John Thaw, star of 'Morse', dies at 60

John Thaw, the actor whose portrayal of the irascible television detective in Inspector Morse secured his place in the nation's affections, died last night at the age of 60.

His wife, the actress Sheila Hancock, said he died at their Wiltshire home surrounded by his family. A heavy smoker, he was diagnosed with cancer of the throat last year.

Mr Thaw was one of Britain's most popular actors, with his first television role in Z Cars in the 1960s setting the tone for his best-known characters in later years. He made his name in 1974 as the hard-living detective Jack Regan in The Sweeney before cementing his reputation playing the more cerebral Morse. He portrayed Morse for 13 years and was among the 13 million people who watched the episode in which he was killed off in 2000.

John Thaw won plaudits for his title role in Kavanagh QC on television and also performed on stage in the West End and in productions of Shakespeare. His only recent critical failure was starring as the author Peter Mayle in the television version of his book, A Year in Provence.

His father died from cancer five years ago. His grandson Jack, six, was diagnosed with a brain tumour two years ago and Ms Hancock, his second wife whom he married in 1973, had her own high-profile and successful fight against breast cancer 10 years ago.

ITV's director of channels, David Liddiment, said: "John was the consummate television actor and caught the imagination of millions of viewers."

Thaw became one of a select group of actors ­ such as the former soap actors Sarah Lancashire and EastEnders' Ross Kemp ­ around whom ITV would build an evening schedule, with vehicles such as Kavanagh QC written specifically for him. At the same time, there has been increasing reliance upon repeats of Morse, for which viewers have appeared to have an unending appetite. He was awarded a Bafta fellowship last year and was appointed CBE in 1993.

Thaw announced in June last year that he was being treated for cancer but vowed to get back on screen as soon as he could.

In a statement released through a family friend last night, Ms Hancock said her husband died in the afternoon.

She said: "We have all been so grateful for the thousands of letters and messages from people wishing him well. Everyone, including the media, have been wonderful during this difficult period and I would like them all to know how much their support and understanding has meant to him and to all of us."

Rada-trained Thaw landed his first film role in 1962 in the landmark film The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner. But he found his greatest successes with TV, catching the critics' eyes as John Mann in the TV series Redcap. He was catapulted to stardom in 1974 as the hardman Jack Regan in The Sweeney, and a spin-off movie landed the Evening Standard Best Film Actor of the Year Award in 1977.

Clive Jones, the chief executive of Carlton, which made Inspector Morse, Goodnight Mister Tom and Kavanagh QC, said Thaw was "one of the great actors of his generation. He was universally the viewers' choice."

The television producer Ted Childs, who worked with Thaw for nearly 30 years on Morse, The Sweeney and other programmes, spoke of his "great sadness" at the star's death.

"It is quite devastating, obviously for his family but also for those of us who knew him and worked with him over the years." Childs had tea with the star and Ms Hancock last week and discussed the possibility of working on another episode of Kavanagh QC.

"John was as he has been throughout his illness ­ very positive, funny and self-effacing," he said.