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