John Edward Thaw, CBE (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor who appeared in a range o…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, his most popular being television series such as Inspector Morse, Redcap, The Sweeney, Home to Roost and Kavanagh QC.