John Edward Thaw

John Edward Thaw, CBE (January 3, 1942 – February 21, 2002)

Thaw was an English actor who appeared in a range of television, stage, and cinema roles, his most popular being television series such as Inspector Morse, Redcap, The Sweeney, Home to Roost and Kavanagh QC. His first film role was a bit part in the adaptation of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) starring Tom Courtenay and he also acted on-stage opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in Semi-Detached (1962) by David Turner. He appeared in several episodes of the BBC police series Z-Cars in 1963–64 as a detective constable. Thaw will perhaps be best remembered for two roles: the hard-bitten, tough talking Flying Squad detective Jack Regan in the Thames Television/ITV series The Sweeney (1975–1978), which established him as a major star in the United Kingdom. The series had two film spin-offs. Thaw was only 32 when he was cast in The Sweeney, although many viewers thought he was older. The second role was the quietly spoken, introspective, well-educated and bitter detective Inspector Morse (1987–93, with later specials until 2000). During the 1970s and '80s, Thaw appeared in productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre.

A heavy drinker until 1995, and a heavy smoker from the age of 12, Thaw was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus in June 2001. He underwent chemotherapy in hope of overcoming the illness, at first had appeared to respond well to the treatment but just before Christmas 2001 he was told that the cancer had spread. Thaw died on February 21, 2002 at the age of 60.