View source for John Thaw

{{Short description|English actor (1942–2002)}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = John Thaw
| honorific_suffix   = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}}
| image              = ThawKavanaghQC.jpg
| caption            = Thaw as [[Inspector Morse]]
| birth_name         = John Edward Thaw
| birth_date         = {{birth date|df=y|1942|1|3}}
| birth_place        = [[Gorton]], [[Manchester]], England
| death_date         = {{death date and age|df=y|2002|2|21|1942|1|3}}
| death_place        = [[Luckington]], [[Wiltshire]], England 
| occupation         = Actor
| years_active       = 1958–2001
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
*{{marriage|[[Sally Alexander]]|1964|1968|reason=divorced}}
*{{marriage|[[Sheila Hancock]]|1973}}
}}
| children           = 3, including [[Abigail Thaw]]
}}

'''John Edward Thaw''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} (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 (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]'' (1987–2000). He also worked on stage and in films. 

For four consecutive years, Thaw was nominated for the [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actor|BAFTA Award for Best Actor]] for playing Morse, winning in 1990 and 1993.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Actor |url=https://www.bafta.org/awards/television/actor-television |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=Bafta |language=en}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Awards Search |url=https://www.bafta.org/awards/search?search=John+Thaw |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=Bafta |language=en}}</ref>

==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).<ref>{{Cite ODNB|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-76933|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/76933|title=The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|year=2004}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |date= |title="Inspector remorse; Thaw's pain over lost childhood.." The Free Library. 1998 Scottish Daily Record & Sunday |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Inspector+remorse%3b+Thaw%27s+pain+over+lost+childhood.-a060938803 |access-date=27 November 2023 |website=The Free Library}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=25 February 2002 |title=John Thaw - Obituary |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/john-thaw-2469254 |access-date=27 November 2023 |website=The Scotsman}}</ref>  Ray emigrated to Australia in the mid-1960s.<ref>{{citation |author=Dibben, Kay |title=Mother's rejection that haunted my brother John Thaw – Brisbane man tells of family heartache |date=10 March 2002 |newspaper=The Sunday Mail}}<br /></ref>

==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 (film)|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner]]'' (1962) starring [[Tom Courtenay]] and he also acted on stage opposite [[Laurence Olivier]] in ''[[Semi-Detached (play)|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 (TV network)|ITV]] production ''[[Redcap (TV series)|Redcap]]'', playing the hard-nosed military policeman Sergeant John Mann. He was also a guest star in an early episode of ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]''. In 1967 he appeared in ''[[Bat Out of Hell (TV series)|Bat Out of Hell]]'' and in the [[Granada TV]]/ITV series ''[[Inheritance (TV series)|Inheritance]]'', alongside [[James Bolam]] and [[Michael Goodliffe]]; TV plays including ''The Talking Head,'' and episodes of series such as ''[[Budgie (TV series)|Budgie]]'', where he played against type as an effeminate failed playwright with a full beard and a Welsh accent.{{cn|date=March 2025}}
<!--  Commented out: [[File:John Thaw as Jack Regan.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Thaw as DI Jack Regan in episode one, series one of ''The Sweeney'']] -->

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 (TV series)|Thick as Thieves]]'' (1974), with [[Bob Hoskins]].

Thaw's role as [[Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse]] in ''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]'' (1987–93, with later specials until 2000), cemented his fame. Alongside his put-upon [[Inspector Lewis|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".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1399178.stm|title=John Thaw: Forever Morse|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=21 February 2002|access-date=7 May 2021}}</ref> According to ''[[The Guardian]]'', "Thaw was the definitive Morse, grumpy, crossword-fixated, drunk, slightly anti-feminist, and pedantic about grammar."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/shortcuts/2014/mar/25/no-one-else-play-inspector-morse-colin-dexter-john-thaw |title=No one else should play Inspector Morse, says his creator Colin Dexter|work=[[The Guardian]] |date=25 March 2014 |access-date=7 May 2021}}</ref> ''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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCann |first=Jaymi |date=2017-10-22 |title=Inspector Morse's legacy: John Thaw's daughter makes Endeavour appearance |url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/869548/inspector-morse-legacy-john-thaw-daughter-makes-appearance-endeavour |access-date=2022-07-11 |website=Express.co.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Great Britain population mid-year estimate – Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/timeseries/gbpop/pop |access-date=2022-07-11 |website=www.ons.gov.uk}}</ref> 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]].{{citation needed|date=October 2025}}

Thaw subsequently played liberal working-class [[Lancashire|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 (film)|Chaplin]]'', playing the English [[music hall]] impresario [[Fred Karno]] alongside [[Robert Downey Jr.]] (Chaplin).<ref>{{cite news |last1=McCarthy |first1=Todd |title=Chaplin |url=https://variety.com/1992/film/reviews/chaplin-2-1200431060/ |access-date=20 February 2025 |work=Variety}}</ref>

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.<ref name=GMT-ITV>[http://www.itv.com/ClassicTVshows/familydrama/GoodnightMrTom/default.html Goodnight Mister Tom synopsis] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124032940/http://www.itv.com/ClassicTVshows/familydrama/GoodnightMrTom/default.html |date=24 November 2010 }}. ITV. Retrieved 20 February 2010.</ref>

During the 1970s and 1980s, Thaw appeared in productions with the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] and the <!-- Only 'Royal' from 1988. -->[[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://bbashakespeare.warwick.ac.uk/productions/twelfth-night-1983-royal-shakespeare-company-royal-shakespeare-theatre | title = Twelfth Night (1983) | year = 2016 | website = [[University of Warwick]] | access-date = 2025-03-15 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201030181825/https://bbashakespeare.warwick.ac.uk/productions/twelfth-night-1983-royal-shakespeare-company-royal-shakespeare-theatre | archive-date = 2020-10-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/feb/16/hugo-young-the-lethargy-of-labour-in-the-absence-of-war | title = Hugo Young: the lethargy of Labour in the absence of war | last = Young | first = Hugo | author-link = Hugo Young |date = 1993-09-28 | website = [[The Guardian]] | access-date = 2025-03-15 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150719150734/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/feb/16/hugo-young-the-lethargy-of-labour-in-the-absence-of-war | archive-date = 2015-07-19}}</ref>

Thaw was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1981 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] in the foyer of the National Theatre in London.<ref>{{Citation |title=This Is Your Life |url=http://archive.org/details/this-is-your-life_202304 |access-date=2025-06-23}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1964, Thaw married [[Sally Alexander]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=_zvLAgAAQBAJ&dq=john+thaw+1964+sally&pg=PT50 ''Shut It!'']</ref> a feminist activist and stage manager, later professor of history at [[Goldsmiths, University of London]]. They divorced four years later.<ref name="McGOWANB-AVERYC-2002-09-22">{{cite news |author=McGowan |first1=Bob |last2=Avery |first2=Catherine |date=22 September 2002 |title=Mystery of John Thaw fortune |newspaper=[[Express on Sunday]]}}</ref> He met actress [[Sheila Hancock]] in 1969 on the set of ''So What About Love?''<ref name="DriscollM-2002-02-23">{{cite news |author=Driscoll |first=Margarette |date=19 December 2004 |title=The Morse Saga&nbsp;– Interview |newspaper=[[The Sunday Times]]}}</ref> 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.<ref name=DriscollM-2002-02-23/> Following the death of her husband (from [[oesophageal cancer]]) in 1971, Thaw and Hancock married on 24 December 1973 in [[Cirencester]].<ref name=DriscollM-2002-02-23/><ref>{{cite news |author=Lee |first=David |date=22 February 2002 |title=Friends' tribute to Morse star Thaw |newspaper=[[The Scotsman]]}}</ref> They remained together until his death in 2002 (also from oesophageal cancer).<ref>{{cite news |author=Guinness, Daphne |title=Morse: More Sad, More Angry Than You Ever Knew |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=11 November 2004 }}</ref>

Thaw had three daughters (all actresses): [[Abigail Thaw|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.<ref name=McGOWANB-AVERYC-2002-09-22/><ref name=JTObit-TT-2002-02-23>{{cite news |title=John Thaw&nbsp;– Obituary |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=23 February 2002 }}</ref> His granddaughter Molly Whitmey made a cameo in the ''[[Endeavour (TV series)|Endeavour]]'' episode "Oracle" (series 7, episode 1, broadcast 9 February 2020) as the younger version of her grandmother Sally Alexander.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oxinabox.co.uk/its-a-family-affair-john-thaws-daughter-abigail-stars-in-endeavours-new-series-with-her-own-daughter-playing-her-mother/ |title=It's a family affair: John Thaw's daughter Abigail stars in Endeavour's new series 7 with daughter Molly playing her mother Sally.... |publisher=Ox In A Box|date=4 February 2020}}</ref>

Thaw was a committed [[socialist]]<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1399178.stm |work=BBC News| title=John Thaw: Forever Morse | date=21 February 2002}}</ref> and a lifelong supporter of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-and-cherie-booth-at-thaw-memorial-642043.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220613/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-and-cherie-booth-at-thaw-memorial-642043.html |archive-date=13 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |first=Kim |last=Sengupta |title=Prince and Cherie Booth at Thaw memorial |date=5 September 2002 |location=London}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite news |title=No Mystery Here |newspaper=[[The Buffalo News]] |date=19 March 1993}}</ref>

==Illness and death==
A heavy drinker until going [[Teetotalism|teetotal]] in 1995,<ref name=DriscollM-2002-02-23/> and a heavy smoker from the age of 12,<ref name=JTObit-TT-2002-02-23/> Thaw was diagnosed with [[cancer of the oesophagus]] in June 2001.<ref>{{cite news |title=John Thaw Has Throat Cancer |newspaper=[[London Evening Standard]] |date=19 June 2001 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=John Thaw Pledges Comeback as He Reveals Cancer Battle |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=20 June 2001 }}</ref> 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 illness|terminal]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Thaw's Cancer Setback |newspaper=[[Herald Sun]] |date=6 January 2002 }}</ref>

Thaw died on 21 February 2002,<ref name=JTObit-TT-2002-02-23/> seven weeks after his 60th birthday, the day after he signed a new contract with ITV,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Thaw+signed+new+contract.-a084536918|title=Thaw signed new contract|date=7 April 2002|work=[[Wales on Sunday]]|access-date=12 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624024117/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Thaw+signed+new+contract.-a084536918|archive-date=24 June 2022|via=[[The Free Library]]}}</ref> 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, Wiltshire|Sherston]] in Wiltshire,<ref>{{cite news |title=Sold Down the River |newspaper=[[Western Daily Press]] |date=19 April 2006 }}</ref> and was cremated in [[Westerleigh]], near [[Yate]] in [[South Gloucestershire]], in a private service.<ref>{{cite news |author=Cowling, James |title=Actor Thaw Remembered for 'Generosity and Kindness' |newspaper=Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Counties Publications |date=27 February 2002 }}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2234576.stm |work=BBC News| title=Charles joins Thaw memorial | date=4 September 2002}}</ref>

A memorial bench is dedicated to Thaw within the grounds of [[St Paul's, Covent Garden]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://londonist.com/2014/11/londons-famous-bench-dedications |title=London's Famous Bench Dedications |date=21 October 2016 |website=Londonist.com |access-date=12 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306002313/https://londonist.com/2014/11/londons-famous-bench-dedications |archive-date=6 March 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Television==
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"
|+
!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
|-
| rowspan="3" |1962
|[[Probation Officer (TV series)|''Probation Officer'']] 
|Stan Liddell
|1 episode
|-
|''Smashing Day''
|Stan
| rowspan="2" |TV film
|-
|''Nil Carborundum''
|ACI Neville Harrison
|-
| rowspan="3" |1963
|''[[BBC Sunday-Night Play]]''
|Charlie
|Episode: "So Long Charlie"
|-
|''[[ITV Television Playhouse]]''
|Barritt
|Episode: "The Lads"
|-
|''[[Z-Cars|Z Cars]]''
|Detective Constable Elliot
|4 episodes
|-
|1963–1965
|''[[The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theater]]''
|Alan Roper / David Jones
|"[[Five to One (film)|Five to One]]" / "[[Dead Man's Chest (1965 film)|Dead Man's Chest]]"
|-
|1964
|''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]''
|Captain Trench
|Episode: "Espirit De Corps"
|-
|1964–1966
|''[[Redcap (tv series)|Redcap]]''
|Sergeant John Mann
|2 series
|-
| rowspan="2" |1966
|''[[Bat Out of Hell (TV series)|Bat Out of Hell]]'' 
|Mark Paxton
| 5 episodes
|-
|''[[Drama 61-67]]''
|Harry Fox
|Episode: "The Assassin at the Door"
|-
|1966-
1973
|''[[BBC Play of the Month]]''
|Various
|3 episodes
|-
|1967
|''[[Inheritance (TV series)|Inheritance]]''
|Will Oldroyd
|Miniseries
|-
| rowspan="2" |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
|-
| rowspan="3" |1971
|''[[ITV Sunday Night Drama]]''
|Him
|Episode: "Turn of the Year: Parcel"
|-
|[[Budgie (TV series)|''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
|-
| rowspan="4" |1972
|[[Pretenders (TV series)|''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"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1973
|[[The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (TV series)|''The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'']]
|Lt. Holst
|Episode: "The Sensible Action of Lieutenant Holst"
|-
|''[[The Protectors]]''
|Mario Carpiano
|Episode: "Lena"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1974
|''[[Armchair Cinema]]''
|DI Jack Regan
|Episode: "Regan"
|-
|''[[Thick as Thieves (TV series)|Thick As Thieves]]''
|Stan
|
|-
|''[[The Capone Investment]]''
|Tom
|-
|1975–1978
|''[[The Sweeney]]''
|Det. Insp. Jack Regan
|53 episodes
|-
|1976
|[[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968 TV series)|''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]]
| rowspan="2" |TV film
|-
| rowspan="3" |1984
|''[[Killer Waiting]]''
|Major Peter Hastings
|-
|''Mitch''
|Mitch
|
|-
|''[[BBC Television Shakespeare]]''
|Hubert de Burgh
|Episode: ''[[King John (play)|The Life and Death of King John]]''
|-
|1985–1990
|''[[Home to Roost]]''
|Henry Willows
|4 series
|-
|1987–2000
|''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]''
|[[Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse]]
|33 television films
|-
|1987
|[[Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series)|''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'']]
|Jonathan Small
|Episode: ''[[The Sign of the Four|The Sign of Four]]''
|-
|1989
|[[Bomber Harris (film)|''Bomber Harris'']]
|[[Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris]]
|TV film
|-
|1991
|''[[Stanley and the Women]]''
|Stanley Duke
| rowspan="2" |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 (film)|''Goodnight Mister Tom'']] 
|Tom Oakley
|TV film
|-
| rowspan="2" |1999
|''Plastic Man''
|Joe McConnell
|
|-
|''The Second World War in Colour''
|Narrator
|Documentary
|-
|2000
|''[[Monsignor Renard]]''
|Monsignor Augustine Renard
| rowspan="2" |Miniseries
|-
|2001
|''The Glass''
|Jim Proctor
|}

== Film ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Roles
|-
|1962
| ''[[The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner]]''
| Bosworth (uncredited)
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Five to One (film)|Five To One]]''
| Alan Roper
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Dead Man's Chest (1965 film)|Dead Man's Chest]]''
|David Jones
|-
| 1968
| ''[[The Bofors Gun]]''
| Featherstone
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1970
| ''[[Praise Marx and Pass the Ammunition]]''
| Dom
|-
| ''[[The Last Grenade]]''
| Terry Mitchell
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Dr. Phibes Rises Again]]''
| Shavers
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Sweeney!]]''
| rowspan="2" | Detective Inspector Jack Regan
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Sweeney 2]]''
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Killing Heat]]''
| Dick Turner
|-
| 1987
| ''[[Cry Freedom]]''
| [[Jimmy Kruger]]
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Business as Usual (film)|Business As Usual]]''
| Kieran Flynn
|-
| 1992 
| ''[[Chaplin (film)|Chaplin]]''
| [[Fred Karno]]
|-
| 1996
| ''Masculine Mescaline''
| The Man
|}

== Theatre ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
| rowspan="9" | 1958
| ''[[Cymbeline]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[As You Like It]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[The Cherry Orchard]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[The Pillars of Society|Pillars of Society]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[The Winter's Tale|A Winter's Tale]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[The Lady's Not for Burning|The Lady's Not For Burning]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[Twelfth Night]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[Macbeth]]''
|
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1959
| ''[[Hobson's Choice (play)|Hobson's Choice]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[Paradise Lost]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[Antigone (Sophocles play)|Antigone]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[Alcestis (play)|Alcestis]]''
|
|
|-
| ''Faust''
|
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |1960
| ''[[The Knight of the Burning Pestle]]'' (press night)
|Michael
|Open Air Theatre, Avonbank Gardens, Stratford-upon-Avon
|-
| ''A Shred of Evidence''
|
|
|-
| ''The Wind and the Rain''
|John Williams
|[[Liverpool Playhouse]]
|-
| ''[[Staircase (play)|Staircase]]''
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1961
| ''[[The Fire Raisers (play)|The Fires Raisers]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[Chips with Everything|Chips With Everything]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[Two into One]]''
|
|
|-
| 1964
| ''The Father''
|
|
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Women Beware Women]]'' (press night)
|Sordido
|[[New Arts Theatre]]
|-
|1962-1963
| ''[[Semi-Detached (play)|Semi-Detached]]''
|Robert Freeman
|[[Saville Theatre]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1967
| ''[[Around the World in 80 Days]]''
|
|
|-
| ''[[Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs]]''
|
|
|-
| 1969
| ''So What About Love?''
|Dicky
|[[Criterion Theatre]]
|-
| 1970
| ''Random Happenings in the Hebrides''
|
|
|- 
| 1971
| ''[[The Lady from the Sea]]''
|A Stranger
|[[Greenwich Theatre]]
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1972
| ''Chinamen''
|
|
|-
| ''The New Quixote''
|
|
|-
| ''Black and Silver''
|
|
|-
| ''[[The Two of Us (play)|The Two of Us]]''
|
|
|-
| 1973
| ''Collaborators''
|
|
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Absurd Person Singular]]''
|
|
|-
| 1977
| ''[[The Two of Us (play)|The Two of Us]]''
|
|
|-
| 1978-1980
| ''[[Night and Day (play)|Night and Day]]''
|Dick Wagner
|[[Phoenix Theatre, London]]
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Serjeant Musgrave's Dance]]''
|Serjeant Musgrave
|[[National Theatre’s Dorfman|National Theatre – Dorfman]], [[National Theatre, London]]
|-
|1982-1983
|''[[Henry VIII (play)|Henry VIII]]'' 
|
|[[Royal Shakespeare Company]], [[Stratford-upon-Avon|Stratford-Upon-Avon]]
|-
| rowspan="3" |1983
| ''[[The Time of Your Life]]'' (press night)
|Nick
|The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon
|-
| ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' (press night)
|[[Sir Toby Belch]]
|[[Royal Shakespeare Theatre]]
|-
| ''[[Henry VIII (play)|Henry VIII]]'' (press night)
|[[Cardinal Wolseley]]
|[[Theatre Royal, Newcastle]]
|-
| rowspan="4" |1984
|''[[Twelfth Night]]'' (press night)
|[[Sir Toby Belch]]
|[[Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne|Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne]]
|-
|''[[The Time of Your Life]]'' (press night)
|Nick
|Gulbenkian Studio, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Pit, London
|-
|''[[Henry VIII (play)|Henry VIII]]'' (press night)
|[[Cardinal Wolseley]]
|[[Theatre Royal, Newcastle-upon-Tyne|Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne]]
|-
| ''[[Pygmalion (play)|Pygmalion]]''
|Alfred Doolittle
|[[Shaftesbury Theatre]]
|-
|1985
|''Where There's a Will'' (press night)
|
|[[Barbican Theater]]
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Two into One]]''
|
|
|-
| 1988
| ''[[All My Sons]]''
|
|
|-
| 1993-1994
| ''[[The Absence of War]]''
|Right Hon. George Jones MP
|[[National Theatre, London]]
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Peter Pan (play and novel)|Peter Pan]]'' 
|
|
|}

==Honours and awards==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Work
! Result
|-
| 1977
| [[Evening Standard British Film Award]]
| Best Actor
| ''[[Sweeney!]]''
| {{Won}}
|-
| 1988
| [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|Best Actor in a Supporting Role]]
| ''[[Cry Freedom]]''
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| 1990
|rowspan=4|[[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA TV]]
| rowspan=4|[[British Academy Television Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| rowspan=4|[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|''Inspector Morse'']]
| {{Won}}
|-
| 1991
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| 1992
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| 1993
| {{Won}}
|-
| 1995
| [[Aftonbladet]] TV Prize, [[Sweden]]
| Best Foreign TV Personality – Male (Bästa utländska man)
|
| {{Won}}
|-
| rowspan=2|1998
| rowspan=6|[[National Television Award]]
| [[Special Recognition Award]]
| rowspan=2|[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|''Inspector Morse'']]
| {{Won}}
|-
| rowspan=5|Most Popular Actor
| {{Won}}
|-
| 1999
| [[Goodnight Mister Tom (film)|''Goodnight, Mister Tom'']]
| {{Won}}
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Monsignor Renard]]''
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| 2001
| [[Inspector Morse (TV series)|''Inspector Morse'']] and Academy Fellowship
| {{Won}}
|-
| 2002
| ''Buried Treasure''
| {{Nominated}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*Hancock, Sheila (2004). ''The Two of Us: My Life with John Thaw''. London: Bloomsbury. {{ISBN|978-0-7475-7020-2}}
*''John Thaw: The Biography''. Stafford Hildred and Tim Ewbank. London: Andre Deutsch. {{ISBN|0-233-99475-0}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|857177|John Thaw}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for John Thaw
|list =
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Actor 1980–1999}}
{{BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award}}
{{Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor}}
{{National Television Award for Special Recognition}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thaw, John}}
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[[Category:People educated at Ducie Technical High School for Boys]]
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