Jack Wynne May (23 April 1922 – 19 September 1997) was an English actor.

Early life and education

May was born in 1922 in

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...

, and was educated at Forest School in

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...

. After war service with the

Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British Raj, British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the British Indian Army, Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, he was offered a place at

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

, but instead went to

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

. Here, with the OUDS, he played parts that included

John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399), was an English royal prince, military leader and statesman. He was the fourth son (third surviving) of King Edward III of England, and the father of King Henry IV. Because ...

in ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

'' and

Polonius Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet''. He is the chief counsellor of the play's ultimate villain, Claudius, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia. Generally regarded as wrong in every judgment he makes over the cou ...

in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

''.

Career

May became familiar on television as the

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, ''valet de chambre'' was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "va ...

William E. Simms in two series of the

BBC 1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

fantasy/adventure television series ''

Adam Adamant Lives! ''Adam Adamant Lives!'' is a British adventure television series that ran from 1966 to 1967 on BBC 1, starring Gerald Harper in the title role. The series was created and produced by several alumni from ''Doctor Who''. The titular character w ...

'' from 1966 to 1967. He provided the voice for Igor, long-suffering butler to

Count Duckula ''Count Duckula'' is a British children's television series, children's animated comedy horror television series created by British studio Cosgrove Hall Films, Cosgrove Hall Productions and produced by Thames Television as a spin-off of ''Dang ...

in the cartoon series of the same name. He also appeared as the waiter

Garkbit ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), a 1978 radio comedy, it was later adapted to other formats, including novels ...

in the television version of ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a Science fiction comedy, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), radio sitcom broadcast over two series on BBC ...

'', Théoden in the 1981 BBC Radio adaptation of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

'', as General Hermack in the 1969 ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' serial '' The Space Pirates'', and in '' Bachelor Father''. For 45 years the long-running

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

series, ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a British radio soap opera currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word Radio broadcasting, channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now pr ...

'', featured the voice of May as Nelson Gabriel, son of Walter Gabriel, making him (at the time of his death) the fourth-longest serving

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

star in the world. He played the voice of Muzzy in '' Muzzy in Gondoland'' and '' Muzzy Comes Back''. His other credits in film and television included Dr. Denny in the 1960 serial ''

The Citadel The Citadel Military College of South Carolina (simply known as The Citadel) is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Established in 1842, it is the third oldest of the six senior military colleges ...

'', the sex-crazed Judge in the horror film ''Night After Night After Night'' (1970), the District Commissioner in '' The Man Who Would Be King'' (1975), and the prosecuting naval attorney in '' The Bounty'' (1984). On stage he played many leading and supporting roles, spending five years with

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...

during which time he attracted considerable notice in the title part of Shakespeare's '' Henry VI''. This trilogy of plays came to the Old Vic in London, and from then on began to be far more regularly revived. For Birmingham Rep, he also played parts as diverse as Richard II, Alec in Coward's ''

Still Life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, human-m ...

'' (the story better known as ''

Brief Encounter ''Brief Encounter'' is a 1945 British Romance film#Romantic drama, romantic drama film directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play ''Still Life (play), Still Life''. The film stars Celia Johnson and ...

'') and the Elephant in Obey's ''Noah''. He returned to the Old Vic for the 1958–59 season, as Shakespeare's

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

among other parts. Later stage roles included The Headmaster in '' A Voyage Round My Father'', and Colonel Pickering in '' Pygmalion'' with

Alec McCowen Alexander Duncan McCowen, (26 May 1925 – 6 February 2017) was an English actor. He was known for his work in numerous film and stage productions. Early life McCowen was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, the son of Mary (née Walkden), a dancer ...

and

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 1938 – 10 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Tracy Bond, Teresa di ...

Personal life

May married actress Petra Davies in 1957. He died at 75, on 19 September 1997. He and his wife had two children.

Partial filmography

* '' Gert and Daisy's Weekend'' (1942) as Old Man * '' Give Me the Stars'' (1945) - Milkman (uncredited) * '' The Oracle'' (1953) - Old Man * '' Innocents in Paris'' (1953) - (uncredited) * ''

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

'' (1954) * '' Child's Play'' (1954) - Bob Crouch * '' It's a Great Day'' (1955) - Nightwatchman (uncredited) * '' Cat Girl'' (1957) - Richard Johnson * '' The Silent Enemy'' (1958) - (uncredited) * '' There Was a Crooked Man'' (1960) - Police Sergeant * '' Seven Keys'' (1961) - Prison Officer (uncredited) * '' Solo for Sparrow'' (1962) - Insp. Hudson * ''

The Traitors ''The Traitors'' is a reality game show franchise created by the All3Media All3Media Limited is a British worldwide independent television, film, and digital production and distribution company based in London. The All3Media group cons ...

'' (1962) - Burton / 'The Traitor' * '' Solo for Sparrow'' (1962) - MO * ''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specif ...

'' (1966) - Shopkeeper * ''

How I Won the War ''How I Won the War'' is a 1967 British black comedy film directed and produced by Richard Lester and starring Michael Crawford, Jack MacGowran, Roy Kinnear, Lee Montague, and John Lennon in his only non-musical acting role. The screenplay was b ...

'' (1967) - Toby * ''

A Twist of Sand ''A Twist of Sand'' is a 1968 British adventure film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Richard Johnson, Jeremy Kemp, Honor Blackman and Peter Vaughan. The screenplay was by Marvin Albert was based on Geoffrey Jenkins' 1959 novel of the sam ...

'' (1968) - Inspector Seekert * '' Night After Night After Night'' (1969) - Judge Charles Lomax * '' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' (1969) - Price (uncredited) * '' Trog'' (1970) - Dr. Selbourne * '' The Yes Girls'' (1971) - King Reiter * '' Big Zapper'' (1973) - Jeremiah Horn * '' The Man Who Would Be King'' (1975) - District Commissioner * ''

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution ''The Seven-Per-Cent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D.'' is a 1974 novel by American writer Nicholas Meyer. It is written as a pastiche of a Sherlock Holmes adventure, and was made into a film of the same ...

'' (1976) - Dr. Schultz * '' Sammy's Super T-Shirt'' (1978) - Sportsmaster * '' A Horseman Riding By'' (1978) - Lord Gilroy * '' The Return of the Soldier'' (1982) - Brigadier General * '' The Bounty'' (1984) - Prosecuting Captain * '' The Shooting Party'' (1985) - Sir Harry Stamp * '' The Doctor and the Devils'' (1985) - Dr. Stevens * '' Willie's War'' (1994) - Grandfather

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:May, Jack 1922 births 1997 deaths 20th-century English male actors Alumni of Merton College, Oxford English male radio actors English male television actors Male actors from Oxfordshire People educated at Forest School, Walthamstow Actors from Henley-on-Thames Indian military personnel of World War II