John Thaw gives difficult men enough feeling to make us want their company. His force and stillness both serve him well; in The Sweeney, the reservation is how easily his appeal can soften our judgement of Regan's violence.
Fi1m perspective
John Thaw makes Jack Regan's impatience compelling before we have much chance to question it. In The Sweeney (1975), he gives the detective enough force to hold our attention without making him agreeable. The humour helps, but it never quite takes the roughness away. Dennis Waterman, as Det. Sgt. George Carter, makes the partnership companionable without suggesting that either man has been improved by it. Their friendship feels convincing enough that we can imagine them seeking each other out with no police work to discuss.
We warmed to Thaw and Waterman, then felt uneasy at how readily their loyalty softened our judgement of the violence. The programme is sometimes too fond of the men inflicting it, and Thaw's persuasiveness helps it get away with that. Yet this is also what makes the acting worth returning to: we have reasons to like Regan and reasons to object to him, and neither set conveniently disappears. There is enough humour to keep the moral discomfort from making the series heavy going. Thaw lets us enjoy Regan's company without making him harmless.
Redcap (1964), with Thaw as Sgt John Mann, had established him as a television lead before Regan became his breakthrough. The substantial turn came with Inspector Morse (1987), whose cultured, introspective Chief Insp Endeavour Morse required a quieter manner. Thaw's stillness makes the character's thoughts seem worth attending to; he does not have to advertise every feeling. That economy is as important to understanding his appeal as the force he brings to Regan. The contrast between these two policemen is more useful than treating either as the only sort of man he could play.
His presence was no guarantee that a programme would work: the sitcom adaptation A Year in Provence (1993) was poorly received. That is reason enough to be selective rather than recommend everything with his name attached. Start with The Sweeney, for Waterman and the friendship as much as for Thaw's aggression. We would only advise keeping a close eye on what that friendship encourages us to forgive.
Biography
John Edward Thaw (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his professional stage debut at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1960.
Thaw starred as Detective Inspector Jack Regan in the television series The Sweeney (1975–1978) and as Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse in Inspector Morse (1987–2000). He received BAFTA Awards for Best Actor for his performance as Morse in 1990 and 1993, and was appointed CBE in 1993. He also appeared in films including Cry Freedom (1987) and Chaplin (1992).
He was married to actress Sheila Hancock from 1973 until his death.
