman 32 Sam Rayburn Speaker of the House Democratic January 3 , 1949 -- January 20 , 1949 Elected Speaker of the House Truman 33 John William McCormack Speaker of the House Democratic November 22 , 1963 -- January 20 , 1965 Death of President John F. Kennedy L. Johnson Invocations of the Twenty - fifth Amendment ( edit ) # Name Office Title Party Dates Reason President Acting President 34 Carl Albert Speaker of the House Democratic October 10 , 1973 -- December 6 , 1973 Resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew ; Section 2 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment Nixon N / A 35 Carl Albert Speaker of the House Democratic August 9 , 1974 -- December 19 , 1974 Resignation of President Richard Nixon ; Sections 1 and 2 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment Ford N / A 36 Thomas P. O'Neill Jr . Speaker of the House Democratic July 13 , 1985 Section 3 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment Ronald Reagan George H.W. Bush 37 Dennis Hastert Speaker of the House Republican June 29 , 2002 Section 3 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment George W. Bush Dick Cheney 38 Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House Democratic July 21 , 2007 Section 3 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment George W. Bush Dick Cheney See also ( edit ) Acting Vice President of the United States United States presidential line of succession References ( edit ) ^ Jump up to : Pub. L. 80 -- 199 , S. 564 , 61 Stat. 380 , enacted July 18 , 1947 ^ Jump up to : An Act relative to the Election of a President and Vice President of the United States , and declaring the Officer who shall act as President in case of Vacancies in the offices both of President and Vice President , 1 Stat. 239 , § 9 -- 10 ( March 1 , 1792 ) Jump up ^ The American Heritage Book of the presidents and Famous Americans , Vol. 4 ( American Heritage Publishing Co. , 1967 ) , pp. 298 -- 299 . Jump up ^ Akhil Reed , Amar ; Vikram David Amar ( November 1995 ) . `` Is the Presidential Succession Law Constitutional ? '' . Stanford Law Review . 48 ( 1 ) : 113 -- 139 . doi : 10.2307 / 1229151 . JSTOR 1229151 . Jump up ^ 24 Stat. 1 , ch. 4 ( 1886 ) Jump up ^ Arthur S. Link and William M. Leary Jr. , `` Election of 1916 '' in Israel , Fred L. , Arthur M. Schlesinger , and Gil Troy. 2012 . History of American Presidential Elections , 1789 - 2008 . New York : Facts on File , Inc , 2012 . eBook Collection ( EBSCOhost ) , EBSCOhost ( accessed August 27 , 2017 ) , p. 929 . Jump up ^ `` Gates is designated successor on Inauguration Day '' . Bloomberg News . January 20 , 2009 . Retrieved January 23 , 2009 . Jump up ^ `` Defense Secretary Robert Gates to be Obama 's ' Designated Successor , ' '' Los Angeles Times , January 19 , 2009 Jump up ^ S. 442 , February 17 , 2005 Jump up ^ § 503 of Pub. L. 109 -- 177 Jump up ^ Ornstein , Norman J. ( February 9 , 2004 ) . `` It 's Armageddon '' . American Enterprise Institute . Jump up ^ Pike , John . `` Ensuring the Continuity of the United States Government : The Presidency '' . Jump up ^ 48 Stan . L. Rev. 113 ( 1995 ) Jump up ^ `` Article I - U.S. Constitution - FindLaw '' . Jump up ^ `` Presidential Succession Act '' . Jump up ^ Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission , 2009 Archived May 23 , 2012 , at WebCite Jump up ^ 48 Stan . L. Rev. 155 ( 1995 ) Jump up ^ Feerick , John ( 2014 ) . `` 1 '' . The Twenty - Fifth Amendment ( Third ed . ) . Fordham University Press . pp. 44 , fn . ISBN 978 - 0 - 8232 - 5201 - 5 . External links ( edit ) ' Presidential and Vice Presidential Succession : Overview and Current Legislation , Congressional Research Service Report for Congress , Order Code RL31761 , September 27 , 2004 Presidential Succession : An Overview with Analysis of Legislation Proposed in the 109th Congress , Congressional Research Service Report for Congress , Order Code RL32969 , June 29 , 2005 Amendment25.com Fools , Drunkards , & Presidential Succession Testimony of M. Miller Baker Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Presidential_Succession_Act&oldid=837772643 '' Categories : 1792 in American law 2nd United States Congress 1886 in American law 49th United States Congress 1947 in American law 80th United States Congress United States federal government administration legislation United States presidential succession Vice Presidency of the United States Continuity of government in the United States Hidden categories : Webarchive template webcite links Use mdy dates from May 2015 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Edit links This page was last edited on 22 April 2018 , at 23 : 31 . Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply . By using this site , you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation , Inc. , a non-profit organization . About Wikipedia

Question: who takes over the presidency if the vice president cant


Sebastian Shaw ( actor ) - wikipedia Sebastian Shaw ( actor ) Jump to : navigation , search Sebastian Shaw Shaw in a 1979 episode of Rumpole of the Bailey Sebastian Lewis Shaw ( 1905 - 05 - 29 ) 29 May 1905 Holt , Norfolk , England 23 December 1994 ( 1994 - 12 - 23 ) ( aged 89 ) Brighton , Sussex , England Education Slade School of Fine Art Alma mater Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts Occupation Actor director novelist playwright poet Years active 1914 -- 1991 Spouse ( s ) Margaret Kate S Wellesley Lynn ( stage name Delamere ) ( 1929 -- 1956 ) Sebastian Lewis Shaw ( 29 May 1905 -- 23 December 1994 ) was an English actor , director , novelist , playwright and poet . During his 65 - year career , he appeared in dozens of stage performances and more than 40 film and television productions . Shaw was born and brought up in Holt , Norfolk , and made his acting debut at age eight at a London theatre . He studied acting at Gresham 's School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art . Although he worked primarily on the London stage , he made his Broadway debut in 1929 , when he played one of the two murderers in Rope 's End . He appeared in his first film , Caste , in 1930 and quickly began to create a name for himself in films . He described himself as a `` rotten actor '' as a youth and said his success was primarily due to his good looks . He claimed to mature as a performer only after returning from service in the Royal Air Force during World War II . Shaw was particularly known for his performances in productions of Shakespeare plays which were considered daring and ahead of their time . In 1966 , he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company , where he remained for a decade and delivered some of his most acclaimed performances . He also wrote several poems and a novel , The Christening , in 1975 . He is also known for his brief but important performance in Return of the Jedi , the original third installment in the Star Wars franchise , in which he portrayed an unmasked and redeemed Anakin Skywalker ( formerly Darth Vader ) , and his ghost in the original version of the film . Contents ( hide ) 1 Early life and career 2 World War II and post-war career 3 Royal Shakespeare Company 4 Writing career 5 Return of the Jedi 6 Later career and death 7 TV and filmography 8 References 9 External links Early Life and career ( edit ) Shaw was one of three children born to Dr. Geoffrey Shaw , the music master at Gresham 's School , a Norfolk independent boarding school , where Shaw began his education . His uncle , Martin Shaw , was a composer of church music , and his family 's love of music heavily influenced Shaw 's career path . Shaw made his acting debut at age eight on the London stage as one of the juvenile band in The Cockyolly Bird at the Royal Court Theatre in Chelsea on New Year 's Day of 1914 . During his time at Gresham 's , he also played Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew , his first of many performances from the works of William Shakespeare ; schoolmate W.H. Auden , who would go on to become a highly regarded poet , portrayed Katherina in the play opposite him . After Gresham 's , Shaw planned to become a painter and spent two years at the Slade School of Fine Art before switching his interests to acting ; regarding the change , his father informed him , `` I wondered when you would come to your senses . '' He earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in Bloomsbury , London . Actor Charles Laughton enrolled in the Academy at the same time as Shaw , who later said his first impression of Laughton was `` a poor fat boy '' . Although Shaw and his fellow students initially felt pity for Laughton , they were quickly impressed with his talent . A young Sebastian Shaw Shaw appeared in regional theatres in Bristol , Liverpool and Hull . In 1925 , he performed in London as the Archangel in The Sign of the Sun , and played first Lewis Dodd and then the Major in separate productions of The Constant Nymph . He received instruction in verse speaking under famed theatre director William Bridges - Adams in the Stratford Festival Company at Stratford - upon - Avon , where he played some of his early Shakespeare roles , including Romeo in Romeo and Juliet , Ferdinand in The Tempest and Prince Hal in Henry IV in 1926 . He was criticised for the audacity he displayed in the latter role . When Prince Hal takes on his kingship and rejects the self - indulgent character Falstaff , convention of the day called for Prince Hal to change from a jovial drinking partner to an arrogant snob , but Shaw saw the view as simple - minded and contradictory toward Shakespeare 's script . Instead , he displayed inward regrets about leaving Falstaff and accepting the new responsibilities . The interpretation was criticised at the time but , years later , became the standard approach to the character . Shaw made his Broadway debut in 1929 , when he played the murderer Wyndham Brandon in Patrick Hamilton 's stage thriller , Rope 's End . In 1929 , he married Margaret Delamere and lived with her in the Albany , an apartment complex off of Piccadilly in London . The two would eventually have a daughter together named Drusilla ( born 1932 ) . He returned to the works of William Shakespeare in 1931 , playing Claudio in Measure for Measure at London 's Fortune Playhouse . In 1932 he once again played Romeo at the Embassy Theatre . Other works around this period included productions of Ivor Novello 's Sunshine Sisters in 1933 , Double Door alongside actress Sybil Thorndike in 1934 , J.M. Barrie 's A Kiss for Cinderella in 1937 , and Robert Morley 's Goodness , How Sad in 1938 . The first film Shaw appeared in was Caste in 1930 . He soon began to make a name for himself in films such as Brewster 's Millions in 1935 , Men Are Not Gods in 1936 and Farewell Again in 1937 . He was making about £ 300 a week during this stage of his career , a significant sum higher than the salary of the British Prime Minister of the time . He brought what the Daily Telegraph described as a `` smooth villainy '' to the role of Frank Sutton in The Squeaker in 1937 , while in 1939 he played the hero Cmdr . David Blacklock alongside Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson in The Spy in Black , Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger 's first collaboration . Shaw described himself as a film buff and called Academy Award - winning actor Spencer Tracy his `` great god of all screen actors '' ; he was so impressed by Tracy 's technique that he claimed to become depressed while watching his films because Tracy made acting look simple , while Shaw claimed to find it so difficult to master himself . World War II and post-war career ( edit ) When World War II broke out , Shaw took a break from acting and joined the Royal Air Force . He was commissioned as an Acting - Pilot Officer on probation in the Administrative and Special Duties Branch on 25 April 1941 and over the next three months was promoted to Pilot Officer on probation , then Flying Officer and then Flight Lieutenant . According to his obituary in the Guardian , he saw little action in the service and was told the only chance he would have to fly would be as a rear gunner . Some of his fellow airmen hounded Shaw for autographs while others mocked his posh accent , to which he retaliated with an excellent and unflattering imitation of their less refined speech . He continued to hold a Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve commission after the war until he resigned the commission on 10 February 1954 ; he was permitted to retain his rank . 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 . In 1945 , Shaw returned to the Embassy Theatre to direct Fyodor Dostoevsky 's The Gambler . Significant theatre roles that decade included Hercules in The Thracian Horses at the Lyric Theatre , Hammersmith in 1946 , Mr. Hern - Lawrence in Florida Scott - Maxwell 's experimental I Said to Myself at the Mercury Theatre , Notting Hill Gate in 1947 , Sir James Kirkham in His Excellency at Prince 's Theatre in 1950 , and Filmer Jesson , MP , in Arthur Wing Pinero 's His House In Order at New Theatre in 1951 . In 1956 , he played the title role in the first British production of Hugo von Hofmannsthal 's Everyman . That same year , he wrote the lyrics to his father 's ballad - opera , All at Sea , which played at the Royal College of Music . In 1957 , he played Lucifer in Brother Lucifer in Shrewsbury , Shropshire , and a sinister Venetian agent in Jonathan Griffin 's The Hidden King in Edinburgh . As Shaw grew older , his reputation as a dramatic actor grew stronger , and he became known for a sharp intelligence and dignified style . Although his good looks diminished , reviewers felt that he used his florid and weatherbeaten face well in evoking grandeur and self - assuredness in such roles as generals , priests and his familiar Shakespearean parts . In 1956 , his wife Margaret Delamere died ; she was survived by their daughter Drusilla . Shaw began a romantic relationship in the mid-1950s with Joan Ingpen , the well - known classical music and opera talent agent who had previously represented him . The two were romantically involved , to the point that she took his surname , until Shaw 's death . During the 1980s , however , Shaw also had a brief relationship with Harriet Ravenscroft , the mother of the disc jockey John Peel , whom he met while performing at Ludlow Castle at Ludlow . He split his time between Ingpen and Ravenscroft on a four - day rotating basis to which both women consented . Although Peel got along with Shaw and said he made his mother happy , he said he did not feel comfortable with the arrangement . He felt it disrupted his mother 's friendships and prospects for a more stable relationship . In 1965 , British theatre director William Gaskill was named artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre , where he hoped to re-establish a repertoire . He approached Shaw , who had made his acting début at the Royal Court Theatre as a youth , and Shaw agreed to return . There he delivered several performances over the next year , including General Conrad von Hotzendorf in John Osborne 's A Patriot for Me ; various roles in Ann Jellicoe 's Shelley ; Sir Francis Harker in N.F. Simpson 's The Cresta Run and Pte Atterclife in John Arden 's Serjeant Musgrave 's Dance . Royal Shakespeare Company ( edit ) In 1966 , Shaw joined the Royal Shakespeare Company , where he spent the next decade of his career and eventually became an associate artist . He mostly appeared in Shakespeare plays , including the title role in Cymbeline , Edmund of Langley in Richard II , the King in All 's Well That Ends Well , Ulysses in Troilus and Cressida , and Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing . The Times described his performance in the title role of Cymbeline as `` awe - inspiring '' , and The Independent described his performance as Polonius in Hamlet as `` unrivalled in his complacency and sense of circumstance '' . The Telegraph described his performance of Gloucester in King Lear as `` doleful '' and his performance of Duncan in Macbeth as `` decent '' . Many of the company 's Shakespearean productions at the time were considered interpretive and modern , which drew criticism from some traditionalists , but Shaw defended the experimental nature of the shows and rejected the notion that plays should be restricted to preconceived interpretations . During his time with the company , he also demonstrated what the Daily Telegraph called a `` crusty charm '' as Sir Oblong Fitz Oblong in Robert Bolt 's children 's play The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew . He was also noted as possessing a gift for dry comedy during this period of his acting career , exemplified by his roles in Maxim Gorky 's plays Enemies and Summerfolk . He demonstrated a particular knack for Russian comedy in Jonathan Miller 's productions of the Anton Chekhov plays Three Sisters and Ivanov . 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 Beltham 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 . Writing career ( edit ) Shaw wrote Take a Life , his first play , in 1961 . He directed a production of the show at London 's Mermaid Theatre , where he also played the lead role of the Detective . That same year he played two lead roles in George Bernard Shaw plays at the Dublin Theatre Festival : Mrs. Warren 's Profession and Candida . Around this time , he also wrote an outline for a television comedy series about four girls sharing a flat , inspired by his real - life daughter , who was in her early twenties and living in a flat with other girls her age . The series was submitted to the Granada Television company , which expressed interest in the show and said it was one of two under consideration for television . The company ultimately chose the other show , the long - running British soap opera Coronation Street . Shaw agreed to take certain roles only on the condition that he have complete freedom to rewrite his dialogue . When he appeared in It Happened Here , a 1966 World War II film , he wrote many of his own lines , which the filmmakers later said `` gave his dialogue an individual slant which enhanced his performance '' . He also helped in other aspects of the filmmaking , including casting ; he introduced the filmmakers to Fiona Leland , who would be cast as Shaw 's wife in It Happened Here . He wrote other plays , including The Ship 's Bell , The Cliff Walk , The Glass Maze and Cul de Sac . He also wrote Poems , a collection of his personal poetry , which saw a limited print of 300 editions by publisher Exeter University . Shaw wrote The Christening , his only novel , in 1975 . It centres around Miles Madgwick , who believes that he is bisexual but is too timid to find out through physical intercourse , so he instead describes his most intimate thoughts in his diary . He then meets a married woman named Alice and her son , Rodney ; he comes to identify with Rodney 's childhood innocence , and in Alice sees a symbol both of his mother and a heterosexual lover . Alice starts to tire of her husband and grow fonder of Madgwick , who experiences mixed emotions in his continued interactions with her and Rodney . One night , Rodney stays overnight at Madgwick 's house and , when he takes the boy home in a taxicab , the driver observes their strange behaviour and accuses Madgwick of being a pederast . When Alice asks Madgwick to become the godfather to her new child , the driver threatens to expose Madgwick , creating a conflict between losing his first feelings of intimacy with others or facing humiliation and ridicule at the driver 's exposure . A description in the book cover flap reads , `` In this tender , sensitive and blackly comic novel , Sebastian Shaw , the distinguished Shakespearean actor , explores areas of sexual and emotional encounter that are rarely seen and , unfortunately , too rarely understood . '' Shaw originally planned to call the novel The Godfather , but later said he was glad he did not due to the popularity of Mario Puzo 's book of that name . He was said to have been working on another novel shortly after The Christening was completed , but no others were ever published . Return of the Jedi ( edit ) Shaw in his portrayal as redeemed Anakin Skywalker , unmasked in Return of the Jedi In 1982 , Shaw was chosen for the small but crucial role of redeemed , unmasked and dying Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi , the third and final film in the original Star Wars trilogy . Although David Prowse played the costumed scenes and James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader , just as they had in the first two films , Shaw was cast in a single scene with Mark Hamill , during the moment aboard Death Star II when Luke Skywalker unmasks his dying father . Since the scene was unquestionably the emotional climax of the film , the casting crew sought an experienced actor for the role . When Shaw arrived at the set for filming , he ran into his friend Ian McDiarmid , the actor playing Emperor Palpatine . When McDiarmid asked him what he was doing there , Shaw responded , `` I do n't know , dear boy , I think it 's something to do with science - fiction . '' His presence during the filming was kept secret from all but the minimum cast and crew , and Shaw was contractually obliged not to discuss any film secrets with anyone , even his family . The unmasking scene , directed by Richard Marquand , was filmed in one day and required only a few takes , with no alteration from the original dialogue . When the film was re-released on DVD in 2004 , a few changes were made : the unmasking scene with Hamill remained mostly the same , but Shaw 's eyebrows were digitally removed to tie in with the injuries Darth Vader suffers at the end of Revenge of the Sith . Shaw 's eyes were also digitally coloured to look like those of Hayden Christensen , the actor who played Anakin in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith . Star Wars creator George Lucas personally directed Shaw for his appearance in the final scene of the film , in which he is a Force Ghost of Anakin . Shaw 's image in this scene was replaced with that of Christensen in the 2004 release . This last attempt to tie the prequel and original trilogies together proved to be possibly the most controversial change in the Star Wars re-releases . Although Shaw 's unmasking scene lasted only two minutes and seven seconds and included just 24 words of dialogue spoken by Shaw , he received more fan mail and autograph requests from Return of the Jedi than he had for any role in the rest of his career . He later reflected that he very much enjoyed his experience filming for Return of the Jedi and expressed particular surprise that an action figure was made of him from the film . Later career and death ( edit ) Shaw remained active in his later years ; along with fellow Royal Shakespeare Company actors Ian Richardson , John Nettles , Martin Best and Ann Firbank , he engaged in discussions and workshops with acting teachers and students in the early 1980s . Although appearances in films became far less common in his later career , he received much acclaim for his performance as the Cold War spy Sharp in Clare Peploe 's High Season at the New York Film Festival in 1987 ; The San Diego Union - Tribune said Shaw played the role with `` endearing , sweet gravity '' . One of his last performances was in the Christmas season of 1988 and 1989 , when he played the wizard in a stage production of The Wizard of Oz at the Barbican Centre . The Times said audiences were `` delighted to recognise his honeyed threats from behind the great carapace that disguised the Wizard of Oz '' . Shaw became an honorary life - member at the Garrick Club , which included such past members as writers Charles Dickens , J.M. Barrie , Kingsley Amis and A.A. Milne ; artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett Millais ; and composer Edward Elgar . Shaw died of natural causes on 23 December 1994 at age 89 in Brighton , Sussex , England . A memorial service was held 15 February 1995 at St Paul 's , Covent Garden , commonly known as the Actors ' Church due to its long association with the theatre community . Actors Ian Richardson and Ben Kingsley read works by William Shakespeare , stage actress Estelle Kohler read How Do I Love Thee ? by Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning , actress Sheila Allen read Life by Welsh poet George Herbert and actor Kenneth Branagh read from the works of Canon Henry Scott Holland . One of Shaw 's own poems , Gemini , was also read . Baritone Stephen Varcoe sang Wie bist du meine Königin by Johannes Brahms , accompanied by Graham Johnson on the piano , and guitarist Martin Best performed and sang his composition of Ariel 's Songs from The Tempest . Shaw was survived by his partner Joan Ingpen , daughter Drusilla MacLeod , sisters Susan Bonner - Morgan and Penelope Harness , and sister - in - law Olga Young . TV and filmography ( edit ) Year Title Role Notes 1930 Caste Hon . George d'Alroy 1933 Little Miss Nobody Pat Carey 1933 House of Dreams Unknown 1933 Taxi to Paradise Tom Fanshawe 1934 The Way of Youth Alan Marmon 1934 The Four Masked Men Arthur Phillips 1934 Get Your Man Robert Halbean 1934 Adventure Ltd . Bruce Blandford 1935 Brewster 's Millions Frank 1935 The Lad Jimmy 1935 The Ace of Spades Trent 1935 Three Witnesses Roger Truscott 1935 Jubilee Window Peter Ward 1935 Department Store John Goodman Johnson 1936 Tomorrow We Live Eric Morton 1936 Birds of a Feather Jack Wortle 1936 Jury 's Evidence Philip 1936 Men Are Not Gods Edmund Davey 1937 Farewell Again Capt . Gilbert Reed 1937 The Squeaker Frank Sutton 1938 Julius Caesar Marcus Brutus 1939 Too Dangerous to Live Jacques Leclerc 1939 Prison Without Bars Doctor 1939 Table d'Hote Adam `` Doubting Hall '' section 1939 The Spy in Black Lieutenant Ashington Commander David Blacklock 1940 Now You 're Talking Charles Hampton 1940 Three Silent Men Sir James Quentin 1940 Bulldog Sees It Through Derek Sinclair 1940 The Flying Squad Inspector Bradley 1941 East of Piccadilly Tamsie Green 1945 Journey Together Squadron Leader Marshall 1947 Hamlet Claudius 1949 The Glass Mountain Bruce McLeod 1949 Landfall Wing Commander Dickens 1952 BBC Sunday Night Theatre Archdeacon Adam Brandon Episode : `` The Cathedral '' 1953 Laxdale Hall Hugh Marvell , MP 1958 Armchair Theatre Unknown Episode : `` The Terrorist '' 1960 Here Lies Miss Sabry James `` Cracker '' Talbot 1966 It Happened Here Dr. Richard Fletcher 1966 Out of the Unknown Major Gregory Episode : `` Walk 's End '' 1968 All 's Well That Ends Well King of France 1968 A Midsummer Night 's Dream Quince 1972 Thirty - Minute Theatre Judge Episode : `` The Judge 's Wife '' 1972 Dead of Night Powys Jubb Episode : `` Death Cancels All Debts '' Village Hall Ralph Episode : `` Lot 23 '' 1977 Play for Today Abbot General Episode : `` A Choice of Evils '' 1978 BBC2 Play of the Week Unknown Episode : `` Liza '' 1979 Rumpole of the Bailey Mr. Justice Skelton Episode : `` Rumpole and the Show Folk '' 1979 The Old Curiosity Shop Grandfather 1981 Nanny Mr. Starkie Episode : `` Goats and Tigers '' 1981 Timon of Athens Old Athenian Reilly : Ace of Spies Reverend Thomas Episode : `` An Affair with a Married Woman '' The Weather in the Streets Mr. Curtis Return of the Jedi Anakin Skywalker Also appears as Skywalker 's ghost in original release and 1997 Special Edition The Nation 's Health Dr. Thurson Episodes : `` Collapse '' and `` Decline '' 1984 Crown Court Justice Bewes Episodes : `` There Was an Old Woman '' and `` Drunk , Who Cares '' High Season Sharp 1988 The Master Builder Knut Brovik 1988 Casualty Charles Howlett Episode : `` Drake 's Drum '' Chelworth Lord Toller 1991 Chernobyl : The Final Warning Grandpa 1991 Chimera Dr. Liawski References ( edit ) ^ Jump up to : `` Sebastian Shaw Obituary , '' the Daily Telegraph , 2 January 1995 . ^ Jump up to : Leech , Richard . `` Better Than Beefcake : Sebastian Shaw , '' The Guardian , 29 December 1994 , Features ( section ) , pg . T12 . ^ Jump up to : `` Sebastian Shaw , '' The Times , 30 December 1994 , Features ( section ) . ^ Jump up to : Kernan , Michael . `` Sebastian Shaw & the Shades of the Bard '' The Washington Post , 1 March 1980 , Style ( section ) , pg . B2 . ^ Jump up to : Seaton , Ray . `` Mr. Shaw 's Voyage of Discovery , '' Express and Star , 29 April 1974 . ^ Jump up to : `` IN MEMORIAM Mr. Sebastian Shaw , '' The Daily Telegraph , 15 February 1995 . ^ Jump up to : Pirani , Adam . `` Sebastian Shaw : The Return of Anakin Skywalker , '' Starlog , July 1987 , Vol. 11 , Iss. 120 , pg. 56 -- 57 , + 96 . Jump up ^ `` No. 35171 '' . The London Gazette. 23 May 1941 . p. 2952 . Jump up ^ `` No. 35391 '' . The London Gazette. 23 December 1941 . p. 7255 . Jump up ^ `` No. 35606 '' . The London Gazette. 23 June 1942 . p. 2767 . Jump up ^ `` No. 36618 '' . The London Gazette ( Supplement ) . 18 July 1944 . pp. 3402 -- 3403 . Jump up ^ `` No. 40271 '' . The London Gazette ( Supplement ) . 3 September 1954 . pp. 5138 -- 5140 . ^ Jump up to : Benedick , Adan . `` Sebastian Shaw , '' The Independent , 13 February 1995 Gazette ( section ) , pg. 12 . Jump up ^ `` Classified Advertising : Theatre '' . The Times . London ( 50803 ) : 10 . 3 July 1947 . Jump up ^ Sutcliffe , Tom . `` Obituary : Joan Ingpen , Inspirational artistic organiser at Covent Garden , Paris Opera and the New York Met , '' Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine . the Guardian , 14 January 2008 , Obituaries Pages ( section ) , pg. 34 . Jump up ^ Peel , John and Ravenscroft , Sheila ( 2007 ) . Margrave of the Marches , Chicago : Chicago Review Press , pg. 87 -- 89 . ISBN 978 - 1 - 55652 - 652 - 7 . Jump up ^ Shaw , Sebastian ( 1969 ) . Poems -- Sebastian Shaw , Exeter : University of Exeter . ISBN n / a . Jump up ^ Shaw , Sebastian ( 1975 ) . The Christening , London : W.H. Allen Ltd . ISBN 978 - 0 - 491 - 01823 - 4 . Jump up ^ Chernoff , Scott . `` Ian McDiarmid : An Interview with the Emperor . '' Star Wars Insider , iss. 37 , April / May 1998 , pg. 33 . Jump up ^ Johnson , Derek . `` Star Wars fans , DVD , and cultural ownership : an interview with Will Brooker ; Interview , '' Velvet Light Trap , 22 September 2005 , pg. 36 -- 44 . Jump up ^ Ebert , Roger . `` Anakin 's fans strike back , '' Chicago Sun - Times , 1 May 2005 , Sunday Showcase ( section ) , pg. 3 . Jump up ^ Return of the Jedi ( 1983 ) , written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan , directed by Richard Marquand . Jump up ^ Lardner , James . `` Theatre Notes '' The Washington Post , 28 February 1980 , Style ( section ) , pg . D9 . Jump up ^ Elliott , David . `` Paradise found in witty , sensual ' High Tension ' , '' The San Diego Union - Tribune , 6 July 1988 , Lifestyle ( section ) , pg . D - 1 . External links ( edit ) Biography portal Sebastian Shaw on IMDb Sebastian Shaw at AllMovie Sebastian Shaw at Find a Grave VIAF : 68493236 LCCN : no91017519 ISNI : 0000 0001 1664 8141 GND : 106205430X SUDOC : 178278696 BNF : cb16602730c ( data ) BNE : XX4441445 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sebastian_Shaw_(actor)&oldid=836316303 '' Categories : 1905 births 1994 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors People educated at Gresham 's School People from Holt , Norfolk Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Shakespeare Company members 20th - century English male actors Hidden categories : Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y Webarchive template wayback links Use dmy dates from April 2012 Pages to import images to Wikidata Articles with hCards Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata Featured articles Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu تۆرکجه Dansk Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano ಕನ್ನಡ Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Svenska Türkçe Tiếng Việt 12 more Edit links This page was last edited on 14 April 2018 , at 00 : 31 . 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