Born January 3, 1942, in Manchester, England; died of throat cancer, February21, 2002, in London, England. Actor and producer. Classically trained actorThaw was best known for his portrayal of Inspector Morse, a role he played for fifteen years. Morse worked as both a laborer and a baker before attendingthe Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. After completing his studies Thaw workedprimarily as a stage actor, making his debut in a Liverpool production of A Shred of Evidence in 1960. Numerous roles followed, and he continued his association with theatre through the 1970s and the early 1980s. Thaw made his feature film debut in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner in1962 and began appearing in television in the mid-1960s, primarily in episodes of Play of the Month and Play for Today. His breakthrough role came a decade later when he appeared as Detective Inspector Jack Regan inthe police series The Sweeney, which aired from 1976 to 1977. His association as the tenacious Inspector Morse began on the ITV network in 1985 andresulted in thirty-three, two-hour episodes of the popular series. Thaw served as executive producer for several episodes in the mid to late 1990s as well. The final episode, Inspector Morse: The Remorseful Day, ended withthe death of the title character and aired in 2000. The program began airingin the U.S. in 1998 on PBS. For his work as Inspector Morse Thaw received numerous awards and nominations from the British Academy of Film and TelevisionArts. He also won an award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for his role in the 1987 feature film Cry Freedom. In 1993 Thaw wasnamed Commander of the Order of the British Empire. That same year Thaw appeared in Chaplin, his final feature film role.
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