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, and was educated at

Forest School Forest School or Forrest School may refer to: Educational philosophy * Forest school (learning style), a learner centred outdoor learning approach. Religious philosophy * Thai Forest Tradition, a Theravada school of Buddhism in Thailand. * Sri Lan ...

in Walthamstow. After war service with the Royal Indian Navy in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, he was offered a place at

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the S ...

, but instead went to Merton College, Oxford. Here, with the

OUDS The Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England. Not all student productions at Oxford University ...

, 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 to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...

in '' Richard II'' and

Polonius Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet''. He is 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 course of ...

in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''.

Career

May became familiar on television as the butler William E. Simms in two series of the BBC 1 fantasy/adventure television series '' Adam Adamant Lives!'' from 1966 to 1967. He provided the voice for

Igor Igor may refer to: People * Igor (given name), an East Slavic given name and a list of people with the name * Mighty Igor (1931–2002), former American professional wrestler * Igor Volkoff, a professional wrestler from NWA All-Star Wrestling * ...

, long-suffering butler to Count Duckula in the cartoon series of the same name. He also appeared as the waiter

Garkbit This page is a list of characters in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', by Douglas Adams. The descriptions of the characters are accompanied by information on details about appearances and references to the characters. Main characters ...

in the television version of '' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', Théoden in the 1981 BBC Radio adaptation of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's bo ...

'', as General Hermack in the 1969 '' Doctor Who'' 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 that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...

series, ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural set ...

'', featured the voice of May as

Nelson Gabriel Nelson Gabriel is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera ''The Archers'' and was portrayed by Jack May."The Archers : the official companion" Smethurst,W: London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1985 Casting May was approached b ...

, son of Walter Gabriel, making him (at the time of his death) the fourth-longest serving

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

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 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 remake of '' The Bounty'' (1984). On stage he played many leading and supporting roles, spending five years with Birmingham Repertory 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'' (the story better known as '' Brief Encounter'') 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 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 a civil war, an ...

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 dance ...

and Diana Rigg.

Personal life

In 1957, he married the actress Petra Davies. He died at 75, on 19 September 1997, survived by his wife, his daughter Henrietta, and his son David.

Partial filmography

* ''

Gert and Daisy's Weekend ''Gert and Daisys Weekend'' is a 1942 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Elsie Waters, Doris Waters and Iris Vandeleur. It was shot at Welwyn Studios with sets designed by the art director William Hemsley. It was follo ...

'' (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, theologian, and evangelist who was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies he founded became the dominant form of the independent Meth ...

'' (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 ''Solo for Sparrow'' is a 1962 crime film directed by Gordon Flemyng and produced by Jack Greenwood and Abhinandan Nikhanj, part of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series of British second-features. It stars Glyn Houston, Anthony Newlands and Nadja Re ...

'' (1962) - Insp. Hudson * '' The Traitors'' (1962) - Burton / 'The Traitor' * ''

'' (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 theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman playwright Plautu ...

'' (1966) - Shopkeeper * '' How I Won the War'' (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 based on the novel by Geoffrey Jenkins. Plot A former British naval officer now makes his ...

'' (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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (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 na ...

'' (1976) - Dr. Schultz * '' Sammy's Super T-Shirt'' (1978) - Sportsmaster * '' A Horseman Riding By (TV Series)'' (1978) - Lord Gilroy * '' The Return of the Soldier'' (1982) - Brigadier General * '' A Swarm in May'' (1983) - Mr. Ardent the Headmaster * '' The Bounty'' (1984) - Prosecuting Captain * '' The Shooting Party'' (1985) - Sir Harry Stamp * ''

The Doctor and the Devils ''The Doctor and The Devils'' is a 1985 British gothic horror film directed by Freddie Francis, and produced by Mel Brooks, through his production company Brooksfilms. It is based upon the true story of Burke and Hare, who in 1828 Edinburgh, ...

'' (1985) - Dr. Stevens * ''Hard Road'' (1988) - Psychiatrist * ''

Willie's War The Children's Film Unit was a unique British film production unit which offered children from the ages of 10 to 16 the opportunity to learn about all aspects of filmmaking, and to participate as part of the crew in the making of professional-qua ...

'' (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 People from Henley-on-Thames Indian military personnel of World War II