Jack May
Acting
Born: 1922-04-23 in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Biography
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
The Man Who Would Be King
District Commissioner
Brief Encounter
Boat Rental Man (uncredited)
Doctor Who
General Nicolai Hermack
The Bounty
Prosecuting Captain
A Night to Remember
Steerage Passenger (uncredited)
Count Duckula
Igor (voice)
The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy
Garkbit (Head Waiter)
The Avengers
Jeeves and Wooster
Vicar
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Shopkeeper
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
Dr. Schultz
This Happy Breed
Mourner
The Blue Lamp
Old Man in Crowd (Uncredited)
UFO
English Delegate
The Doctor and the Devils
Dr Stevens
Two-Way Stretch
Prison Visitor (uncredited)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Price (uncredited)
All Creatures Great and Small
Reverend Henty
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Garkbit (Head Waiter)
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Trog
Dr. Selbourne
How I Won the War
Toby
Pool of London
Sailor on the Dunbar (uncredited)
The Shooting Party
Sir Harry Stamp
Trouble in Store
Bus Passenger (uncredited)
Danger Man
Third Secretary
The Return of the Soldier
Brigadier General
Saraband for Dead Lovers
Reveller
Cat Girl
Richard Johnson
The Silent Enemy
Navy Doctor
The Agatha Christie Hour
Colonel Jaggers
Poldark
Ralph Allen Daniell
The Men of Sherwood Forest
Millions Like Us
Old Man
The Gentle Sex
Postman (uncredited)
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
James Ladbroke, Q.C.
A Prize of Arms
MO
Van der Valk
Minister
Night After Night After Night
Judge Lomax
A Twist of Sand
Inspector Seekert