THE REVEREND DENIS SHAW, who has died aged 75, was, variously, an actor, journalist, soldier, Indiaphile, writer of children's books, and latterly, a Church of England rector noted for his fine sermons.

Denis Shaw was born on April 27, 1926, near Manchester. He won a scholarship to Ashford Grammar School but left school aged 16 to work as a cub reporter on the High Peak News before joining the Army at 18.

By the time he was posted to India in 1945, the war was almost over. He was transferred to the Education Corps, teaching English to the sons of Indian Army soldiers in the north Punjab. In his spare time he learned Hindi and explored the countryside on a tricycle.

He returned to England in 1947, becoming stage manager and juvenile lead in a local repertory company, but the lure of the subcontinent was too strong and in 1949 he left Britain for India and spent the next four years working on paddle-steamers plying the Ganges and Bramaputra.

He also organised amateur theatricals, directing an all Pakistani cast in a touring production of The Merchant of Venice. One evening he had to stand in at the last moment as the Prince of Morocco, but had no time to "black up" before going on stage; his first line "Mislike me not for my complexion" was received with gales of laughter by the entirely native audience.

During the communal troubles of 1950, Shaw was engaged in carrying refugees from East Pakistan to Calcutta and took on the gruesome task of throwing overboard the bodies of those who had died of cholera on the way. ' He retained a poignant memory of one particular family, a grandmother with her two orphaned grandchildren, of whom one, a boy, had cholera. Shaw gave them his cabin and kept the boy alive with rehydrated "Robinson's Barley". When they reached their destination, the boy's small sister ran back calling "Shaw Sahib - red monkey", and gave him her only worldly possession, a painted wooden doll. He treasured it for the rest of his life.

In 1953, Shaw returned to England for a year to make a broadcast about his experiences with refugees for the BBC, but returned to India the following year and took a job with a tea company.

Shaw had long taken an interest in Islam and now began to study Hinduism and Buddhism; but a discussion with Bishop Blair of the Oxford Mission led him to return to Christianity, a decision endorsed by his Hindu guru who informed him that his "karma" was to be a Christian.

Convinced that he had been called to Holy Orders, in 1957 Shaw returned to England and entered Westcott House, Cambridge, as an ordinand. To pay for his studies, he wrote two children's books The Twins of India and The Pakistani Twins, published by Jonathan Cape.

After his ordination in 1959, Shaw became curate at St Matthew's, Bethnal Green. He carried out missionary work among prostitutes and became involved with CND. He was arrested with Bertrand Russell during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square - but, to his disappointment, well-meaning friends paid his fine.

In 1963, Shaw moved to St Wilfrid's, Newton Heath, near Manchester. There he recorded many talks for the BBC, and wrote for the Church Times on social issues and in support of traditional forms of worship.

His reputation as a preacher led Eton College, in 1971, to invite him to become Rector of St Andrew's, Clewer, in Windsor, of which they were patrons, and he remained there until his retirement in 1992. He gave regular lectures on Hinduism at Eton and also lectured on comparative religion.

In his church lodge he founded a museum of local history which was visited by the Duchess of York. He converted the church porch into a wayside shrine where people could write their requests for prayers in a book. He also raised thousands of pounds for charity, on one occasion holding a sponsored extempore sermon which lasted eight hours, raising £2,000.

In 1981 he wrote four scripts for BBC Television about the lives of the great preachers Wesley, Bunyan, Latimer and Christmas Evans He himself was invited to preach at such important venues as Canterbury Cathedral, St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. In 1986 he was particularly pleased to be invited to preach to an audience of actors at Stratford upon-Avon on "Shakespeare Sunday".

Shaw retired to Bridport in 1992.

He is survived by his wife Jean and by their two sons.