Jack May
Jack May | |
|---|---|
 May inHow I Won the War(1967) | |
| Born | Jack Wynne May 23 April 1922 Henley-on-Thames,Oxfordshire,England |
| Died | 19 September 1997(aged 75) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1945–1996 |
| Spouse | [1][2] |
| Children | 2 |
Jack Wynne May(23 April 1922 – 19 September 1997)[3][4]was an English actor.
Early life and education
[edit]May was born in 1922 inHenley-on-Thames,and was educated atForest SchoolinWalthamstow.After war service with theRoyal Indian NavyinBritish India,he was offered a place atRADA,but instead went toMerton College, Oxford.[3][4][5]Here, with theOUDS,[3]he played parts that includedJohn of GauntinRichard IIandPoloniusinHamlet.
Career
[edit]May became familiar on television as thevaletWilliam E. Simms in two series of theBBC 1fantasy/adventure television seriesAdam Adamant Lives!from 1966 to 1967.[4][6]
He provided the voice forIgor,long-suffering butler toCount Duckulain the cartoon series of the same name.[4][7][8]He also appeared as the waiterGarkbitin the television version ofThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,[4][9]Théodenin the 1981 BBC Radio adaptation ofThe Lord of the Rings,as General Hermack in the 1969Doctor WhoserialThe Space Pirates,[4]and inBachelor Father.For 45 years the long-runningBBC Radio 4series,The Archers,featured the voice of May asNelson Gabriel,son of Walter Gabriel,[3]making him (at the time of his death) the fourth-longest servingsoap operastar in the world.[10]He played the voice of Muzzy inMuzzy in GondolandandMuzzy Comes Back.[11]
His other credits in film and television included Dr. Denny in the 1960 serialThe Citadel,the sex-crazed Judge in the horror filmNight After Night After Night(1970), theDistrict CommissionerinThe Man Who Would Be King(1975),[3]and the prosecuting naval attorney inThe Bounty(1984).[12]
On stage he played many leading and supporting roles, spending five years withBirmingham Repertory Theatre[4]during which time he attracted considerable notice in the title part of Shakespeare'sHenry VI.[3]This trilogy of plays came to the Old Vic in London, and from then on began to be far more regularly revived. For Birmingham Rep, he also played parts as diverse as Richard II, Alec in Coward'sStill Life(the story better known asBrief Encounter) and the Elephant in Obey'sNoah.He returned to the Old Vic for the 1958–59 season, as Shakespeare'sJulius Caesaramong other parts. Later stage roles included The Headmaster inA Voyage Round My Father,and Colonel Pickering inPygmalionwithAlec McCowenandDiana Rigg.[13]
Personal life
[edit]In 1957, he married the actressPetra Davies.[4][5]He died at 75, on 19 September 1997, survived by his wife, his daughter Henrietta, and his son David.
Partial filmography
[edit]- Gert and Daisy's Weekend(1942) as Old Man
- Give Me the Stars(1945) - Milkman (uncredited)[citation needed]
- The Oracle(1953) - Old Man
- Innocents in Paris(1953) - (uncredited)[citation needed]
- John Wesley(1954)
- Child's Play(1954) - Bob Crouch
- It's a Great Day(1955) - Nightwatchman (uncredited)[citation needed]
- Cat Girl(1957) - Richard Johnson
- The Silent Enemy(1958) - (uncredited)[citation needed]
- There Was a Crooked Man(1960) - Police Sergeant
- Seven Keys(1961) - Prison Officer (uncredited)[citation needed]
- Solo for Sparrow(1962) - Insp. Hudson
- The Traitors(1962) - Burton / 'The Traitor'
- Solo for Sparrow(1962) - MO
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum(1966) - Shopkeeper
- How I Won the War(1967) - Toby
- A Twist of Sand(1968) - Inspector Seekert
- Night After Night After Night(1969) - Judge Charles Lomax
- Goodbye, Mr. Chips(1969) - Price (uncredited)[citation needed]
- Trog(1970) - Dr. Selbourne
- The Yes Girls(1971) - King Reiter
- Big Zapper(1973) - Jeremiah Horn
- The Man Who Would Be King(1975) - District Commissioner
- The Seven-Per-Cent Solution(1976) - Dr. Schultz
- Sammy's Super T-Shirt(1978) - Sportsmaster
- A Horseman Riding By(1978) - Lord Gilroy
- The Return of the Soldier(1982) - Brigadier General
- The Bounty(1984) - Prosecuting Captain
- The Shooting Party(1985) - Sir Harry Stamp
- The Doctor and the Devils(1985) - Dr. Stevens
- Willie's War(1994) - Grandfather
References
[edit]- ^"The Times' Obituary for JACK MAY".lowfield.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 13 February 2012.Retrieved9 October2016.
- ^Quinn, Michael (25 May 2016)."Obituary: Petra Davies | Obituaries".
- ^abcdef"Jack May".The Times.Times Newspapers Limited. 20 September 1997.
- ^abcdefghHayward, Anthony (19 September 1997)."Obituary: Jack May".The Independent.Retrieved18 March2016.
- ^abLevens, R.G.C., ed. (1964).Merton College Register 1900–1964.Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 380.
- ^Chapman, James (6 September 2002).Saints and Avengers: British Adventure Series of the 1960s.I.B.Tauris. p.142.ISBN1860647545.
- ^John Edgar Browning; Caroline Joan (Kay) Picart (20 October 2010).Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921–2010.McFarland. p.51.ISBN978-0786462018.
- ^Terrace, Vincent (6 November 2008).Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010(2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 212.ISBN978-0786486410.
- ^John R. Cook; Peter Wright (6 January 2006).British Science Fiction Television: A Hitchhiker's Guide.I.B.Tauris. p. 234.ISBN1845110471.
- ^Henderson, Mark (20 September 1997). "Nelson of The Archers is dead".The Times.Times Newspapers Limited.
- ^"Muzzy (1986)".2 July 2011.
- ^"Jack May".BFI.Archived fromthe originalon 19 July 2018.
- ^"Production of Pygmalion | Theatricalia".theatricalia.com.
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
