Jack May
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.
Acted in
Willie's War
1994
as Grandfather
Jeeves and Wooster
1990
as Vicar
Count Duckula
1988
as Igor
Hard Road
1988
as Psychiatrist
The Doctor and the Devils
1985
as Dr Stevens
The Shooting Party
1985
as Sir Harry Stamp
The Bounty
1984
as Prosecuting Captain
A Swarm in May
1983
as Mr. Ardent - the Headmaster
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
1983
The Cleopatras
1983
as Criton
The Return of the Soldier
1983
as Brigadier General
The Agatha Christie Hour
1982
Friends and Other Lovers
1981
as Mr. Franklyn
The Life and Times of David Lloyd George
1981
as Lord Runciman
The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy
1981
as Garkbit (Head Waiter)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
1981
as Garkbit (Head Waiter)
Escape
1980
Whinfrey's Last Case
1979
as General Chapman
Shoestring
1979
Henry VIII
1979
as Lord Chancellor
BBC Television Shakespeare
1978
A Horseman Riding By
1978
Hawkmoor
1978
as John Stedman
All Creatures Great and Small
1978
as Reverend Henty
Target
1977
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
1976
as Dr. Schultz
The Man Who Would Be King
1975
as District Commissioner
Dawson's Weekly
1975
Soap Opera in Stockwell
1973
as Detective
Black and Blue
1973
Big Zapper
1973
as Jeremiah Horn
The Breaking of Colonel Keyser
1972
as Watts
Van der Valk
1972
as Minister
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
1971
as James Ladbroke, Q.C.
Brett
1971
Trog
1970
as Dr. Selbourne
UFO
1970
as English Delegate
Emma's Time
1970
as Emma's father
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
1969
as Price (uncredited)
The Main Chance
1969
as Derrick Asher
The Main Chance
1969
as Harry Turner
Doctor Who: The Space Pirates
1969
as General Hermack
Night After Night After Night
1969
as Judge Lomax
A Twist of Sand
1968
as Inspector Seekert
How I Won the War
1967
as Toby
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
1966
as Shopkeeper
The Last Invasion
1966
You Can't Win
1966
Adam Adamant Lives!
1966
Softly, Softly
1966
Stranger in the Family
1965
as Evans
A Prize of Arms
1962
as MO
Solo for Sparrow
1962
as Inspector Hudson
Dr. Finlay's Casebook
1962
The Traitors
1962
as Burton
A for Andromeda
1961
as Major Quadring
The Avengers
1961
There Was a Crooked Man
1960
as Police Sergeant
An Age of Kings
1960
The Professionals
1960
as Edwards
No Hiding Place
1959
A Night to Remember
1958
as Steerage Passenger (uncredited)
The Silent Enemy
1958
as Navy Doctor
Pride and Prejudice
1958
as Mr. Collins
Nicholas Nickleby
1957
Cat Girl
1957
as Richard Johnson
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot
1956
as Caradoc
The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel
1955
as Citizen (uncredited)
The Men of Sherwood Forest
1954
Pool of London
1951
as Sailor on the Dunbar (uncredited)
The Blue Lamp
1950
as Old Man in Crowd (Uncredited)
Brief Encounter
1945
as Boat Rental Man (uncredited)
Johnny Frenchman
1945
as Choir Member (uncredited)
This Happy Breed
1944
as Mourner
Deadlock
1943
as Postman
Millions Like Us
1943
as Old Man
The Gentle Sex
1943
as Postman (uncredited)