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