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

  • Star Trek

    Star Trek

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Perry Mason

    Perry Mason

  • Have Gun, Will Travel

    Have Gun, Will Travel

  • Mannix

    Mannix

  • Bewitched

    Bewitched

  • The Beverly Hillbillies

    The Beverly Hillbillies

  • The Beverly Hillbillies

    The Beverly Hillbillies

  • Peter Gunn

    Peter Gunn

  • The Rifleman

    The Rifleman

  • Matinee Theater

    Matinee Theater

  • Studio One

    Studio One

  • Get Smart

    Get Smart

  • Burke's Law

    Burke's Law

  • Lost in Space

    Lost in Space

  • Medical Center

    Medical Center

  • Thriller

    Thriller

  • The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

    The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

  • The 20th Century Fox Hour

    The 20th Century Fox Hour

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • Gunsmoke

    Gunsmoke

  • Adventures in Paradise

    Adventures in Paradise

  • The Detectives

    The Detectives

  • The Jungle Book

    The Jungle Book

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

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

  • Laredo

    Laredo

  • Land of the Giants

    Land of the Giants

  • Flipper

    Flipper

  • Telephone Time

    Telephone Time

  • The DuPont Show with June Allyson

    The DuPont Show with June Allyson

  • The Rogues

    The Rogues

  • Cavalcade of America

    Cavalcade of America

  • Garrison's Gorillas

    Garrison's Gorillas

  • The Shanghai Gesture

    The Shanghai Gesture

  • Blunt Instrument

    Blunt Instrument

  • Outlaws

    Outlaws

  • Jane Eyre

    Jane Eyre

  • Joan of Paris

    Joan of Paris

  • The Partners

    The Partners

  • The Notorious Lone Wolf

    The Notorious Lone Wolf

  • The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen

    The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen

  • The Epic That Never Was

    The Epic That Never Was

  • Gambit

    Gambit

  • The Islanders

    The Islanders

  • Mrs. Miniver

    Mrs. Miniver

  • The Black Bird

    The Black Bird

  • They Got Me Covered

    They Got Me Covered

  • Mission to Moscow

    Mission to Moscow

  • Madame Bovary

    Madame Bovary

  • Crosswinds

    Crosswinds

  • The Mask of Dimitrios

    The Mask of Dimitrios

  • Nightmare

    Nightmare

  • The Great Commandment

    The Great Commandment

  • The Great Commandment

    The Great Commandment

  • The Conquest of the Air

    The Conquest of the Air

  • Wendy and Me

    Wendy and Me

  • Profiles in Courage

    Profiles in Courage

  • The Saint in London

    The Saint in London

  • Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel

    Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel

  • Rango

    Rango

  • The Greatest Story Ever Told

    The Greatest Story Ever Told

  • Deception

    Deception

  • Pursuit to Algiers

    Pursuit to Algiers

  • The Falcon in Hollywood

    The Falcon in Hollywood

  • The Woman in White

    The Woman in White

  • Outside Chance

    Outside Chance

  • The Bandit of Sherwood Forest

    The Bandit of Sherwood Forest

  • The Power of the Whistler

    The Power of the Whistler

  • Sideshow

    Sideshow

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Public Pigeon No. 1

    Public Pigeon No. 1

  • The Gorilla Man

    The Gorilla Man

  • 2000 Years Later

    2000 Years Later

  • Omar Khayyam

    Omar Khayyam

  • Summer Storm

    Summer Storm

  • Cool Million

    Cool Million

  • The Merry Widow

    The Merry Widow

  • Adventure Island

    Adventure Island

  • Get Hep to Love

    Get Hep to Love

  • Dangerous Blondes

    Dangerous Blondes

  • Edward and Mrs Simpson

    Edward and Mrs Simpson

  • Sombrero

    Sombrero

  • Smorgasbord

    Smorgasbord

  • Who's Minding the Store?

    Who's Minding the Store?

  • Hangmen Also Die!

    Hangmen Also Die!

  • The Vampire's Ghost

    The Vampire's Ghost

  • A Thousand and One Nights

    A Thousand and One Nights

  • End of the Road

    End of the Road

  • Ichabod and Me

    Ichabod and Me

  • Navy Bound

    Navy Bound

  • Sherlock Holmes in New York

    Sherlock Holmes in New York

  • Once Upon a Time

    Once Upon a Time

  • Three Guns for Texas

    Three Guns for Texas

  • The Web

    The Web

  • A Hazard of Hearts

    A Hazard of Hearts

  • U-Boat Prisoner

    U-Boat Prisoner

  • Quest

    Quest

  • Gigi

    Gigi

  • Abroad with Two Yanks

    Abroad with Two Yanks

  • The Cat Creature

    The Cat Creature

  • The Commissioner

    The Commissioner

  • The Miracle on 34th Street

    The Miracle on 34th Street

  • Timeslip

    Timeslip

  • Under Secret Orders

    Under Secret Orders

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • Honeymoon Ahead

    Honeymoon Ahead

  • Thunder on the Hill

    Thunder on the Hill

  • Rogue's March

    Rogue's March

  • The Steel Lady

    The Steel Lady

  • London Blackout Murders

    London Blackout Murders

  • This Man Is News

    This Man Is News

  • One More Tomorrow

    One More Tomorrow

  • Saratoga Trunk

    Saratoga Trunk

  • If Winter Comes

    If Winter Comes

  • Humoresque

    Humoresque

  • Anna and the King of Siam

    Anna and the King of Siam

  • Thunder in the East

    Thunder in the East

  • Slapstick of Another Kind

    Slapstick of Another Kind

  • The Crime Doctor's Warning

    The Crime Doctor's Warning

  • This Above All

    This Above All

  • Ten Days in Paris

    Ten Days in Paris

  • The Cross of Lorraine

    The Cross of Lorraine

  • Time Out of Mind

    Time Out of Mind

  • Cry of the Werewolf

    Cry of the Werewolf

  • Rubber Racketeers

    Rubber Racketeers

  • Secrets of Scotland Yard

    Secrets of Scotland Yard

  • Street of Shadows

    Street of Shadows