- Thaw was a fan of classical music ever since he was a young man.
- He lived quietly in an 18th century manor house in Wiltshire, England.
- His father, John, was a long distance lorry driver. His mother Dorothy (Dolly) walked out on the family when he was 7 years old. He did not see her again for 12 years when she showed up briefly back stage in a production of "The Fire Raisers." He never saw her again. She died of stomach cancer in 1974.
- He started smoking when he was twelve, and smoked 60 cigarettes a day as an adult.
- He broke his foot in his teens when he tripped while running for a school bus. This left him with a slight limp that is noticeable in some scenes of the Inspector Morse series.
- He was accepted by RADA in 1958 when he was two years underage. Thaw was told to say he was 19 if anyone asked.
- He was Laurence Olivier's understudy in the stage production of "Semi-Detached" and later stepped into the part for a week due to Olivier's problem with gout.
- He was the winner of two BAFTA awards for Best TV Actor in Inspector Morse (1987) (1989 and 1992) and nominee for the same series in 1990 & 1991.
- Although best known for his television starring roles, he also did notable stage work and performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.
- He was a heavy drinker until he gave it up in 1995.
- In June 2001, he was treated for cancer of the oesophagus. His wife, Sheila Hancock, had been a breast cancer survivor.
- His favourite episodes of his television series Inspector Morse were The Dead of Jericho (1987), Masonic Mysteries (1990) and Promised Land (1991).
- He began at the age of eleven performing in school plays. In one of them he appeared as Mistress Quickly in "Henry V".
- He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1993 Queen's New Year Honours List for his services to drama.
- He married Sheila Hancock on 24 December 1973 in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
- In 2000 Thaw predicted he would die from his heavy smoking habit. When asked by an interviewer if he would continue playing older characters he tapped his packet of cigarettes and replied, "No, I'll be dead. I smoke too many of these.".
- He was the father of actress Abigail Thaw, born 1965, (with first wife Sally Alexander) and Joanna Thaw, born 1974, (with second wife Sheila Hancock), and adopted father of Melanie Thaw, born 1964 (Sheila Hancock's daughter by her first marriage to Alec Ross).
- His most famous roles on British TV were all as straight-talking, no-nonsense characters: Jack Regan, Inspector Morse and James Kavanagh.
- Disliked everything associated with fame or stardom, rarely granting interviews.
- Awards include C.B.E., a B.A.F.T.A Fellowship and in 1998 a Special Recognition Award.
- His first stage role was at Green End Junior School in Manchester, England as Uncle Joseph, the leading part in "Where the Rainbow Ends" (1953).
- In 1984 he appeared in George Bernard Shaw's play 'Pygmalion' opposite Peter O'Toole as Henry Higgins. John played Doolittle.
- He had an ambition to play Iago in 'Othello'.
- After the third series of "Sweeney," John Thaw wasn't keen on making a fourth and needed considerable persuasion before agreeing to it.
- He and Sheila Hancock married at Cirencester registry office on Christmas Eve.
- Met Sheila Hancock in 1969 when in the play 'What About Love'.
- He was a prize winner at RADA.
- Both of his parents died from smoking-related cancers.
- A memorial service was held for him at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London on 4 September 2002.
- Lived in Stowell Street Manchester when a youngster.
- His younger brother, Ray, was born November 15, 1944. He died in 2004.
- Educated at Green Edge Junior School and Ducie Secondary Technical School.
- Son of John Edward (1919-1997) and Dorothy (née Ablott) Thaw (1921-1974).
- He was abandoned by his mother at 3 and he and his 2 younger brothers were brought up by their lorry driver father.
- Daughter joanna born 1973 with Sheila Hancock.
- Got into RADA at 16 by saying that he was 19.
- Used to be a fruit market porter.
- His second marriage was to actress Sheila Hancock who was 9 years older than him.
- His first job was as a market porter.
- Made his film debut in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962).
- Had fair hair but for the tv series Redcap he died it dark because it photographed better.
- Attended RADA with Tom Courtenay and shared a flat with him in Highbury, north London.
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