Paula Shaw, Hallmark Star and ‘Freddie vs. Jason’ Actress, Dead at 84

Paula Shaw, best known for her roles in Freddy vs. Jason and Hallmark Channel holiday movies, has died. She was 84.

The actress’s death was announced on the website for her workshop, The Max.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce Paula passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 morning at 9:00 am,” the statement read. 

“Paula touched countless lives through The MAX, the Mastery, and her transformational work,” the statement continued. “Her legacy lives on in the communities she created and the lives she changed.”

An Instagram post from the Esalen Institute, where The Max was taught, also remembered the late actress’s contributions.

“PAULA SHAW taught THE MAX workshops at Esalen Institute for over 32 years,” the post read. “A professional actor and former EST (Erhard Seminars Training) trainer, she developed this self-expression course, which became a rite of passage for Esalen staff and seminarians, and until today maintains a reputation as one of Esalen’s most edgy offerings.”

Following the news of her death, Hallmark star Julie Sherman Wolfe paid tribute to Shaw on her Instagram Story, writing, “So sad to hear about Paula Shaw’s passing. We often chatted on Facetime after she filmed Hanukkah on Rye, mostly about our shared heritage (and trying to figure out if we were related!)”

“We never found out, but it didn’t matter,” she added. “She will always be one of my honorary bubbies.”

Shaw’s career in Hollywood began after relocating to Los Angeles for the West Coast debut of Gus Weill’s play Geese. She auditioned for Lee Strasberg and was invited to join The Actors Studio.

After becoming a member of the improv group Synergy Trust in the 1970s, she appeared on television shows including The Bob Newhart Show, Starsky & Hutch, Barney Miller, Three’s Company, Lou Grant and Ironside.

She went on to play Wulla Jean in the 1982 film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which starred Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton.

She also played a coroner in Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia in 2022 before landing a role in Freddy vs. Jason the following year. In the horror film, she played Jason’s mother Pamela Voorhees, replacing actress Betsy Palmer.

She also starred as Mrs. Byrne on the Canadian sitcom Mr. Young for three seasons from 2011 to 2013.

Hallmark fans will remember Shaw for her role as Charlotte Jeffers, the onscreen mother of Andie MacDowell’s character, on the first season of Cedar Cove in 2013. 

She went to star in a number of the channel’s holiday movies, including Hanukkah on Rye, Hitched for the Holidays, Picture a Perfect Christmas, A Mrs. Miracle Christmas and Round and Round.

Shaw also appeared on the small screen on 21 Jump Street, The X-Files, The Commish, Terminal City, Supernatural and Van Helsing.

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In her bio on The Max website, Shaw described herself as “a professional actor, a master teacher of acting and a leader of self-expression courses for non-actors.”

“I have taught courses in the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands,” she continued. “I’m a protégé of the legendary actress, teacher, writer & director Uta Hagen, and a lifetime member/moderator of the Actor’s Studio.”

“Many years ago Werner Erhard trained me in self-expression, and I have lead many workshops, including THE MAX, since then. I am grateful for Werner’s training.”

Details for a memorial for Shaw will be announced on the workshop’s website.