Jack May

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

102

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

  • UFO

    UFO

  • Scarecrow and Mrs. King

    Scarecrow and Mrs. King

  • All Creatures Great and Small

    All Creatures Great and Small

  • Van der Valk

    Van der Valk

  • No Hiding Place

    No Hiding Place

  • No Hiding Place

    No Hiding Place

  • Trog

    Trog

  • The Wednesday Play

    The Wednesday Play

  • Sunday Night Theatre

    Sunday Night Theatre

  • Big Zapper

    Big Zapper

  • Jeeves and Wooster

    Jeeves and Wooster

  • Brief Encounter

    Brief Encounter

  • The Shooting Party

    The Shooting Party

  • Danger Man

    Danger Man

  • Festival

    Festival

  • Mark Saber

    Mark Saber

  • Pool of London

    Pool of London

  • The Main Chance

    The Main Chance

  • The Main Chance

    The Main Chance

  • This Happy Breed

    This Happy Breed

  • The Agatha Christie Hour

    The Agatha Christie Hour

  • Deadlock

    Deadlock

  • The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

    The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

  • The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel

    The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel

  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

  • Poldark

    Poldark

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • An Age of Kings

    An Age of Kings

  • Shoestring

    Shoestring

  • Count Duckula

    Count Duckula

  • Dr. Finlay's Casebook

    Dr. Finlay's Casebook

  • Cat Girl

    Cat Girl

  • Target

    Target

  • Budgie

    Budgie

  • Out of the Unknown

    Out of the Unknown

  • Friends and Other Lovers

    Friends and Other Lovers

  • A for Andromeda

    A for Andromeda

  • Goodbye, Mr. Chips

    Goodbye, Mr. Chips

  • The Bounty

    The Bounty

  • Children's Favourites - Volume 1

    Children's Favourites - Volume 1

  • Emma's Time

    Emma's Time

  • Henry VIII

    Henry VIII

  • Richard the Lionheart

    Richard the Lionheart

  • A Night to Remember

    A Night to Remember

  • The Ten Commandments

    The Ten Commandments

  • The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

    The Adventures of Sir Lancelot

  • The Man Who Would Be King

    The Man Who Would Be King

  • Adam Adamant Lives!

    Adam Adamant Lives!

  • Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 2

    Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 2

  • Black and Blue

    Black and Blue

  • Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 1

    Lollipop Children's Favourites - Volume 1

  • The Yes Girls

    The Yes Girls

  • The Men of Sherwood Forest

    The Men of Sherwood Forest

  • Two-Way Stretch

    Two-Way Stretch

  • The Spread of the Eagle

    The Spread of the Eagle

  • Brett

    Brett

  • Brett

    Brett

  • How I Won the War

    How I Won the War

  • Saraband for Dead Lovers

    Saraband for Dead Lovers

  • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

    A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

  • The Return of the Soldier

    The Return of the Soldier

  • The Doctor and the Devils

    The Doctor and the Devils

  • The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

    The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

  • Escape

    Escape

  • The Gentle Sex

    The Gentle Sex

  • Pride and Prejudice

    Pride and Prejudice

  • The Blue Lamp

    The Blue Lamp

  • A Horseman Riding By

    A Horseman Riding By

  • Doctor Who: The Space Pirates

    Doctor Who: The Space Pirates

  • The Silent Enemy

    The Silent Enemy

  • Dawson's Weekly

    Dawson's Weekly

  • Nicholas Nickleby

    Nicholas Nickleby

  • The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

    The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

  • Hawkmoor

    Hawkmoor

  • The Professionals

    The Professionals

  • A Twist of Sand

    A Twist of Sand

  • There Was a Crooked Man

    There Was a Crooked Man

  • The Life and Times of David Lloyd George

    The Life and Times of David Lloyd George

  • A Prize of Arms

    A Prize of Arms

  • Millions Like Us

    Millions Like Us

  • You Can't Win

    You Can't Win

  • Hard Road

    Hard Road

  • The Children of the New Forest

    The Children of the New Forest

  • Trouble in Store

    Trouble in Store

  • The Traitors

    The Traitors

  • The Wind in the Willows

    The Wind in the Willows

  • The Last Invasion

    The Last Invasion

  • Solo for Sparrow

    Solo for Sparrow

  • The Gay Dog

    The Gay Dog

  • Johnny Frenchman

    Johnny Frenchman

  • Willie's War

    Willie's War

  • Whinfrey's Last Case

    Whinfrey's Last Case

  • Stranger in the Family

    Stranger in the Family

  • Night After Night After Night

    Night After Night After Night

  • More Children's Holiday Favourites

    More Children's Holiday Favourites

  • Behind the Headlines

    Behind the Headlines

  • More Children's Summer Stories

    More Children's Summer Stories

  • The Breaking of Colonel Keyser

    The Breaking of Colonel Keyser

  • Soap Opera in Stockwell

    Soap Opera in Stockwell

  • A Swarm in May

    A Swarm in May

  • Without Air

    Without Air