Jack May
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
ActingBirthday
April 23, 1922Deathday
September 19, 1997Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
43Place of birth
Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UKCast credits
The Man Who Would Be King
District CommissionerThe Bounty
RichterNight After Night After Night
Judge LomaxA Prize of Arms
MOTrog
Dr. SelbourneSolo for Sparrow
Inspector HudsonCat Girl
Richard JohnsonThe Silent Enemy
Navy DoctorThe Seven-Per-Cent Solution
Dr. SchultzThe Life and Times of David Lloyd George
Lord RuncimanDeadlock
PostmanA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
ShopkeeperHenry VIII
Lord ChancellorThis Happy Breed
MournerMillions Like Us
Old ManBig Zapper
Jeremiah HornHow I Won the War
TobyThe Shooting Party
Sir Harry StampJohnny Frenchman
Choir Member (uncredited)The Return of the Soldier
Brigadier GeneralA Swarm in May
Mr. Ardent - the Headmaster