Jack May
Actor
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.
Filmography
Brief Encounter
as Boat Rental Man (uncredited) 1945
The Bounty
as Prosecuting Captain 1984
A Night to Remember
as Steerage Passenger (uncredited) 1958
The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy
as Garkbit (Head Waiter) 1981
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
as Shopkeeper 1966
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
as Dr. Schultz 1976
The Blue Lamp
as Old Man in Crowd (Uncredited) 1950
The Doctor and the Devils
as Dr Stevens 1985
This Happy Breed
as Mourner 1944
Two-Way Stretch
as Prison Visitor (uncredited) 1960
Trog
as Dr. Selbourne 1970
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
as Price (uncredited) 1969
How I Won the War
as Toby 1967
Pool of London
as Sailor on the Dunbar (uncredited) 1951
The Shooting Party
as Sir Harry Stamp 1985
Cat Girl
as Richard Johnson 1957