Began at age 11 performing in school plays. In one of them he appeared as Mistress Quickly in "Henry V."
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.
Father of actress Abigail Thaw, born 1967, (with first wife Sally Alexander) and Joanna Thaw, born 1974, (with second wife Sheila Hancock), and stepfather of Melanie Thaw.
He lived quietly in an 18th century manor house in Wiltshire, England.
He performed with the National Theatre.
He performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1994 for his services to drama.
His favourite episodes of "Inspector Morse" (1987) were "The Dead of Jericho", "Masonic Mysteries" and "Promised Land".
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).
His most famous roles on British TV were all as straight-talking, no-nonsense characters: Jack Regan, Inspector Morse and James Kavanagh.
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.
Married Sheila Hancock on 24 December 1973 in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
Thaw was a fan of classical music ever since he was a young man.
Treated for cancer of the oesophagus. His wife, Sheila Hancock, is a breast cancer survivor. [June 2001]
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.
Was accepted by RADA in 1958 when he was two years underage. Thaw was told to say he was 19 if anyone asked.
When he married Hancock he decided to officially adopt her daughter Melanie, from her first marriage to Alec Ross, which is why she bears Thaw's surname.
Winner of 2 BAFTA awards for Best TV Actor in "Inspector Morse" (1989 and 1992) and nominee for the same series in 1990 & 1991.
Younger brother, Ray, was born November 15, 1944.