Jack May
Jack May was a mellifluous-voiced actor best known for playing butlers and establishment figures, often representing Britain's interests in far-flung corners of the empire. With regards the former, he memorably played William E. Simms, former music hall artise turned manservant to Gerald Harper's titular swashbuckling adventurer in '60s TV cult classic Adam Adamant Lives! as well as providing the voice of Igor, the long-suffering valet in Cosgrove Hall's 1980s animation Count Duckula. His film credits included the district commissioner in 1975's The Man Who Would Be King and the prosecuting naval attorney in the remake of The Bounty (1984). For many, May was Nelson Gabriel 'the most disreputable character in Ambridge' in BBC Radio 4's long-running soap The Archers. May took the role of the shady rogue, later antique dealer and wine bar owner, in 1952 and continued to play him right up until the year of his death, 1997. This 45 year stint made May, at the time, the fourth-longest serving soap opera star in the world. He died at the age of 75, on 19 September 1997, survived by his wife, the actress Petra Davies, his daughter Henrietta, and son David.
Known For
Credits
- 1994 · Willie's War as Grandfather
- 1990 · Jeeves and Wooster as Vicar
- 1988 · Count Duckula as Igor
- 1988 · Hard Road as Psychiatrist
- 1985 · The Doctor and the Devils as Dr Stevens
- 1985 · The Shooting Party as Sir Harry Stamp
- 1984 · The Bounty as Prosecuting Captain
- 1983 · A Swarm in May as Mr. Ardent - the Headmaster
- 1983 · Scarecrow and Mrs. King as
- 1983 · The Cleopatras as Criton
- 1983 · The Return of the Soldier as Brigadier General
- 1982 · The Agatha Christie Hour as
- 1981 · Friends and Other Lovers as Mr. Franklyn
- 1981 · The Life and Times of David Lloyd George as Lord Runciman
- 1981 · The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy as Garkbit (Head Waiter)
- 1981 · The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as Garkbit (Head Waiter)
- 1980 · Escape as
- 1979 · Whinfrey's Last Case as General Chapman
- 1979 · Shoestring as
- 1979 · Henry VIII as Lord Chancellor
- 1978 · BBC Television Shakespeare as
- 1978 · A Horseman Riding By as
- 1978 · Hawkmoor as John Stedman
- 1978 · All Creatures Great and Small as Reverend Henty
- 1977 · Target as
- 1976 · The Seven-Per-Cent Solution as Dr. Schultz
- 1975 · The Man Who Would Be King as District Commissioner
- 1975 · Dawson's Weekly as
- 1973 · Soap Opera in Stockwell as Detective
- 1973 · Black and Blue as
- 1973 · Big Zapper as Jeremiah Horn
- 1972 · The Breaking of Colonel Keyser as Watts
- 1972 · Van der Valk as Minister
- 1971 · The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes as James Ladbroke, Q.C.
- 1971 · Brett as
- 1970 · Trog as Dr. Selbourne
- 1970 · UFO as English Delegate
- 1970 · Emma's Time as Emma's father
- 1969 · Goodbye, Mr. Chips as Price (uncredited)
- 1969 · The Main Chance as Derrick Asher
- 1969 · The Main Chance as Harry Turner
- 1969 · Doctor Who: The Space Pirates as General Hermack
- 1969 · Night After Night After Night as Judge Lomax
- 1968 · A Twist of Sand as Inspector Seekert
- 1967 · How I Won the War as Toby
- 1966 · A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Shopkeeper
- 1966 · The Last Invasion as
- 1966 · You Can't Win as
- 1966 · Adam Adamant Lives! as
- 1966 · Softly, Softly as
- 1965 · Stranger in the Family as Evans
- 1962 · A Prize of Arms as MO
- 1962 · Solo for Sparrow as Inspector Hudson
- 1962 · Dr. Finlay's Casebook as
- 1962 · The Traitors as Burton
- 1961 · A for Andromeda as Major Quadring
- 1961 · The Avengers as
- 1960 · There Was a Crooked Man as Police Sergeant
- 1960 · An Age of Kings as
- 1960 · The Professionals as Edwards
- 1959 · No Hiding Place as
- 1958 · A Night to Remember as Steerage Passenger (uncredited)
- 1958 · The Silent Enemy as Navy Doctor
- 1958 · Pride and Prejudice as Mr. Collins
- 1957 · Nicholas Nickleby as
- 1957 · Cat Girl as Richard Johnson
- 1956 · The Adventures of Sir Lancelot as Caradoc
- 1955 · The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel as Citizen (uncredited)
- 1954 · The Men of Sherwood Forest as
- 1951 · Pool of London as Sailor on the Dunbar (uncredited)
- 1950 · The Blue Lamp as Old Man in Crowd (Uncredited)
- 1945 · Brief Encounter as Boat Rental Man (uncredited)
- 1945 · Johnny Frenchman as Choir Member (uncredited)
- 1944 · This Happy Breed as Mourner
- 1943 · Deadlock as Postman
- 1943 · Millions Like Us as Old Man
- 1943 · The Gentle Sex as Postman (uncredited)