Jack May
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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.
Known for
Credits
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
as District Commissioner
The Bounty (1984)
as Prosecuting Captain
Brief Encounter (1945)
as Boat Rental Man (uncredited)
A Night to Remember (1958)
as Steerage Passenger (uncredited)
The Doctor and the Devils (1985)
as Dr Stevens
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
as Shopkeeper
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)
as Price (uncredited)
The Blue Lamp (1950)
as Old Man in Crowd (Uncredited)
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
as Dr. Schultz
Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948)
as Reveller
This Happy Breed (1944)
as Mourner
Two-Way Stretch (1960)
as Prison Visitor (uncredited)
The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954)
Actor
How I Won the War (1967)
as Toby
Pool of London (1951)
as Sailor on the Dunbar (uncredited)
The Silent Enemy (1958)
as Navy Doctor
Cat Girl (1957)
as Richard Johnson
The Return of the Soldier (1983)
as Brigadier General
There Was a Crooked Man (1960)
as Police Sergeant
The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (1981)
as Garkbit (Head Waiter)
Trog (1970)
as Dr. Selbourne
The Gentle Sex (1943)
as Postman (uncredited)
The Shooting Party (1985)
as Sir Harry Stamp
Millions Like Us (1943)
as Old Man
Henry VIII (1979)
as Lord Chancellor
Big Zapper (1973)
as Jeremiah Horn
A Twist of Sand (1968)
as Inspector Seekert
The Gay Dog (1954)
as Pub Customer
Solo for Sparrow (1962)
as Inspector Hudson
A Prize of Arms (1962)
as MO
The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (1981)
as Lord Runciman
Without Air (1997)
Actor
Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 2 (1989)
as Igor (voice)
Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 1 (1989)
as Igor/Giant (voice)
The Professionals (1960)
as Edwards
The Yes Girls (1971)
as King Reiter
Willie's War (1994)
as Grandfather
Johnny Frenchman (1945)
as Choir Member (uncredited)
Children's Favourites - Volume 1 (1988)
as Sea Rat (voice)
Trouble in Store (1953)
as Bus Passenger (uncredited)
Whinfrey's Last Case (1979)
as General Chapman
The Breaking of Colonel Keyser (1972)
as Watts
Doctor Who: The Space Pirates (1969)
as General Hermack
Friends and Other Lovers (1981)
as Mr. Franklyn
A Swarm in May (1983)
as Mr. Ardent - the Headmaster
The Traitors (1962)
as Burton
In Search of Sierra Nine (1963)
as Father Gabriel
Night After Night After Night (1969)
as Judge Lomax
Soap Opera in Stockwell (1973)
as Detective
Emma's Time (1970)
as Emma's father
Stranger in the Family (1965)
as Evans
Deadlock (1943)
as Postman
The Last Invasion (1966)
Actor
More Children's Holiday Favourites (1990)
as Igor (voice)
Hard Road (1988)
as Psychiatrist
Behind the Headlines (1953)
Actor
More Children's Summer Stories (1989)
as Igor (voice)