John Edward Thaw CBE (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) 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.
Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Longsight, Manchester to parents John and Dorothy. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where he was a contemporary of Tom Courtenay.
On leaving RADA, Thaw was awarded a contract with the Liverpool Playhouse. His first film role was a bit part in the 1962 adaptation of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner starring Tom Courtenay; and he also guested in an early episode of The Avengers.
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.
He won two BAFTA awards for Inspector Morse.
He subsequently played liberal barrister James Kavanagh in Kavanagh QC (1995 – 1999), with a special in 2001. Thaw also tried his hand at comedy with his own sitcom called Home to Roost (1985 – 1988).
His only screen projects not considered a popular success were the BBC series A Year in Provence and the LWT series Mitch, in which he played a journalist..
Thaw appeared in a number of films, including Cry Freedom, for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and Chaplin for director Richard Attenborough.
In 1964 Thaw married Sally Alexander, but they divorced four years later. He married actress Sheila Hancock in 1973 and remained with her until his death from cancer in 2002, aged 60.
Thaw had two daughters: Abigail Thaw from his first marriage, and Joanna Thaw from his second.
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 marriage and the gaps in Thaw's career in the early 1980s and later 1990s. Thaw was eventually able to get his alcoholism under control a year before his death.
Thaw was awarded the CBE in 1994.
Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Longsight, Manchester to parents John and Dorothy. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where he was a contemporary of Tom Courtenay.
On leaving RADA, Thaw was awarded a contract with the Liverpool Playhouse. His first film role was a bit part in the 1962 adaptation of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner starring Tom Courtenay; and he also guested in an early episode of The Avengers.
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.
He won two BAFTA awards for Inspector Morse.
He subsequently played liberal barrister James Kavanagh in Kavanagh QC (1995 – 1999), with a special in 2001. Thaw also tried his hand at comedy with his own sitcom called Home to Roost (1985 – 1988).
His only screen projects not considered a popular success were the BBC series A Year in Provence and the LWT series Mitch, in which he played a journalist..
Thaw appeared in a number of films, including Cry Freedom, for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and Chaplin for director Richard Attenborough.
In 1964 Thaw married Sally Alexander, but they divorced four years later. He married actress Sheila Hancock in 1973 and remained with her until his death from cancer in 2002, aged 60.
Thaw had two daughters: Abigail Thaw from his first marriage, and Joanna Thaw from his second.
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 marriage and the gaps in Thaw's career in the early 1980s and later 1990s. Thaw was eventually able to get his alcoholism under control a year before his death.
Thaw was awarded the CBE in 1994.
by P. redeckis June 03, 2006
A Brilliant TV Series Cancelled by UPN in the USA in 2002, Network Ten in Australia bought rights to Haunted and broadcast the program in 2005. Starred Matthew Fox as Private Eye Frank Taylor.
by P. redeckis June 11, 2006
Jack Wild
Born: 30 September 1952
Birthplace: Manchester, England
Died: 1 March 2006 (cancer)
Best Known As: Jimmie on H.R. Pufnstuf
Jack Wild was still a teenager when he was nominated for an Academy Award for playing the Artful Dodger in the 1968 film of the Charles Dickens tale Oliver. Wild went on to star in the oddly fantastical Saturday-morning series H.R. Pufnstuf and the movie Pufnstuf (1970, with Mama Cass Elliot). Wild lost many years of his later career to alcoholism, but he sobered up and returned to acting in the 1990s. In 2002 he had his larynx (voice box) and tongue surgically removed after being diagnosed with cancer of the mouth; the operation left him unable to speak.
Wild had a small role as one of Robin Hood's merry men in the 1991 Kevin Costner movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves... H.R. Pufnstuf was created by Sid and Marty Krofft, who also produced the Saturday-morning shows Land of the Lost and Lidsville... In a 2005 interview with the BBC, Wild said his cancer was caused by his previous habits: "What I learned very quickly was that my lifestyle had made me a walking time bomb. I was a heavy smoker and an even heavier drinker and apparently together they are a deadly mixture."
Born: 30 September 1952
Birthplace: Manchester, England
Died: 1 March 2006 (cancer)
Best Known As: Jimmie on H.R. Pufnstuf
Jack Wild was still a teenager when he was nominated for an Academy Award for playing the Artful Dodger in the 1968 film of the Charles Dickens tale Oliver. Wild went on to star in the oddly fantastical Saturday-morning series H.R. Pufnstuf and the movie Pufnstuf (1970, with Mama Cass Elliot). Wild lost many years of his later career to alcoholism, but he sobered up and returned to acting in the 1990s. In 2002 he had his larynx (voice box) and tongue surgically removed after being diagnosed with cancer of the mouth; the operation left him unable to speak.
Wild had a small role as one of Robin Hood's merry men in the 1991 Kevin Costner movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves... H.R. Pufnstuf was created by Sid and Marty Krofft, who also produced the Saturday-morning shows Land of the Lost and Lidsville... In a 2005 interview with the BBC, Wild said his cancer was caused by his previous habits: "What I learned very quickly was that my lifestyle had made me a walking time bomb. I was a heavy smoker and an even heavier drinker and apparently together they are a deadly mixture."
by P. redeckis June 11, 2006
John Wood (born July 14, 1946 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon in the Seven Network's long running police drama Blue Heelers.
Wood is one of only two actors - the other being Julie Nihill - to star in Blue Heelers from its beginning in 1994 to its end in 2006.
John Wood also starred in the Australian television series Rafferty's Rules as Magistrate - Michael Rafferty. Rafferty's daughter was played by Australalian actress Rebecca Rigg.
He appeared in the 2005 edition of the Australian Dancing with the Stars but didn't win
He is a supporter of the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League.
Awards
He has been nominated for the Gold Logie for most popular personality on Australian television every year from 1997 to 2006. After ten consecutive Gold Logie nominations without a win, Wood won the prize in 2006.
Wood is one of only two actors - the other being Julie Nihill - to star in Blue Heelers from its beginning in 1994 to its end in 2006.
John Wood also starred in the Australian television series Rafferty's Rules as Magistrate - Michael Rafferty. Rafferty's daughter was played by Australalian actress Rebecca Rigg.
He appeared in the 2005 edition of the Australian Dancing with the Stars but didn't win
He is a supporter of the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League.
Awards
He has been nominated for the Gold Logie for most popular personality on Australian television every year from 1997 to 2006. After ten consecutive Gold Logie nominations without a win, Wood won the prize in 2006.
by P. redeckis June 11, 2006
Born: 20 February 1967
Birthplace: Aberdeen, Washington
Died: 5 April 1994 (suicide)
Best Known As: Lead singer of the group Nirvana
Kurt Cobain was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Nirvana, whose melodic rock songs bridged punk with pop and sold millions of records in the early 1990s. The stripped-down, amped-up anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit" made it to the top of the charts in 1991 and helped "grunge" rock unseat Michael Jackson-style pop. (It also helped put Seattle on the musical map -- Cobain was from the sort-of nearby logging town of Aberdeen, Washington.) The band's albums included Bleach (1989), Nevermind (1991) and In Utero (1993). Nirvana was briefly the hottest band in the world, but Cobain's discomfort with fame, personal demons and battles with drugs quickly caused problems. His status as rock legend was cemented when he committed suicide in 1994, apparently by shooting himself in the mouth with a shotgun.
Cobain married rocker/actress Courtney Love in 1992... The couple had one daughter, Frances Bean, born in 1992... Some fans continue to believe that Cobain was murdered. Though a suicide note was found near Cobain's body, and though the coroner ruled that Cobain's wounds were self-inflicted, these fans feel the suicide was staged, and some also accuse Courtney Love of being involved. This theory has been widely publicized but has never been proved... A 1998 documentary film, Kurt and Courtney, examined their relationship and Cobain's death.
Birthplace: Aberdeen, Washington
Died: 5 April 1994 (suicide)
Best Known As: Lead singer of the group Nirvana
Kurt Cobain was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Nirvana, whose melodic rock songs bridged punk with pop and sold millions of records in the early 1990s. The stripped-down, amped-up anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit" made it to the top of the charts in 1991 and helped "grunge" rock unseat Michael Jackson-style pop. (It also helped put Seattle on the musical map -- Cobain was from the sort-of nearby logging town of Aberdeen, Washington.) The band's albums included Bleach (1989), Nevermind (1991) and In Utero (1993). Nirvana was briefly the hottest band in the world, but Cobain's discomfort with fame, personal demons and battles with drugs quickly caused problems. His status as rock legend was cemented when he committed suicide in 1994, apparently by shooting himself in the mouth with a shotgun.
Cobain married rocker/actress Courtney Love in 1992... The couple had one daughter, Frances Bean, born in 1992... Some fans continue to believe that Cobain was murdered. Though a suicide note was found near Cobain's body, and though the coroner ruled that Cobain's wounds were self-inflicted, these fans feel the suicide was staged, and some also accuse Courtney Love of being involved. This theory has been widely publicized but has never been proved... A 1998 documentary film, Kurt and Courtney, examined their relationship and Cobain's death.
by P. redeckis June 11, 2006
EastEnders is a popular BBC television soap opera, first broadcast on 19 February 1985. It has been running ever since, generating strong viewing figures for much of that time, and has been the UK's highest rating programme on numerous occasions.
Despite the strong criticism of the show by critics in 2004 and 2005, EastEnders won the prestigious National Television Award for "most popular Serial Drama" (an award it has won several times in the past ten years) in October 2005, was inducted into the Rose d'Or Hall of Fame in April 2006, and in May 2006 won the BAFTA for "Best Continuing Drama". It also won seven British Soap Awards in May 2006, including the award for "Best British Soap".
Despite the strong criticism of the show by critics in 2004 and 2005, EastEnders won the prestigious National Television Award for "most popular Serial Drama" (an award it has won several times in the past ten years) in October 2005, was inducted into the Rose d'Or Hall of Fame in April 2006, and in May 2006 won the BAFTA for "Best Continuing Drama". It also won seven British Soap Awards in May 2006, including the award for "Best British Soap".
by P. redeckis June 11, 2006
Lisa McCune (b. February 19, 1971) is an Australian actress well-known for her television roles.
McCune shot to fame in January 1994 when, at just 22 she was cast as Constable Maggie Doyle in Blue Heelers. She played the role until the seventh season, during which time she won the Gold Logie Award For Most Popular Television Personality four times. When her character was killed in 2000, the "Who Shot Maggie Doyle?" story arc was the most watched in the series history, and her departure is attributed as one of the major factors in the ratings slump that followed.
McCune followed up her television stint playing Mary Abacus in a telemovie adaptation of Bryce Courtenay's The Potato Factory (2000). Her next project, a "comeback" role in 2002, was the television series Marshall Law with Alison Whyte and former Blue Heelers cast member William McInnes. The series was critically panned, and ratings dropped significantly to ensure that it was cancelled after one season.
In 2004, McCune slowly began to return to television - first becoming the advertising face of Coles supermarkets, then hosting Seven Network shows such as The World Around Us and Forensic Investigators. McCune also starred alongside Matt Day in the ABC telemovie Hell Has Harbour Views.
In September 2005, McCune guest starred in a four-episode storyline on MDA alongside her former Blue Heelers co-star Paul Bishop. Also In 2005 she has narrated a second season of Forensic Investigators and was the Australian film Little Fish starring alongside Cate Blanchett and Sam Neill
McCune studied musical theatre at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University, and has appeared in a number of musicals and other stage productions around Australia, notably as Sally Bowles in Cabaret and Maria in The Sound of Music.
She is married to Tim Disney, once part of the Blue Heelers crew, and has three young children, Archer, Oliver and Remy.
McCune shot to fame in January 1994 when, at just 22 she was cast as Constable Maggie Doyle in Blue Heelers. She played the role until the seventh season, during which time she won the Gold Logie Award For Most Popular Television Personality four times. When her character was killed in 2000, the "Who Shot Maggie Doyle?" story arc was the most watched in the series history, and her departure is attributed as one of the major factors in the ratings slump that followed.
McCune followed up her television stint playing Mary Abacus in a telemovie adaptation of Bryce Courtenay's The Potato Factory (2000). Her next project, a "comeback" role in 2002, was the television series Marshall Law with Alison Whyte and former Blue Heelers cast member William McInnes. The series was critically panned, and ratings dropped significantly to ensure that it was cancelled after one season.
In 2004, McCune slowly began to return to television - first becoming the advertising face of Coles supermarkets, then hosting Seven Network shows such as The World Around Us and Forensic Investigators. McCune also starred alongside Matt Day in the ABC telemovie Hell Has Harbour Views.
In September 2005, McCune guest starred in a four-episode storyline on MDA alongside her former Blue Heelers co-star Paul Bishop. Also In 2005 she has narrated a second season of Forensic Investigators and was the Australian film Little Fish starring alongside Cate Blanchett and Sam Neill
McCune studied musical theatre at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University, and has appeared in a number of musicals and other stage productions around Australia, notably as Sally Bowles in Cabaret and Maria in The Sound of Music.
She is married to Tim Disney, once part of the Blue Heelers crew, and has three young children, Archer, Oliver and Remy.
by P. redeckis June 11, 2006