Jack May

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

96

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

  • No Hiding Place

    No Hiding Place

  • Scarecrow and Mrs. King

    Scarecrow and Mrs. King

  • The Wednesday Play

    The Wednesday Play

  • Softly, Softly

    Softly, Softly

  • Dr. Finlay's Casebook

    Dr. Finlay's Casebook

  • Count Duckula

    Count Duckula

  • Jeeves and Wooster

    Jeeves and Wooster

  • UFO

    UFO

  • Van der Valk

    Van der Valk

  • The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

    The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

  • The Main Chance

    The Main Chance

  • The Main Chance

    The Main Chance

  • Festival

    Festival

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • Danger Man

    Danger Man

  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

  • The Return of the Soldier

    The Return of the Soldier

  • How I Won the War

    How I Won the War

  • The Life and Times of David Lloyd George

    The Life and Times of David Lloyd George

  • The Bounty

    The Bounty

  • Emma's Time

    Emma's Time

  • Richard the Lionheart

    Richard the Lionheart

  • Target

    Target

  • Budgie

    Budgie

  • More Children's Summer Stories

    More Children's Summer Stories

  • Goodbye, Mr. Chips

    Goodbye, Mr. Chips

  • The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel

    The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel

  • The Agatha Christie Hour

    The Agatha Christie Hour

  • Hard Road

    Hard Road

  • Shoestring

    Shoestring

  • The Traitors

    The Traitors

  • Willie's War

    Willie's War

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • The Silent Enemy

    The Silent Enemy

  • The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

    The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

  • Black and Blue

    Black and Blue

  • Henry VIII

    Henry VIII

  • Saraband for Dead Lovers

    Saraband for Dead Lovers

  • The Professionals

    The Professionals

  • Solo for Sparrow

    Solo for Sparrow

  • Doctor Who: The Space Pirates

    Doctor Who: The Space Pirates

  • The Cleopatras

    The Cleopatras

  • Brief Encounter

    Brief Encounter

  • A Night to Remember

    A Night to Remember

  • Deadlock

    Deadlock

  • The Last Invasion

    The Last Invasion

  • Trouble in Store

    Trouble in Store

  • The Man Who Would Be King

    The Man Who Would Be King

  • The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

    The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

  • Whinfrey's Last Case

    Whinfrey's Last Case

  • The Ten Commandments

    The Ten Commandments

  • The Spread of the Eagle

    The Spread of the Eagle

  • The Shooting Party

    The Shooting Party

  • Millions Like Us

    Millions Like Us

  • There Was a Crooked Man

    There Was a Crooked Man

  • Pool of London

    Pool of London

  • A for Andromeda

    A for Andromeda

  • Adam Adamant Lives!

    Adam Adamant Lives!

  • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

    A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

  • Big Zapper

    Big Zapper

  • Pride and Prejudice

    Pride and Prejudice

  • You Can't Win

    You Can't Win

  • Brett

    Brett

  • Trog

    Trog

  • A Horseman Riding By

    A Horseman Riding By

  • Johnny Frenchman

    Johnny Frenchman

  • This Happy Breed

    This Happy Breed

  • The Gay Dog

    The Gay Dog

  • Nicholas Nickleby

    Nicholas Nickleby

  • Dawson's Weekly

    Dawson's Weekly

  • Escape

    Escape

  • Friends and Other Lovers

    Friends and Other Lovers

  • Night After Night After Night

    Night After Night After Night

  • The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

    The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

  • Hawkmoor

    Hawkmoor

  • Children's Favourites - Volume 1

    Children's Favourites - Volume 1

  • Cat Girl

    Cat Girl

  • The Men of Sherwood Forest

    The Men of Sherwood Forest

  • The Doctor and the Devils

    The Doctor and the Devils

  • A Twist of Sand

    A Twist of Sand

  • The Breaking of Colonel Keyser

    The Breaking of Colonel Keyser

  • A Prize of Arms

    A Prize of Arms

  • The Gentle Sex

    The Gentle Sex

  • Behind the Headlines

    Behind the Headlines

  • More Children's Holiday Favourites

    More Children's Holiday Favourites

  • The Yes Girls

    The Yes Girls

  • Soap Opera in Stockwell

    Soap Opera in Stockwell

  • Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 2

    Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 2

  • The Blue Lamp

    The Blue Lamp

  • Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 1

    Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 1

  • The Wind in the Willows

    The Wind in the Willows

  • Stranger in the Family

    Stranger in the Family

  • A Swarm in May

    A Swarm in May