Jack May

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

99

Gender

Male

Birthday

1922-04-23

Day of death

1997-09-19 (75 years old)

Place of Birth

Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Jack May

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 Avengers

    The Avengers

  • All Creatures Great and Small

    All Creatures Great and Small

  • The Wednesday Play

    The Wednesday Play

  • UFO

    UFO

  • Scarecrow and Mrs. King

    Scarecrow and Mrs. King

  • No Hiding Place

    No Hiding Place

  • How I Won the War

    How I Won the War

  • Van der Valk

    Van der Valk

  • Dr. Finlay's Casebook

    Dr. Finlay's Casebook

  • Brief Encounter

    Brief Encounter

  • Softly, Softly

    Softly, Softly

  • Count Duckula

    Count Duckula

  • Danger Man

    Danger Man

  • Jeeves and Wooster

    Jeeves and Wooster

  • The Main Chance

    The Main Chance

  • The Main Chance

    The Main Chance

  • Poldark

    Poldark

  • The Professionals

    The Professionals

  • Mark Saber

    Mark Saber

  • Richard the Lionheart

    Richard the Lionheart

  • The Agatha Christie Hour

    The Agatha Christie Hour

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

    The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

  • Deadlock

    Deadlock

  • Trog

    Trog

  • The Bounty

    The Bounty

  • Festival

    Festival

  • Budgie

    Budgie

  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

  • Henry VIII

    Henry VIII

  • The Traitors

    The Traitors

  • Big Zapper

    Big Zapper

  • Johnny Frenchman

    Johnny Frenchman

  • Hard Road

    Hard Road

  • A Night to Remember

    A Night to Remember

  • Goodbye, Mr. Chips

    Goodbye, Mr. Chips

  • Target

    Target

  • The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

    The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

  • The Man Who Would Be King

    The Man Who Would Be King

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • More Children's Summer Stories

    More Children's Summer Stories

  • Night After Night After Night

    Night After Night After Night

  • Saraband for Dead Lovers

    Saraband for Dead Lovers

  • The Men of Sherwood Forest

    The Men of Sherwood Forest

  • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

    A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

  • The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel

    The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel

  • The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

    The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

  • This Happy Breed

    This Happy Breed

  • Millions Like Us

    Millions Like Us

  • Solo for Sparrow

    Solo for Sparrow

  • Cat Girl

    Cat Girl

  • There Was a Crooked Man

    There Was a Crooked Man

  • The Doctor and the Devils

    The Doctor and the Devils

  • The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

    The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

  • Pool of London

    Pool of London

  • The Return of the Soldier

    The Return of the Soldier

  • The Life and Times of David Lloyd George

    The Life and Times of David Lloyd George

  • Two-Way Stretch

    Two-Way Stretch

  • Adam Adamant Lives!

    Adam Adamant Lives!

  • Soap Opera in Stockwell

    Soap Opera in Stockwell

  • A Twist of Sand

    A Twist of Sand

  • Trouble in Store

    Trouble in Store

  • Emma's Time

    Emma's Time

  • The Silent Enemy

    The Silent Enemy

  • Whinfrey's Last Case

    Whinfrey's Last Case

  • The Last Invasion

    The Last Invasion

  • Black and Blue

    Black and Blue

  • The Shooting Party

    The Shooting Party

  • The Ten Commandments

    The Ten Commandments

  • Children's Favourites - Volume 1

    Children's Favourites - Volume 1

  • The Gentle Sex

    The Gentle Sex

  • Willie's War

    Willie's War

  • More Children's Holiday Favourites

    More Children's Holiday Favourites

  • Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 2

    Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 2

  • The Blue Lamp

    The Blue Lamp

  • Friends and Other Lovers

    Friends and Other Lovers

  • Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 1

    Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 1

  • The Spread of the Eagle

    The Spread of the Eagle

  • Brett

    Brett

  • Brett

    Brett

  • A for Andromeda

    A for Andromeda

  • Doctor Who: The Space Pirates

    Doctor Who: The Space Pirates

  • The Gay Dog

    The Gay Dog

  • Pride and Prejudice

    Pride and Prejudice

  • A Horseman Riding By

    A Horseman Riding By

  • Dawson's Weekly

    Dawson's Weekly

  • Escape

    Escape

  • Nicholas Nickleby

    Nicholas Nickleby

  • Hawkmoor

    Hawkmoor

  • You Can't Win

    You Can't Win

  • A Prize of Arms

    A Prize of Arms

  • Behind the Headlines

    Behind the Headlines

  • The Yes Girls

    The Yes Girls

  • Stranger in the Family

    Stranger in the Family

  • The Wind in the Willows

    The Wind in the Willows

  • A Swarm in May

    A Swarm in May

  • Without Air

    Without Air

  • The Breaking of Colonel Keyser

    The Breaking of Colonel Keyser