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

  • Star Trek

    Star Trek

  • Bewitched

    Bewitched

  • Mannix

    Mannix

  • The Rifleman

    The Rifleman

  • The Beverly Hillbillies

    The Beverly Hillbillies

  • The Beverly Hillbillies

    The Beverly Hillbillies

  • Get Smart

    Get Smart

  • Medical Center

    Medical Center

  • Have Gun, Will Travel

    Have Gun, Will Travel

  • Studio One

    Studio One

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • Lost in Space

    Lost in Space

  • Adventures in Paradise

    Adventures in Paradise

  • Land of the Giants

    Land of the Giants

  • Burke's Law

    Burke's Law

  • Matinee Theater

    Matinee Theater

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Thriller

    Thriller

  • Omar Khayyam

    Omar Khayyam

  • Peter Gunn

    Peter Gunn

  • The Jungle Book

    The Jungle Book

  • Gambit

    Gambit

  • The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

    The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

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

  • The Detectives

    The Detectives

  • The 20th Century Fox Hour

    The 20th Century Fox Hour

  • Smorgasbord

    Smorgasbord

  • The DuPont Show with June Allyson

    The DuPont Show with June Allyson

  • Hangmen Also Die!

    Hangmen Also Die!

  • Laredo

    Laredo

  • Crosswinds

    Crosswinds

  • U-Boat Prisoner

    U-Boat Prisoner

  • Outlaws

    Outlaws

  • Blunt Instrument

    Blunt Instrument

  • Flipper

    Flipper

  • Quest

    Quest

  • Telephone Time

    Telephone Time

  • One More Tomorrow

    One More Tomorrow

  • Sideshow

    Sideshow

  • Garrison's Gorillas

    Garrison's Gorillas

  • Time Out of Mind

    Time Out of Mind

  • Deception

    Deception

  • Cavalcade of America

    Cavalcade of America

  • Gigi

    Gigi

  • Profiles in Courage

    Profiles in Courage

  • The Rogues

    The Rogues

  • Adventure Island

    Adventure Island

  • The Islanders

    The Islanders

  • The Partners

    The Partners

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • The Notorious Lone Wolf

    The Notorious Lone Wolf

  • The Vampire's Ghost

    The Vampire's Ghost

  • Nightmare

    Nightmare

  • The Greatest Story Ever Told

    The Greatest Story Ever Told

  • The Conquest of the Air

    The Conquest of the Air

  • The Cat Creature

    The Cat Creature

  • This Above All

    This Above All

  • Wendy and Me

    Wendy and Me

  • Rango

    Rango

  • Anna and the King of Siam

    Anna and the King of Siam

  • Rogue's March

    Rogue's March

  • The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen

    The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen

  • Summer Storm

    Summer Storm

  • Cool Million

    Cool Million

  • Jane Eyre

    Jane Eyre

  • Edward and Mrs Simpson

    Edward and Mrs Simpson

  • Cry of the Werewolf

    Cry of the Werewolf

  • Mrs. Miniver

    Mrs. Miniver

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • Timeslip

    Timeslip

  • Madame Bovary

    Madame Bovary

  • Ichabod and Me

    Ichabod and Me

  • A Hazard of Hearts

    A Hazard of Hearts

  • A Thousand and One Nights

    A Thousand and One Nights

  • The Commissioner

    The Commissioner

  • Who's Minding the Store?

    Who's Minding the Store?

  • Humoresque

    Humoresque

  • Pursuit to Algiers

    Pursuit to Algiers

  • The Mask of Dimitrios

    The Mask of Dimitrios

  • The Merry Widow

    The Merry Widow

  • The Web

    The Web

  • The Shanghai Gesture

    The Shanghai Gesture

  • Mission to Moscow

    Mission to Moscow

  • The Cross of Lorraine

    The Cross of Lorraine

  • Sherlock Holmes in New York

    Sherlock Holmes in New York

  • Joan of Paris

    Joan of Paris

  • Once Upon a Time

    Once Upon a Time

  • Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel

    Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel

  • Three Guns for Texas

    Three Guns for Texas

  • The Steel Lady

    The Steel Lady

  • The Woman in White

    The Woman in White

  • The Saint in London

    The Saint in London

  • The Black Bird

    The Black Bird

  • London Blackout Murders

    London Blackout Murders

  • The Falcon in Hollywood

    The Falcon in Hollywood

  • Thunder in the East

    Thunder in the East

  • Slapstick of Another Kind

    Slapstick of Another Kind

  • Thunder on the Hill

    Thunder on the Hill

  • Public Pigeon No. 1

    Public Pigeon No. 1

  • Saratoga Trunk

    Saratoga Trunk

  • Dangerous Blondes

    Dangerous Blondes

  • The Miracle on 34th Street

    The Miracle on 34th Street

  • The Bandit of Sherwood Forest

    The Bandit of Sherwood Forest

  • They Got Me Covered

    They Got Me Covered

  • Ten Days in Paris

    Ten Days in Paris

  • The Power of the Whistler

    The Power of the Whistler

  • Rubber Racketeers

    Rubber Racketeers

  • The Crime Doctor's Warning

    The Crime Doctor's Warning

  • If Winter Comes

    If Winter Comes

  • Secrets of Scotland Yard

    Secrets of Scotland Yard

  • Navy Bound

    Navy Bound

  • This Man Is News

    This Man Is News

  • The Great Commandment

    The Great Commandment

  • The Great Commandment

    The Great Commandment

  • 2000 Years Later

    2000 Years Later

  • Get Hep to Love

    Get Hep to Love

  • The Gorilla Man

    The Gorilla Man

  • Outside Chance

    Outside Chance

  • End of the Road

    End of the Road

  • Sombrero

    Sombrero

  • Under Secret Orders

    Under Secret Orders

  • Honeymoon Ahead

    Honeymoon Ahead

  • Abroad with Two Yanks

    Abroad with Two Yanks

  • Street of Shadows

    Street of Shadows

  • The Epic That Never Was

    The Epic That Never Was