John Thaw

Acting

John Thaw

Born — Died

1942-01-03 — 2002-02-21

Place of birth

Gorton, Manchester, England

Known for

Acting

Credits

76 titles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. John Edward Thaw, CBE (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor who appeared in a range of television, stage, and cinema roles. He 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article John Thaw, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​

Known for

Play for Today poster
6.6

Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.

Play for Today

1970

BBC Play of the Month poster
5.2

A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.

BBC Play of the Month

1965

Sherlock Holmes poster
8.2

Sherlock Holmes uses his abilities to take on cases by private clients and those that the Scotland Yard are unable to solve, along with his friend Dr. Watson.

Sherlock Holmes

1984

ITV Playhouse poster
7.0

ITV Playhouse is a British comedy-drama TV series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour and was produced by various companies for the ITV network, a format that would inspire Dramarama. Actors appearing in the series included Leslie Anderson, Gwen Nelson, Ricky Alleyne, Pat Heywood, Michael Elphick, Ian Hendry, Edward Woodward, Margaret Lockwood, Jessie Matthews and Lloyd Peters.

ITV Playhouse

1967

Screen Two poster
7.1

Series of single made-for-television dramas.

Screen Two

1985

Inspector Morse poster
7.9

Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis, as well as a large cast of notable actors and actresses.

Inspector Morse

1987

Film credits

1990s · 8 titles

Chaplin poster
7.4

An aged Charlie Chaplin narrates his life to his autobiography's editor, including his rise to wealth and comedic fame from poverty, his turbulent personal life and his run-ins with the FBI.

Chaplin

1992

Goodnight, Mister Tom poster
7.0

A shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.

Goodnight, Mister Tom

1998

The Absence of War poster
6.5

Political drama written by David Hare and starring John Thaw and based on Labour's disastrous 1992 election campaign. Labour leader George Jones battles with his party on the campaign trail of a general election.

The Absence of War

1995

Into the Blue poster
6.5

Contemporary thriller set partly on the island of Rhodes. A bankrupt former garage owner, now working as a waiter and a caretaker on the Greek isle, is hauled in by the local police when a young Englishwoman he has befriended goes missing. Under suspicion of murder, he flees the island and returns to England, where he begins trying to piece together the missing woman's background and her reasons for visiting Rhodes in the first place.

Into the Blue

1997

No artwork available
NR

Documentary on the making of the Inspector Morse series.

The Mystery of Morse

1993

Masculine Mescaline poster
NR

A London 'wide boy' alcoholic is forced to face his responsibilities by a 'heavenly' messenger.

Masculine Mescaline

1996

The Waiting Time poster
7.0

When British Intelligence Officer Tracy Barnes attacks visiting German politician Dieter Krause, solicitor's clerk Joshua Mantle is called to help unravel the events which led to the assault.

The Waiting Time

1999

No artwork available
3.7

A seemingly happily married, successful plastic surgeon embarks on a torrid affair with tragic consequences for his marriage and those close to him.

Plastic Man

1999

1980s · 10 titles

Cry Freedom poster
7.0

A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist.

Cry Freedom

1987

The Sign of Four poster
7.4

Mary Morstan has received a pearl in the post every year since her father's disappearance. This leads Holmes and Watson to the truth about a secret pact between four convicts during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

The Sign of Four

1987

The Grass Is Singing poster
4.7

In Southern Rhodesia in the 1940s, city-dweller Mary marries farmer Dick Turner and is plucked from the comforts of her cosmopolitan life and forced to live on his unsuccessful farm. Mary slowly goes insane and has a sexual affair with her black servant, Moses. When the affair is discovered, Mary asks Moses to leave the farm, but he returns and murders her.

The Grass Is Singing

1981

No artwork available
NR

First in a trilogy of plays. An assassin is out to kill Major Hastings in his isolated country home.

Killer Waiting

1984

The Life and Death of King John poster
7.3

The reign of England's King John is threatened by Philip of France who demands that John's nephew Arthur be placed on the throne. Pragmatic and decisive, King John moves to plactate the French, but there are others who seek disputre his authority.

The Life and Death of King John

1984

Bomber Harris poster
7.8

Biography of Arthur Harris (aka "Bomber Harris") of RAF Bomber Command, during WW2 - in particular his strategy of heavy bomber "Millenium Raids" on German cities.

Bomber Harris

1989

We'll Support You Evermore poster
7.8

A father is intent on finding the truth as to how his soldier son met his death while serving in Northern Ireland.

We'll Support You Evermore

1985

Business as Usual poster
6.5

After seeing her husband fail in fighting a battle to keep his factory open, a manageress loses her job in a disagreement with the manager over sexual harassment of her staff. She accepts the advice of her father and joins his son, a left-wing organizer, and takes her plight to the union.

Business as Usual

1987

Drake's Venture poster
5.8

Sir Francis Drake circumnavigates the world in search of adventure and treasure.

Drake's Venture

1980

No artwork available
NR

A man returns home from a business trip to find his wife is gone. He assumes she's left him after years of rowing and affairs but everyone else seems to be convinced that he's killed her.

Where Is Betty Buchus?

1982

1970s · 12 titles

Dr. Phibes Rises Again poster
6.3

The eminent Dr. Phibes awakens from a decade of suspended animation and heads to Egypt with the corpse of his dead wife, which he intends to resurrect by murdering people in strange and heinous ways.

Dr. Phibes Rises Again

1972

Sweeney 2 poster
6.2

Second theatrical spin-off from the popular 1970's police series. Regan and Carter head a Flying Squad investigation into a series of bank raids by a team of well-armed villains who are flying in from the continent.

Sweeney 2

1978

Sweeney! poster
6.7

When one of Regan's snouts complains that his girlfriend's recent suicide was murder, the flying squad detective feels compelled to investigate. He uncovers a conspiracy that reaches the heart of the government, and finds himself fitted up, suspended and under the scrutiny of Special Branch.

Sweeney!

1977

Dinner at the Sporting Club poster
5.0

Vinny Mathews is a small time boxing promoter who struggles with his conscience over what to do with a fighter he knows is unfit to face his opponent. However, Mathews needs sponsorship and this would be the ideal opportunity to mix with the "frilly shirted" sportsmen who enjoy their lavish lifestyle as fighters slug it out as the steak is served!

Dinner at the Sporting Club

1978

Catch Me a Spy poster
5.0

While on vacation, a woman's husband is taken by the Russian government. After one attempt fails, she begins looking for a suitable spy to capture and trade in exchange for her husband, but she develops an attraction to the one she thinks is a good candidate.

Catch Me a Spy

1971

The Last Grenade poster
5.7

Two ruthless mercenaries break their friendship when one of them changes sides.

The Last Grenade

1970

The Capone Investment poster
6.2

Abridged movie version of the 1974 British TV series concerning the whereabouts of Al Capone's illegal gains, garnered during the Prohibition era.

The Capone Investment

1974

Regan poster
8.7

Rough, tough and politically incorrect in the way that only the best 70's dramas can be, Regan was a pilot film for The Sweeney - one of the major television successes of the last fifty years. Featuring John Thaw as the irascible Detective Inspector Regan and Dennis Waterman as his loyal 'oppo' Detective Sergeant Carter, Regan was an immediate critical and ratings hit, resulting in four series of The Sweeney and two successful feature films. Jack Regan is a good copper, but his tough, intuitive style is becoming unfashionable in a Scotland Yard seeking a new image. When a policeman is mysteriously murdered, Regan breaks all the rules to find the killer - but he finds there are men in the Flying Squad prepared to break him.

Regan

1974

No artwork available
NR

Peter feels his life has to change, but should he risk his marriage with another woman?

Whatever Became of Me?

1972

Competition poster
NR

An out of work man must take his son to a school poetry competition while accompanied by his friendly neighbours, of which, he's not too secretly been having an affair with the wife.

Competition

1971

Praise Marx and Pass the Ammunition poster
3.0

A Marxist-Leninist expelled from the British Communist Party joins the Revolutionary Party of the Third World, sleeps around, and attempts to rethink his place within the revolution after the events of the 1968 May uprising in Paris.

Praise Marx and Pass the Ammunition

1970

No artwork available
NR

The Thane of Cawdor plots to become King of Scotland.

Macbeth

1970

1960s · 5 titles

Series credits

Play for Today poster
6.6

Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.

Play for Today

1970

BBC Play of the Month poster
5.2

A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.

BBC Play of the Month

1965

BBC Play of the Month poster
5.2

A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.

BBC Play of the Month

1965

BBC Play of the Month poster
5.2

A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.

BBC Play of the Month

1965

Sherlock Holmes poster
8.2

Sherlock Holmes uses his abilities to take on cases by private clients and those that the Scotland Yard are unable to solve, along with his friend Dr. Watson.

Sherlock Holmes

1984

ITV Playhouse poster
7.0

ITV Playhouse is a British comedy-drama TV series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour and was produced by various companies for the ITV network, a format that would inspire Dramarama. Actors appearing in the series included Leslie Anderson, Gwen Nelson, Ricky Alleyne, Pat Heywood, Michael Elphick, Ian Hendry, Edward Woodward, Margaret Lockwood, Jessie Matthews and Lloyd Peters.

ITV Playhouse

1967

Screen Two poster
7.1

Series of single made-for-television dramas.

Screen Two

1985

Inspector Morse poster
7.9

Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis, as well as a large cast of notable actors and actresses.

Inspector Morse

1987

Kavanagh Q.C. poster
7.3

John Thaw dons the silks as barrister James Kavanagh Q.C., one of the most highly respected criminal advocates in London, commanding admiration from colleagues and opponents alike. However, all this has come at a price as his dedication to work has taken its toll on his private life… Going beyond traditional courtroom dramas, “Kavanagh Q.C.” uncovers the pressures of legal battles and the problems of defining the truth, providing a compelling representation of the euphoric ups and costly downs of success and failure in the legal world.

Kavanagh Q.C.

1995

The Sweeney poster
8.1

Jack Regan, an unethical officer of the Flying Squad, uses unorthodox methods to pursue criminals with the help of his partner, George Carter.

The Sweeney

1975

ITV Saturday Night Theatre poster
7.0

Anthology series of dramatic works.

ITV Saturday Night Theatre

1969

ITV Saturday Night Theatre poster
7.0

Anthology series of dramatic works.

ITV Saturday Night Theatre

1969

ITV Saturday Night Theatre poster
7.0

Anthology series of dramatic works.

ITV Saturday Night Theatre

1969

The BBC Television Shakespeare poster
6.0

The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and produced by BBC Television. It was transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985 and spanned seven series. Development of the series began in 1975 when Messina saw that Glamis Castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's play As You Like It. On returning to London, he envisioned an entire series devoted exclusively to the dramatic works of Shakespeare. After encountering numerous problems trying to produce the series, Messina eventually pitched the idea to the BBC’s departmental heads and the series was greenlighted. The series as a whole received generally negative reviews from critics.

The BBC Television Shakespeare

1978

The Protectors poster
6.1

The Protectors is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It was Anderson's second TV series using live actors as opposed to electronic marionettes, and also his second to be firmly set in contemporary times. It was also the only Gerry Anderson produced television series that was not of the fantasy or science fiction genres. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company. Despite not featuring marionettes or any real science fiction elements, The Protectors became one of Anderson's most popular productions, easily winning a renewal for a second season. A third season was in the planning stages when the show's major sponsor pulled out, forcing its cancellation. The Protectors first aired in 1972 and 1973, and ran to 52 episodes over two series, each 25 minutes long - making it one of the last series of this type to be produced in a half-hour format. It starred Robert Vaughn as Harry Rule, Nyree Dawn Porter as the Contessa Caroline di Contini, and Tony Anholt as Paul Buchet. Episodes often featured prominent guest actors.

The Protectors

1972

The Onedin Line poster
7.0

The Onedin Line is a BBC television drama series which ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and deals with the rise of a shipping line, the Onedin Line, named after its owner James Onedin. Around this central theme are the lives of his family, most notably his brother and partner, shop owner Robert, and his sister Elizabeth, giving insight into the lifestyle and customs at the time, not only at sea, but also ashore. The series also illustrates some of the changes in business and shipping, such as from wooden to steel ships and from sailing ships to steam ships. It shows the role that ships played in affairs like international politics, uprisings and the slave trade.

The Onedin Line

1971

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes poster
7.5

An anthology series produced by Thames Television, comprised of short mystery, suspense or crime adaptations featuring, as the title suggests, detectives who were literary contemporaries of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

1971

No artwork available
NR

Drama 61-67 is anthology drama series which took a different title, based on year of transmission, each year. It alternated with Armchair Theatre from ABC in the Sunday evening slot. The series was described at the time as epitomising ATV drama.

Drama 61-67

1961

The BAFTA Awards poster
10.0

BAFTA presents awards for film, television and games, including children's entertainment, at a number of annual ceremonies across the UK and in Los Angeles, USA.

The BAFTA Awards

1949

Budgie poster
7.2

Budgie is a popular British television series starring former popstar Adam Faith which was produced by ITV company London Weekend Television and broadcast on the ITV network between 1971 and 1972. The series was created by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall . The show was produced by Verity Lambert, Rex Firkin was the Executive producer.

Budgie

1971

Edgar Wallace Mysteries poster
7.5

The Edgar Wallace Mysteries was a British second-feature film series, produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 46 films in the series, made between 1960 and 1965. The films were loose adaptations of Edgar Wallace's books and stories. Very few used his original titles, and there was no attempt to set them in the period in which Wallace wrote, probably to obviate the need for elaborate costumes and sets. A 1962 article in Scene magazine quotes £22,000 as the budget for an episode then in production.

Edgar Wallace Mysteries

1959

Edgar Wallace Mysteries poster
7.5

The Edgar Wallace Mysteries was a British second-feature film series, produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 46 films in the series, made between 1960 and 1965. The films were loose adaptations of Edgar Wallace's books and stories. Very few used his original titles, and there was no attempt to set them in the period in which Wallace wrote, probably to obviate the need for elaborate costumes and sets. A 1962 article in Scene magazine quotes £22,000 as the budget for an episode then in production.

Edgar Wallace Mysteries

1959

Edgar Wallace Mysteries poster
7.5

The Edgar Wallace Mysteries was a British second-feature film series, produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 46 films in the series, made between 1960 and 1965. The films were loose adaptations of Edgar Wallace's books and stories. Very few used his original titles, and there was no attempt to set them in the period in which Wallace wrote, probably to obviate the need for elaborate costumes and sets. A 1962 article in Scene magazine quotes £22,000 as the budget for an episode then in production.

Edgar Wallace Mysteries

1959

Redcap poster
8.0

Redcap is a British television series produced by ABC Weekend Television for ITV. John Thaw stars as Sergeant John Mann, a member of the Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police. It ran for 26 episodes over two series between 1964 and 1966, being about 50 minutes in a 60 minute time slot. Surprisingly for a 1960s ABC Weekend Television programme, 23 of the 26 episodes still exist.

Redcap

1964

Six Fifty-Five Special poster
NR

Sally James and guest presenters invite established stars and newcomers to contribute to a lively half-hour of music and conversation.

Six Fifty-Five Special

1981

The Frighteners poster
8.5

A horror anthology series, with each episode featuring a different eerie tale.

The Frighteners

1972

A Year in Provence poster
6.0

Annie and Peter Mayle decide, in their own words, to take the plunge: they quit their jobs as a tax investigator and an advertising executive and move to Provence in the south of France. Their first month goes from outstanding to downright puzzling: while they adore the food and wine, they encounter amusing cultural barriers.

A Year in Provence

1993

Home to Roost poster
6.5

Home to Roost is a British television sitcom produced by Yorkshire Television in the 1980s. Written by Eric Chappell, it starred John Thaw as Henry Willows and Reece Dinsdale as his 18-year-old son Matthew. The premise is that Henry Willows is forty-something, who has been divorced from his wife for seven years and is perfectly happy living alone in London. That is, until his youngest child, Matthew arrives to live with him, after being thrown out by his mother. The plots generally revolved around Henry's annoyance at having his solitude disturbed, and the age gap clash. Henry employed two cleaners throughout the show's life; first Enid Thompson, and, in the third season, Fiona Fennell.

Home to Roost

1985

No artwork available
NR

This is a series of thrillers designed to keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Menace

1970

Strange Report poster
7.7

Adam Strange, a retired Home Office criminologist, solves bizarre cases – which have been marked "Open File" by various government departments – with the help of Hamlyn Gynt, Evelyn and Professor Marks. He employs the latest techniques in forensic investigation, which he undertakes in his own laboratory in his flat in Warwick Crescent in the Maida Vale/Little Venice area of Paddington.

Strange Report

1969

The Glass poster
10.0

Jim Proctor, a middle-aged tycoon, decides to hand over his glass-making company to his young nephew Paul Duggan.

The Glass

2001

No artwork available
NR

A series of plays, each reflecting an individual dilemma - sometimes serious, occasionally humorous - and each with a happy ending.

Happy Ever After

1969

Mitch poster
5.0

Mitch is a newspaper reporter with a difference, he cares about the people he reports.

Mitch

1984

No artwork available
9.0

Eleven-part mini-series featuring an ensemble cast of up-and-coming acting talent, in plays by young authors, each actor or actress taking the lead role in turn.

The Younger Generation

1961

No artwork available
9.0

Eleven-part mini-series featuring an ensemble cast of up-and-coming acting talent, in plays by young authors, each actor or actress taking the lead role in turn.

The Younger Generation

1961

No artwork available
9.0

Eleven-part mini-series featuring an ensemble cast of up-and-coming acting talent, in plays by young authors, each actor or actress taking the lead role in turn.

The Younger Generation

1961

No artwork available
9.0

Eleven-part mini-series featuring an ensemble cast of up-and-coming acting talent, in plays by young authors, each actor or actress taking the lead role in turn.

The Younger Generation

1961

No artwork available
9.0

Eleven-part mini-series featuring an ensemble cast of up-and-coming acting talent, in plays by young authors, each actor or actress taking the lead role in turn.

The Younger Generation

1961

No artwork available
9.0

Eleven-part mini-series featuring an ensemble cast of up-and-coming acting talent, in plays by young authors, each actor or actress taking the lead role in turn.

The Younger Generation

1961

No artwork available
9.0

Eleven-part mini-series featuring an ensemble cast of up-and-coming acting talent, in plays by young authors, each actor or actress taking the lead role in turn.

The Younger Generation

1961