John Thaw

It is believed that he was shortly due to have received a knighthood when he died from esophageal cancer at the age of 60 in 2002. Wilde has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1635 Vine Street. Thaw was awarded the CBE in 1994. Cornel Wilde is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California. Thaw was eventually cured a year before his death. Franchot Tone. In her 2004 autobiography Sheila Hancock revealed the extent of Thaw's alcoholism that had started in the late 1970s and caused problems in their marraige and the gaps in Thaw's career in the early 1980s and later 1990s . He married actress Jean Wallace, the former Mrs.

Thaw has two daughters, Abigail Thaw from his first marriage, and Joanna Thaw from his second. His other notable directing efforts include Beach Red (1967) and No Blade of Grass (1970). He married actress Sheila Hancock in 1973 whom he remained with until his death in 2002. He eventually produced, directed and starred in The Naked Prey (1966), in which he played a naked man being tracked by hunters from an African tribe affronted by the behaviour of members of a safari party. In 1964 Thaw married Sally Alexander, but they divorced four years later. He spent the rest of the decade appearing in romantic and swashbuckling films, but he also appeared in some significant films noir Leave Her to Heaven (1945), Road House (1948) and Shockproof (1949). Wilde's career entered an interesting creative stretch when in the 1950s he created his own film production company, producing the film noir The Big Combo (1955) and played the lead. Thaw has appeared in a number of films, including Cry Freedom, which received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and Chaplin for director Richard Attenborough. He had several small film roles until he played the role of Frederic Chopin in 1945's A Song to Remember, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.

His only screen project not considered a popular success was the BBC series 'A Year in Provence'. Because of this role, he was noticed by Hollywood. Thaw also tried his hand at comedy with his own sitcom called Home to Roost (1985 - 1988). Hired as a fencing teacher by Laurence Olivier for his 1940 Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet, Wilde was given the role of Tybalt in the production. He subsequently played liberal barrister James Kavanagh in Kavanagh QC (1995 - 1999, with a special in 2001). He qualified for the United States fencing team prior to the 1936 Summer Olympic Games, but quit the team just prior to the games in order to take a role in the theater. He won two BAFTA awards for Inspector Morse. Born Cornelius Louis Wilde in New York City, Wilde traveled throughout Europe in his youth, acquiring the ability to speak many languages.

Thaw will perhaps be best remembered for two roles: the hard-bitten Flying Squad detective Jack Regan in the television series (and two films) The Sweeney (1975 - 1978), which established him as a major star in the United Kingdom, and as the quietly-spoken, introspective and bitter detective Inspector Morse (1987 - 2001), with specials in 1995 - 1998 and 2000. Cornel Wilde (October 13, 1915 – October 16, 1989) was an American actor. His first film role was a bit part in the 1962 adaptation of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner starring Tom Courtney. On leaving RADA Thaw was awarded a contract with the Liverpool Playhouse. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where he was a contemporary of Tom Courtney.

Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in West Gorton, Manchester. John Thaw (January 3, 1942 - February 21, 2002) CBE, was a British actor who achieved his first starring role in the military police television drama Redcap (1964 - 1966), and subsequently appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles.