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Jack May

Jack May

Actor · Born 1922-04-23 · Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK

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Biography

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.

Movies & TV Shows

  1. The Man Who Would Be King (1975) — District Commissioner
  2. Brief Encounter (1945) — Boat Rental Man (uncredited)
  3. Doctor Who (1963) — General Nicolai Hermack
  4. The Bounty (1984) — Prosecuting Captain
  5. A Night to Remember (1958) — Steerage Passenger (uncredited)
  6. Count Duckula (1988) — Igor (voice)
  7. The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (1981) — Garkbit (Head Waiter)
  8. The Avengers (1961)
  9. Jeeves and Wooster (1990) — Vicar
  10. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) — Shopkeeper
  11. The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) — Dr. Schultz
  12. The Blue Lamp (1950) — Old Man in Crowd (Uncredited)
  13. This Happy Breed (1944) — Mourner
  14. The Doctor and the Devils (1985) — Dr Stevens
  15. UFO (1970) — English Delegate
  16. Two-Way Stretch (1960) — Prison Visitor (uncredited)
  17. Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) — Price (uncredited)
  18. All Creatures Great and Small (1978) — Reverend Henty
  19. Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983)
  20. Trog (1970) — Dr. Selbourne
  21. How I Won the War (1967) — Toby
  22. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981) — Garkbit (Head Waiter)
  23. Pool of London (1951) — Sailor on the Dunbar (uncredited)
  24. The Shooting Party (1985) — Sir Harry Stamp
  25. Danger Man (1960) — Third Secretary
  26. Trouble in Store (1953) — Bus Passenger (uncredited)
  27. Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948) — Reveller
  28. Cat Girl (1957) — Richard Johnson
  29. The Return of the Soldier (1983) — Brigadier General
  30. The Silent Enemy (1958) — Navy Doctor
  31. The Agatha Christie Hour (1982) — Colonel Jaggers
  32. Poldark (1975) — Ralph Allen Daniell
  33. Millions Like Us (1943) — Old Man
  34. The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954)
  35. The Gentle Sex (1943) — Postman (uncredited)
  36. The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971) — James Ladbroke, Q.C.
  37. A Prize of Arms (1962) — MO
  38. Van der Valk (1972) — Minister
  39. Night After Night After Night (1969) — Judge Lomax
  40. A Twist of Sand (1968) — Inspector Seekert