Shaw was already an acknowledged stage actress before she made a name for herself in television and film. It wasn’t until the mid 1980s that director Jim Sheridan awarded her a role in his film My Left Foot (1989); the biographical film of Christy Brown, an Irishman confined to a body horribly crippled by cerebral palsy but found incredible success and recognition as an artist and writer. In the film, Shaw acted as Dr. Eileen Cole, the doctor who is largely responsible for the education of the older Christy.