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