John Thaw starred in the television series Inspector Morse as title character Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, Redcap as Sergeant John Mann, The Sweeney as Detective Inspector Jack Regan, Home to Roost as Henry Willows, and Kavanagh QC as title character James Kavanagh.
18 Facts About John Thaw
2.
John Thaw grew up in Gorton and Burnage, attending the Ducie Technical High School for Boys.
3.
John Thaw entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the age of 16.
4.
John Thaw's first film role was a bit part in the adaptation of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner starring Tom Courtenay and he acted on-stage opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in Semi-Detached by David Turner.
5.
John Thaw was a guest star in an early episode of The Avengers.
6.
John Thaw was only 32 when he was cast in The Sweeney, although many viewers thought he was older.
7.
John Thaw won "Most Popular Actor" at the 1999 National Television Awards and won two BAFTA awards for his role as Morse.
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Laurence Olivier 8.
John Thaw subsequently played liberal working-class Lancastrian barrister James Kavanagh in Kavanagh QC.
9.
John Thaw is mainly known in America for the Morse series, as well as the BBC series A Year in Provence with Lindsay Duncan.
10.
John Thaw appeared in a number of films for director Richard Attenborough, including Cry Freedom, where he portrayed the conservative South African justice minister Jimmy Kruger, and Chaplin alongside Robert Downey Jr.
11.
John Thaw appeared in the TV adaptation of the Michelle Magorian book Goodnight Mister Tom.
12.
John 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.
13.
John Thaw had three daughters : Abigail from his first marriage to Sally Alexander, Joanna from his second marriage to Sheila Hancock, and he adopted Sheila Hancock's daughter Melanie Jane, from Hancock's first marriage to Alec Ross.
14.
John Thaw was a committed socialist and a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party.
15.
John Thaw was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in March 1993 by Queen Elizabeth II.
16.
In September 2006, John Thaw was voted by the general public as number 3, after David Jason and Morecambe and Wise, in a poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars for the past 50 years.
17.
John Thaw underwent chemotherapy in hope of overcoming the illness, and at first had appeared to respond well to the treatment.
18.
John Thaw died on 21 February 2002, seven weeks after his 60th birthday, the day after he signed a new contract with ITV, and the day before his wife's birthday.