Jack May
Date of birth: 1922-04-23
Place of birth: Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Known for: Acting
Also known as:
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.
Movie Credits
The Man Who Would Be King
1975-12-03
Tired of life as soldiers, Peachy Carnehan and Danny Dravot travel to the isolated land of Kafirista
The Doctor and the Devils
1985-10-04
In Victorian England, two grave robbers supply a wealthy doctor with bodies to research anatomy on,
Brief Encounter
1945-11-24
Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson is throw
The Bounty
1984-05-04
The familiar story of Lieutenant Bligh, whose cruelty leads to a mutiny on his ship. This version f
The Men of Sherwood Forest
1954-11-01
Robin Hood is persuaded by two nobles whom he believes to be loyal to King Richard to recover secret
The Gentle Sex
1943-05-23
During the War seven women from very different backgrounds find themselves together in the Auxiliary
Emma's Time
1970-05-13
After the death of novelist Robert Kelvin, his mistress Emma tries to adjust and reflects upon their
The Professionals
1960-01-01
A renowned safecracker and his crew try to rob a bank by entering the vault through the sewer system
There Was a Crooked Man
1960-08-31
When a law-abiding demolition expert is duped by a gang of criminals into helping them he is caught
A Night to Remember
1958-07-03
The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense British drama. T
Night After Night After Night
1969-01-01
There's a killer on the loose in London, and whilst our typically craggy copper DI Rowan investigate
The Traitors
1962-05-01
The cat and mouse game between government agents and a spy ring that has taken secret documents from
The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy
1981-02-09
An Earth Man and his alien friend escape an exploding Earth, and set forth on an odd adventure acros
The Blue Lamp
1950-01-19
P.C. George Dixon is a long-serving traditional copper who is due to retire shortly. He takes a new
Pool of London
1951-02-20
Jewel thieves, murder, and a manhunt swirl around a sailor off a cargo ship in post-war London.
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
1969-11-05
Academy Award-honoree Peter O'Toole stars in this musical classic about a prim English schoolmaster
A Prize of Arms
1962-12-11
A criminal gang sets out to pull off the heist of a large army payroll.
The Breaking of Colonel Keyser
1972-10-17
Battalion Commander of the Third Wiltshire Light Infantry is Colonel Keyser. On recent evidence, he
Friends and Other Lovers
1981-08-05
Traces the history of Anna who leaves school and becomes a prostitute. Three years later she becomes
Trog
1970-10-24
Anthropologist Dr. Brockton unearths a primitive troglodyte -- an Ice Age "missing link": half-cavem
Stranger in the Family
1965-10-18
A boy is skilled at telepathy and in mind control. He attracts the attention of the government.
Soap Opera in Stockwell
1973-09-11
A baby is snatched from outside a launderette. The manageress and customers try to work out who was
Solo for Sparrow
1962-09-01
A group of crooks accidentally kill an elderly shop assistant while stealing the keys to the jewelle
Cat Girl
1957-09-01
A psychiatrist treats a woman who is convinced that she turns into a killer leopard because of a fam
The Silent Enemy
1958-03-04
The Mediterranean, 1941/42 - Axis forces are using frogmen and manned torpedoes to attack previously
Whinfrey's Last Case
1979-10-10
In 1913 the British government, hearing that the Germans are planning World War I, ask top agent Whi
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
1976-10-24
Concerned about his friend's cocaine use, Dr. Watson tricks Sherlock Holmes into travelling to Vienn
The Life and Times of David Lloyd George
1981-03-04
The Life and Times of David Lloyd George charts the life of the controversial Liberal politician wit
Deadlock
1943-10-01
A murderous twin gets his comeuppance.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
1966-10-16
A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom.
Henry VIII
1979-02-25
Henry is a proud monarch who flies in the face of the church in seeking to divorce Queen Katherine a
This Happy Breed
1944-05-28
A chronicle of the lives of the Gibbons family, from shortly after the end of the First World War to
Millions Like Us
1943-06-01
When Celia Crowson is called up for war service, she hopes for a glamorous job in one of the service
Big Zapper
1973-07-05
A female private detective, Harriet Zapper, is hired by a rich old man to find his missing children,
How I Won the War
1967-10-18
An inept British WWII commander leads his troops to a series of misadventures in North Africa and Eu
The Shooting Party
1985-02-01
1913, shortly before the outbreak of WWI. A group of aristocrats gathers at the estate of Sir Randol
Johnny Frenchman
1945-10-29
The fisherman from a Cornish village have a friendly rivalry with the fishermen (and one formidable
The Return of the Soldier
1983-01-06
The horrors of World War I have robbed returning veteran Chris Baldry of his memory. The traumatized
Hard Road
1988-01-01
When Kelly and Max, two 13-year olds from widely different social backgrounds, form an unlikely alli
Willie's War
1994-01-01
When 10-year-old Willie is evacuated from the East End of London, he is chosen by Zander, 13-year-ol
A Swarm in May
1983-12-26
John Owen returns to the Choir School at the start of term to find that he is the youngest Singing B
Doctor Who: The Space Pirates
1969-04-12
The TARDIS materialises in Earth's future on a space beacon just before it is attacked by pirates. T
A Twist of Sand
1968-10-09
A former British Naval Officer now makes his living by smuggling goods around the Mediterranean. Aft
The Last Invasion
1966-08-24
A film following Harold II at the Battle of Hastings
The Gay Dog
1954-06-01
Jim Gay loves his racing greyhound but, out of town, he finds a dog with a better chance to win. His
Behind the Headlines
1953-10-09
Crime reporter Gilbert Harding recites the story of a crime to a newspaper editor
Saraband for Dead Lovers
1948-10-04
Sophie Dorothea is a young woman forced into a loveless marriage with Prince George Louis of Hanover
The Yes Girls
1971-01-01
Maria, a juvenile delinquent is stuck in a boring girls school for young offenders in Sunderland. A
Children's Favourites - Volume 1
1988-02-01
A compilation of episodes from The Wind in the Willows, Danger Mouse and Alias the Jester.
Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 1
1989-05-01
A compilation of episodes from Count Duckula, Dangermouse and Wind in the Willows.
Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 2
1989-05-01
A compilation of episodes from Count Duckula, Dangermouse and Wind in the Willows.
More Children's Summer Stories
1989-06-05
A compilation of episodes from Count Duckula, Dangermouse and The Wind in the Willows.
More Children's Holiday Favourites
1990-06-04
A compilation of episodes from Count Duckula, Dangermouse and The Wind in the Willows.
Trouble in Store
1953-12-14
Norman is working in the stock room of a large London department store, but he has ambition (doesn't
The Wind in the Willows
1984-04-27
Four animals named Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad try to navigate the Riverbank as well as the Wild Woo
Without Air
1997-04-11
This independent American feature tells the story of Shay and her boyfriend Radio. While he puts his
Two-Way Stretch
1960-12-20
Three criminals plan to break out of prison the day before their release in order to carry out a dar