Jack May
Born: 1922-04-23 in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Died: 1997-09-19
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
1997
1994
- Willie's War as Grandfather
1990
- Jeeves and Wooster as Vicar
- More Children's Holiday Favourites as Igor (voice)
1989
- Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 1 as Igor/Giant (voice)
- Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 2 as Igor (voice)
- More Children's Summer Stories as Igor (voice)
1988
- Count Duckula as Igor (voice)
- Hard Road as Psychiatrist
- Children's Favourites - Volume 1 as Sea Rat (voice)
1987
- Big Muzzy as Muzzy (voice)
1985
- Bulman as Sir Thomas Boycott
- The Doctor and the Devils as Dr Stevens
- The Shooting Party as Sir Harry Stamp
1984
- The Bounty as Prosecuting Captain
1983
- Scarecrow and Mrs. King
- The Return of the Soldier as Brigadier General
- A Swarm in May as Mr. Ardent - the Headmaster
1982
- The Agatha Christie Hour as Colonel Jaggers
1981
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as Garkbit (Head Waiter)
- The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy as Garkbit (Head Waiter)
- The Life and Times of David Lloyd George as Lord Runciman
- Friends and Other Lovers as Mr. Franklyn
1980
1979
- Shoestring as Judge
- Whinfrey's Last Case as General Chapman
- Henry VIII as Lord Chancellor
1978
- All Creatures Great and Small as Reverend Henty
- A Horseman Riding By as Lord Gilroy
- Hawkmoor as John Stedman
1977
- Target as Chief Officer
- The Children of the New Forest as Justice Booth
1976
- The Seven-Per-Cent Solution as Dr. Schultz
1975
- Poldark as Ralph Allen Daniell
- The Man Who Would Be King as District Commissioner
- Dawson's Weekly
1973
- Black and Blue as Detective
- Big Zapper as Jeremiah Horn
- Soap Opera in Stockwell as Detective
1972
- Van der Valk as Minister
- The Breaking of Colonel Keyser as Watts
1971
- The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes as James Ladbroke, Q.C.
- Budgie as Mr. Pratt
- The Ten Commandments as Herbert Ward
- Brett
- The Yes Girls as King Reiter
1970
- UFO as English Delegate
- Trog as Dr. Selbourne
- Emma's Time as Emma's father
1969
- The Main Chance as Derrick Asher
- Goodbye, Mr. Chips as Price (uncredited)
- Night After Night After Night as Judge Lomax
- Doctor Who: The Space Pirates as General Hermack
1968
- A Twist of Sand as Inspector Seekert
1967
- How I Won the War as Toby
1966
1965
- Out of the Unknown as Evans
- Stranger in the Family as Evans
1964
- The Wednesday Play as Lt. Krov
- Detective as Inspector Dubois
1963
- Doctor Who as General Nicolai Hermack
- Festival as Voice of God (voice)
- Espionage as Brent
- The Spread of the Eagle as Casca
1962
- Dr. Finlay's Casebook
- Richard the Lionheart as Knight
- Solo for Sparrow as Inspector Hudson
- The Traitors as Burton
- A Prize of Arms as MO
1961
- The Avengers
- A for Andromeda as Major Quadring
1960
- Danger Man as Third Secretary
- An Age of Kings
- Two-Way Stretch as Prison Visitor (uncredited)
- The Professionals as Edwards
- There Was a Crooked Man as Police Sergeant
1959
1958
- A Night to Remember as Steerage Passenger (uncredited)
- Pride and Prejudice as Mr Collins
- The Silent Enemy as Navy Doctor
1957
- Nicholas Nickleby as Lord Frederick Verisopht
- Cat Girl as Richard Johnson
1956
- The Adventures of Sir Lancelot as Caradoc
1955
- The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel as Citizen (uncredited)
1954
- Mark Saber as Newsvendor
- The Men of Sherwood Forest
- The Gay Dog as Pub Customer
1953
- Trouble in Store as Bus Passenger (uncredited)
- Behind the Headlines
1951
- Pool of London as Sailor on the Dunbar (uncredited)
1950
- Sunday Night Theatre as David Gottlieb
- The Blue Lamp as Old Man in Crowd (Uncredited)
1948
- Saraband for Dead Lovers as Reveller
1945
- Brief Encounter as Boat Rental Man (uncredited)
- Johnny Frenchman as Choir Member (uncredited)
1944
- This Happy Breed as Mourner
1943
- Millions Like Us as Old Man
- The Gentle Sex as Postman (uncredited)
- Deadlock as Postman