John Thaw
English actor (1942–2002)
title: "John Thaw" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1942-births", "2002-deaths", "alumni-of-the-royal-academy-of-dramatic-art", "bafta-fellows", "best-actor-bafta-award-(television)-winners", "commanders-of-the-order-of-the-british-empire", "deaths-from-esophageal-cancer-in-england", "english-male-film-actors", "english-male-stage-actors", "english-male-television-actors", "english-socialists", "itv-people", "inspector-morse", "labour-party-(uk)-people", "male-actors-from-manchester", "people-educated-at-ducie-technical-high-school-for-boys", "people-from-gorton", "royal-shakespeare-company-members"] description: "English actor (1942–2002)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Thaw" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary English actor (1942–2002) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | John Thaw |
| honorific_suffix | |
| image | ThawKavanaghQC.jpg |
| caption | Thaw as Inspector Morse |
| birth_name | John Edward Thaw |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Gorton, Manchester, England |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Luckington, Wiltshire, England |
| occupation | Actor |
| years_active | 1958–2001 |
| spouse | {{plainlist |
| *{{marriage | Sally Alexander |
| children | 3, including Abigail Thaw |
| :: |
| name = John Thaw | honorific_suffix = | image = ThawKavanaghQC.jpg | caption = Thaw as Inspector Morse | birth_name = John Edward Thaw | birth_date = | birth_place = Gorton, Manchester, England | death_date = | death_place = Luckington, Wiltshire, England | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1958–2001 | spouse = {{plainlist|
| children = 3, including Abigail Thaw
John Edward Thaw (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor. He became best known for his television roles starring as Detective Inspector Jack Regan in The Sweeney (1975–78) and as Detective Chief Inspector Morse in Inspector Morse (1987–2000). He also worked on stage and in films.
For four consecutive years, Thaw was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for playing Morse, winning in 1990 and 1993. In 1988, he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the film Cry Freedom. In 2001, he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship.
Early life
Born in Gorton, Manchester, to John Edward ("Jack") Thaw, a tool-setter at the Fairey Aviation Company aircraft factory, later a long-distance lorry driver, and Dorothy (née Ablott). Dorothy left when he was seven years old. He and his younger brother, Raymond Stuart (Ray), had a difficult childhood due to their father's long absences. Thaw grew up in Gorton and Burnage, attending the Ducie Technical High School for Boys, gaining just one O Level. He entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) at the age of 16 (two years underage), and won the Academy's Vanburgh Award. Ray emigrated to Australia in the mid-1960s.
Career
In 1960, Thaw made his stage début in A Shred of Evidence at the Liverpool Playhouse and was awarded a contract with the theatre. His first film role was a bit part in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) starring Tom Courtenay and he also acted on stage opposite Laurence Olivier in Semi-Detached (1962). In 1963/64, he appeared in several episodes of the BBC series Z-Cars as a detective constable. Between 1964 and 1966, he starred in two series of the ABC Weekend Television/ITV production Redcap, playing the hard-nosed military policeman Sergeant John Mann. He was also a guest star in an early episode of The Avengers. In 1967 he appeared in Bat Out of Hell and in the Granada TV/ITV series Inheritance, alongside James Bolam and Michael Goodliffe; TV plays including The Talking Head, and episodes of series such as Budgie, where he played against type as an effeminate failed playwright with a full beard and a Welsh accent.
Thaw was cast in the police drama series The Sweeney (1975–1978) alongside Dennis Waterman and Garfield Morgan, playing the hard-bitten, tough-talking Flying Squad detective Jack Regan. It established him as a major star in the United Kingdom. He followed this with four series of the sitcom Home to Roost (1985–1990), which co-starred Reece Dinsdale, about a divorced father whose teenage son moves back in with him after choosing as a child to live with his mother. He had previously co-starred in another ITV sitcom, Thick as Thieves (1974), with Bob Hoskins.
Thaw's role as Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse in Inspector Morse (1987–93, with later specials until 2000), cemented his fame. Alongside his put-upon Detective Sergeant Robert "Robbie" Lewis (Kevin Whately), Morse became a high-profile character—"a cognitive curmudgeon with his love of classical music, his drinking, his classic Jaguar and spates of melancholy". According to The Guardian, "Thaw was the definitive Morse, grumpy, crossword-fixated, drunk, slightly anti-feminist, and pedantic about grammar." Inspector Morse became one of the UK's most popular TV series; at its peak in the mid-'90s, it was viewed by 18 million people, about one third of the British population. He won "Most Popular Actor" at the 1999 National Television Awards and won two BAFTA awards for his role as Morse. Thaw is mainly known in the United States for Inspector Morse, as well as for the BBC series A Year in Provence (1993) with Lindsay Duncan.
Thaw subsequently played liberal working-class Lancastrian barrister James Kavanagh in Kavanagh QC (1995–99, and a special in 2001).
Thaw appeared in a number of films for director Richard Attenborough, including Cry Freedom, in which he portrayed the conservative South African justice minister Jimmy Kruger (receiving a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor), and Chaplin, playing the English music hall impresario Fred Karno alongside Robert Downey Jr. (Chaplin).
Thaw also appeared in the TV adaptation of the Michelle Magorian book Goodnight Mister Tom (Carlton Television/ITV). It won "Most Popular Drama" at the National Television Awards, 1999.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Thaw appeared in productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.
Thaw was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1981 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in the foyer of the National Theatre in London.
Personal life
In 1964, Thaw married Sally Alexander, a feminist activist and stage manager, later professor of history at Goldsmiths, University of London. They divorced four years later. He met actress Sheila Hancock in 1969 on the set of So What About Love? She was married to fellow actor Alexander "Alec" Ross. They became friends, but she refused to have an affair as she did not want to disrupt her daughter's life. They remained together until his death in 2002 (also from oesophageal cancer).
Thaw had three daughters (all actresses): Abigail from his first marriage to Sally Alexander, Joanna from his second marriage to Sheila Hancock, and he also adopted Sheila Hancock's daughter Melanie Jane, from Hancock's first marriage to Alec Ross. His granddaughter Molly Whitmey made a cameo in the Endeavour episode "Oracle" (series 7, episode 1, broadcast 9 February 2020) as the younger version of her grandmother Sally Alexander.
Thaw was a committed socialist and a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party. He was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), the insignia for which he received in March 1993 from Queen Elizabeth II.
Illness and death
A heavy drinker until going teetotal in 1995, He underwent chemotherapy in hope of overcoming the illness, and at first had appeared to respond well to the treatment, but just before Christmas 2001 he was informed that the cancer had spread and the prognosis was terminal.
Thaw died on 21 February 2002, and the day before his wife's birthday. At the time of his death he was living at his country home, near the villages of Luckington and Sherston in Wiltshire, and was cremated in Westerleigh, near Yate in South Gloucestershire, in a private service. A memorial service was held on 4 September 2002 at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square, attended by 800 people including Charles, Prince of Wales, Richard Attenborough, Tom Courtenay and Cherie Blair.
A memorial bench is dedicated to Thaw within the grounds of St Paul's, Covent Garden.
Television
::data[format=table title=""]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | The Younger Generation | Customer / Max / Edward / Charlie / Peter / Denny / Martin | |
| 1961-1964 | ITV Play of the Week | Various | 3 episodes |
| 1962 | Probation Officer | Stan Liddell | 1 episode |
| Smashing Day | Stan | TV film | |
| Nil Carborundum | ACI Neville Harrison | ||
| 1963 | BBC Sunday-Night Play | Charlie | Episode: "So Long Charlie" |
| ITV Television Playhouse | Barritt | Episode: "The Lads" | |
| Z Cars | Detective Constable Elliot | 4 episodes | |
| 1963–1965 | The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theater | Alan Roper / David Jones | "Five to One" / "Dead Man's Chest" |
| 1964 | The Avengers | Captain Trench | Episode: "Espirit De Corps" |
| 1964–1966 | Redcap | Sergeant John Mann | 2 series |
| 1966 | Bat Out of Hell | Mark Paxton | 5 episodes |
| Drama 61-67 | Harry Fox | Episode: "The Assassin at the Door" | |
| 1966- | BBC Play of the Month | Various | 3 episodes |
| 1967 | Inheritance | Will Oldroyd | Miniseries |
| 1969 | The Borderers | Sir Richard | Episode: "Dispossesed" |
| Strange Report | Inspector Jenner | Episode: "Revenge - When a Man Hates" | |
| 1969-1973 | ITV Saturday Night Theatre | Various | 4 episodes |
| 1971 | ITV Sunday Night Drama | Him | Episode: "Turn of the Year: Parcel" |
| Budgie | Denzil Davies | Episode: "Sunset Mansions, or Whatever Happened to Janey-Baib?" | |
| The Onedin Line | Carby | Episode: "Mutiny" | |
| 1971-1972 | Armchair Theatre | Tony/Peter | 2 episodes |
| 1972 | Pretenders | Fast Jack | Episode: "The Paymaster" |
| The Frighteners | Wood | Episode: "Old Comrades" | |
| ITV Playhouse | Williams | Episode: "Refuge for a Hero" | |
| The Adventures of Black Beauty | Jack Desmond | Episode: "The Hostage" | |
| 1973 | The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | Lt. Holst | Episode: "The Sensible Action of Lieutenant Holst" |
| The Protectors | Mario Carpiano | Episode: "Lena" | |
| 1974 | Armchair Cinema | DI Jack Regan | Episode: "Regan" |
| Thick As Thieves | Stan | ||
| The Capone Investment | Tom | ||
| 1975–1978 | The Sweeney | Det. Insp. Jack Regan | 53 episodes |
| 1976 | The Morecambe & Wise Show | Guvnor | Christmas special |
| 1978 | Play for Today | Dinny Matthews | Episode: Dinner at the Sporting Club |
| 1980 | Drake's Venture | Francis Drake | TV film |
| 1984 | Killer Waiting | Major Peter Hastings | |
| Mitch | Mitch | ||
| BBC Television Shakespeare | Hubert de Burgh | Episode: The Life and Death of King John | |
| 1985 | We'll Support You Evermore | Geoff Hollins | TV movie |
| 1985–1990 | Home to Roost | Henry Willows | 4 series |
| 1987–2000 | Inspector Morse | Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse | 33 television films |
| 1987 | The Return of Sherlock Holmes | Jonathan Small | Episode: The Sign of Four |
| 1989 | Bomber Harris | Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris | TV film |
| 1991 | Stanley and the Women | Stanley Duke | Miniseries |
| 1992 | A Year in Provence | Peter Mayle | |
| 1995 | Screen Two | George Jones | Episode: The Absence of War |
| 1995–2001 | Kavanagh QC | James Kavanagh, Q.C. | 6 series |
| 1998 | Goodnight Mister Tom | Tom Oakley | TV film |
| 1999 | Plastic Man | Joe McConnell | |
| The Second World War in Colour | Narrator | Documentary | |
| 2000 | Monsignor Renard | Monsignor Augustine Renard | Miniseries |
| 2001 | The Glass | Jim Proctor | |
| :: |
Film
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner | Bosworth (uncredited) |
| 1963 | Five To One | Alan Roper |
| 1965 | Dead Man's Chest | David Jones |
| 1968 | The Bofors Gun | Featherstone |
| 1970 | Praise Marx and Pass the Ammunition | Dom |
| The Last Grenade | Terry Mitchell | |
| 1972 | Dr. Phibes Rises Again | Shavers |
| 1977 | Sweeney! | Detective Inspector Jack Regan |
| 1978 | Sweeney 2 | |
| 1981 | Killing Heat | Dick Turner |
| 1987 | Cry Freedom | Jimmy Kruger |
| 1988 | Business As Usual | Kieran Flynn |
| 1992 | Chaplin | Fred Karno |
| 1996 | Masculine Mescaline | The Man |
| :: |
Theatre
::data[format=table]
Honours and awards
::data[format=table]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Evening Standard British Film Award | Best Actor | Sweeney! | |
| 1988 | BAFTA | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Cry Freedom | |
| 1990 | BAFTA TV | Best Actor | Inspector Morse | |
| 1991 | ||||
| 1992 | ||||
| 1993 | ||||
| 1995 | Aftonbladet TV Prize, Sweden | Best Foreign TV Personality – Male (Bästa utländska man) | ||
| 1998 | National Television Award | Special Recognition Award | Inspector Morse | |
| Most Popular Actor | ||||
| 1999 | Goodnight, Mister Tom | |||
| 2000 | Monsignor Renard | |||
| 2001 | Inspector Morse and Academy Fellowship | |||
| 2002 | Buried Treasure | |||
| :: |
References
Bibliography
- Hancock, Sheila (2004). The Two of Us: My Life with John Thaw. London: Bloomsbury.
- John Thaw: The Biography. Stafford Hildred and Tim Ewbank. London: Andre Deutsch.
References
- "Actor".
- "Awards Search".
- (2004). "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography".
- ""Inspector remorse; Thaw's pain over lost childhood.." The Free Library. 1998 Scottish Daily Record & Sunday".
- (25 February 2002). "John Thaw - Obituary".
- Dibben, Kay. (10 March 2002). "Mother's rejection that haunted my brother John Thaw – Brisbane man tells of family heartache". The Sunday Mail.
- (21 February 2002). "John Thaw: Forever Morse". [[BBC News]].
- (25 March 2014). "No one else should play Inspector Morse, says his creator Colin Dexter". [[The Guardian]].
- McCann, Jaymi. (2017-10-22). "Inspector Morse's legacy: John Thaw's daughter makes Endeavour appearance".
- "Great Britain population mid-year estimate – Office for National Statistics".
- "Chaplin". Variety.
- [http://www.itv.com/ClassicTVshows/familydrama/GoodnightMrTom/default.html Goodnight Mister Tom synopsis] {{webarchive. link. (24 November 2010 . ITV. Retrieved 20 February 2010.)
- (2016). "Twelfth Night (1983)".
- Young, Hugo. (1993-09-28). "Hugo Young: the lethargy of Labour in the absence of war".
- "This Is Your Life".
- [https://books.google.com/books?id=_zvLAgAAQBAJ&dq=john+thaw+1964+sally&pg=PT50 ''Shut It!'']
- McGowan. (22 September 2002). "Mystery of John Thaw fortune". [[Express on Sunday]].
- Driscoll. (19 December 2004). "The Morse Saga – Interview". [[The Sunday Times]].
- Lee. (22 February 2002). "Friends' tribute to Morse star Thaw". [[The Scotsman]].
- Guinness, Daphne. (11 November 2004). "Morse: More Sad, More Angry Than You Ever Knew". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
- (23 February 2002). "John Thaw – Obituary". [[The Times]].
- (4 February 2020). "It's a family affair: John Thaw's daughter Abigail stars in Endeavour's new series 7 with daughter Molly playing her mother Sally....". Ox In A Box.
- (21 February 2002). "John Thaw: Forever Morse". BBC News.
- Sengupta, Kim. (5 September 2002). "Prince and Cherie Booth at Thaw memorial". The Independent.
- (19 March 1993). "No Mystery Here". [[The Buffalo News]].
- (20 June 2001). "John Thaw Pledges Comeback as He Reveals Cancer Battle". [[The Guardian]].
- (6 January 2002). "Thaw's Cancer Setback". [[Herald Sun]].
- (7 April 2002). "Thaw signed new contract". [[Wales on Sunday]].
- (19 April 2006). "Sold Down the River". [[Western Daily Press]].
- Cowling, James. (27 February 2002). "Actor Thaw Remembered for 'Generosity and Kindness'". Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Counties Publications.
- (4 September 2002). "Charles joins Thaw memorial". BBC News.
- (21 October 2016). "London's Famous Bench Dedications".
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