Actor Page


Jack May

Born: 1922-04-23

From: Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK

About: 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.


Film credits:

The Man Who Would Be King
District Commissioner
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The Doctor and the Devils
Dr Stevens
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Brief Encounter
Boat Rental Man (uncredited)
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The Bounty
Prosecuting Captain
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The Men of Sherwood Forest
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The Gentle Sex
Postman (uncredited)
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Emma's Time
Emma's father
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The Professionals
Edwards
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There Was a Crooked Man
Police Sergeant
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A Night to Remember
Steerage Passenger (uncredited)
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Night After Night After Night
Judge Lomax
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The Traitors
Burton
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The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy
Garkbit (Head Waiter)
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The Blue Lamp
Old Man in Crowd (Uncredited)
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Pool of London
Sailor on the Dunbar (uncredited)
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Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Price (uncredited)
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A Prize of Arms
MO
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The Breaking of Colonel Keyser
Watts
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Friends and Other Lovers
Mr. Franklyn
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Trog
Dr. Selbourne
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Stranger in the Family
Evans
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Soap Opera in Stockwell
Detective
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Solo for Sparrow
Inspector Hudson
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Cat Girl
Richard Johnson
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The Silent Enemy
Navy Doctor
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Whinfrey's Last Case
General Chapman
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The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
Dr. Schultz
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The Life and Times of David Lloyd George
Lord Runciman
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Deadlock
Postman
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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Shopkeeper
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Henry VIII
Lord Chancellor
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This Happy Breed
Mourner
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Millions Like Us
Old Man
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Big Zapper
Jeremiah Horn
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How I Won the War
Toby
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The Shooting Party
Sir Harry Stamp
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Johnny Frenchman
Choir Member (uncredited)
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The Return of the Soldier
Brigadier General
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Hard Road
Psychiatrist
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Willie's War
Grandfather
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A Swarm in May
Mr. Ardent - the Headmaster
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Doctor Who: The Space Pirates
General Hermack
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A Twist of Sand
Inspector Seekert
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The Last Invasion
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The Gay Dog
Pub Customer
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Behind the Headlines
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Saraband for Dead Lovers
Reveller
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The Yes Girls
King Reiter
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Children's Favourites - Volume 1
Sea Rat (voice)
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Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 1
Igor/Giant (voice)
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Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 2
Igor (voice)
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More Children's Summer Stories
Igor (voice)
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More Children's Holiday Favourites
Igor (voice)
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Trouble in Store
Bus Passenger (uncredited)
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The Wind in the Willows
Sea Rat (voice)
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Without Air
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Two-Way Stretch
Prison Visitor (uncredited)
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