John Abbott

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

129

Gender

Male

Birthday

1905-06-05

Day of death

1996-05-24 (90 years old)

Place of Birth

Stepney, London, England, UK

John Abbott

Biography

John Albert Chamberlain Kefford was an English character actor professionally known as John Abbott. His memorable roles include the invalid Frederick Fairlie in the 1948 film The Woman in White and the pacifist Ayelborne in the Star Trek episode "Errand of Mercy". as well as a Shakespearean actor. In 1934, he began his career in show business when he made his professional stage debut in a revival of Dryden's Aureng-zebe with Sybil Thorndike. He then joined the Old Vic Company and appeared in Shakespearean roles, including Claudius in a production of Hamlet at Elsinore Castle in Denmark with Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and Alec Guinness. His first Broadway role was that of Count Mancini in He Who Gets Slapped in 1946. He also appeared on Broadway in Monserrat and The Waltz of the Toreadors. He made his film debut in Mademoiselle Docteur in 1937 and went on to act in scores of films in the next 30 years. Among his film credits are Mission to Moscow, Jane Eyre, A Thousand and One Nights, Humoresque, and The Greatest Story Ever Told. His television appearances in that time were even more numerous, beginning with pioneering broadcasts by the BBC before the Second World War. In the early days of the Second World War, Abbott worked at the British Embassy in Stockholm. When the time came to leave, he had to by way of the United States. While in the U.S., he was offered a part in Hollywood in 1941 and ended up living there for the rest of his life. On American television between the 1950s and 1970s, Abbott had roles on a wide variety of series such as Kraft Television Theatre, Studio 57, Gunsmoke, Matinee Theatre, Bonanza, Thriller, Star Trek, Mannix, Iron Horse, and Bewitched. Although he was blacklisted during the Red Scare of the 1950s, a producer who wanted to hire him eventually succeeded in getting the actor removed from the list.In his final years, Abbott taught acting to students free of charge. Abbott died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from natural causes on 24 May 1996 at the age of 90.

Known For

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Mannix

    Mannix

  • Star Trek

    Star Trek

  • Bewitched

    Bewitched

  • Get Smart

    Get Smart

  • Have Gun, Will Travel

    Have Gun, Will Travel

  • The Rifleman

    The Rifleman

  • The Beverly Hillbillies

    The Beverly Hillbillies

  • The Beverly Hillbillies

    The Beverly Hillbillies

  • Lost in Space

    Lost in Space

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • Medical Center

    Medical Center

  • Studio One

    Studio One

  • Matinee Theater

    Matinee Theater

  • Burke's Law

    Burke's Law

  • The Jungle Book

    The Jungle Book

  • Peter Gunn

    Peter Gunn

  • Adventures in Paradise

    Adventures in Paradise

  • The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

    The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

  • Land of the Giants

    Land of the Giants

  • Laredo

    Laredo

  • Thriller

    Thriller

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

    The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

  • Flipper

    Flipper

  • The Detectives

    The Detectives

  • The 20th Century Fox Hour

    The 20th Century Fox Hour

  • Cavalcade of America

    Cavalcade of America

  • Outlaws

    Outlaws

  • Telephone Time

    Telephone Time

  • Jane Eyre

    Jane Eyre

  • The DuPont Show with June Allyson

    The DuPont Show with June Allyson

  • Crosswinds

    Crosswinds

  • Gambit

    Gambit

  • Omar Khayyam

    Omar Khayyam

  • The Web

    The Web

  • Smorgasbord

    Smorgasbord

  • Blunt Instrument

    Blunt Instrument

  • Summer Storm

    Summer Storm

  • Adventure Island

    Adventure Island

  • The Greatest Story Ever Told

    The Greatest Story Ever Told

  • Mrs. Miniver

    Mrs. Miniver

  • Profiles in Courage

    Profiles in Courage

  • Honeymoon Ahead

    Honeymoon Ahead

  • Madame Bovary

    Madame Bovary

  • The Rogues

    The Rogues

  • The Islanders

    The Islanders

  • Garrison's Gorillas

    Garrison's Gorillas

  • Navy Bound

    Navy Bound

  • The Commissioner

    The Commissioner

  • Nightmare

    Nightmare

  • Sideshow

    Sideshow

  • Gigi

    Gigi

  • Joan of Paris

    Joan of Paris

  • Quest

    Quest

  • Deception

    Deception

  • Sherlock Holmes in New York

    Sherlock Holmes in New York

  • Outside Chance

    Outside Chance

  • Rango

    Rango

  • Who's Minding the Store?

    Who's Minding the Store?

  • Hangmen Also Die!

    Hangmen Also Die!

  • Wendy and Me

    Wendy and Me

  • Public Pigeon No. 1

    Public Pigeon No. 1

  • The Partners

    The Partners

  • Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel

    Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel

  • A Thousand and One Nights

    A Thousand and One Nights

  • The Mask of Dimitrios

    The Mask of Dimitrios

  • A Hazard of Hearts

    A Hazard of Hearts

  • The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen

    The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen

  • The Falcon in Hollywood

    The Falcon in Hollywood

  • The Saint in London

    The Saint in London

  • Get Hep to Love

    Get Hep to Love

  • The Power of the Whistler

    The Power of the Whistler

  • The Conquest of the Air

    The Conquest of the Air

  • Pursuit to Algiers

    Pursuit to Algiers

  • The Epic That Never Was

    The Epic That Never Was

  • Once Upon a Time

    Once Upon a Time

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • The Shanghai Gesture

    The Shanghai Gesture

  • End of the Road

    End of the Road

  • Edward and Mrs Simpson

    Edward and Mrs Simpson

  • The Merry Widow

    The Merry Widow

  • The Miracle on 34th Street

    The Miracle on 34th Street

  • The Bandit of Sherwood Forest

    The Bandit of Sherwood Forest

  • Cool Million

    Cool Million

  • 2000 Years Later

    2000 Years Later

  • They Got Me Covered

    They Got Me Covered

  • The Steel Lady

    The Steel Lady

  • This Man Is News

    This Man Is News

  • The Vampire's Ghost

    The Vampire's Ghost

  • Anna and the King of Siam

    Anna and the King of Siam

  • The Great Commandment

    The Great Commandment

  • The Great Commandment

    The Great Commandment

  • Under Secret Orders

    Under Secret Orders

  • Mission to Moscow

    Mission to Moscow

  • The Woman in White

    The Woman in White

  • The Gorilla Man

    The Gorilla Man

  • Cry of the Werewolf

    Cry of the Werewolf

  • The Cross of Lorraine

    The Cross of Lorraine

  • One More Tomorrow

    One More Tomorrow

  • Rogue's March

    Rogue's March

  • The Notorious Lone Wolf

    The Notorious Lone Wolf

  • The Crime Doctor's Warning

    The Crime Doctor's Warning

  • Three Guns for Texas

    Three Guns for Texas

  • Thunder in the East

    Thunder in the East

  • Slapstick of Another Kind

    Slapstick of Another Kind

  • Thunder on the Hill

    Thunder on the Hill

  • The Black Bird

    The Black Bird

  • Ten Days in Paris

    Ten Days in Paris

  • U-Boat Prisoner

    U-Boat Prisoner

  • The Cat Creature

    The Cat Creature

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • London Blackout Murders

    London Blackout Murders

  • This Above All

    This Above All

  • If Winter Comes

    If Winter Comes

  • Ichabod and Me

    Ichabod and Me

  • Timeslip

    Timeslip

  • Time Out of Mind

    Time Out of Mind

  • Sombrero

    Sombrero

  • Abroad with Two Yanks

    Abroad with Two Yanks

  • Humoresque

    Humoresque

  • Secrets of Scotland Yard

    Secrets of Scotland Yard

  • Saratoga Trunk

    Saratoga Trunk

  • Dangerous Blondes

    Dangerous Blondes

  • Street of Shadows

    Street of Shadows

  • Rubber Racketeers

    Rubber Racketeers