Jack May

Acting

Jack May

Born April 23, 1922 · Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Died September 19, 1997 · aged 75

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…

Known For

Brief EncounterBrief Encounter · 1945
Brief Encounter
7.71945
MovieDramaRomance
Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey. Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love.
The BountyThe Bounty · 1984
The Bounty
6.81984
MovieActionDrama
An idyllic voyage to Tahiti in 1789 turns a crew aboard the H.M.S. Bounty against its captain when they find a tropical paradise.
A Night to RememberA Night to Remember · 1958
A Night to Remember
7.61958
MovieDramaAction
The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense British drama. The disaster is portrayed largely from the perspective of the ocean liner's second officer, Charles Lightoller. Despite numerous warnings about ice, the ship sails on, with Capt. Edward John Smith keeping it going at a steady clip. When the doomed vessel finally hits an iceberg, the crew and passengers discover that they lack enough lifeboats, and tragedy follows.
The Man Who Would Be KingThe Man Who Would Be King · 1975
The Man Who Would Be King
7.51975
MovieAdventureDrama
Tired of life as soldiers, Peachy Carnehan and Danny Dravot travel to the isolated land of Kafiristan, where they are ultimately embraced by the people and revered as rulers. After a series of misunderstandings, the natives come to believe that Dravot is a god, but he and Carnehan can't keep up their deception forever.
Without AirWithout Air · 1997
Without Air
10.01997
MovieDrama
This independent American feature tells the story of Shay and her boyfriend Radio. While he puts his unexpressed pain into heartrending Hendrix-like guitar-playing, Shay earns a living by stripping in a downtown bar. "Some people feel like they're living a life, I feel like I'm watching TV", is how Shay describes her life.
Pool of LondonPool of London · 1951
Pool of London
6.61951
MovieCrimeDrama
Jewel thieves, murder, and a manhunt swirl around a sailor off a cargo ship in post-war London.
Saraband for Dead LoversSaraband for Dead Lovers · 1948
Saraband for Dead Lovers
6.61948
MovieRomanceHistory
Sophie Dorothea is a young woman forced into a loveless marriage with Prince George Louis of Hanover. George Louis is later crowned King George I of England. Despairing of ever experiencing true love, the depressed queen finds life at court no solace. Sophie then falls for a dashing Swedish soldier of fortune, Count Konigsmark.
Goodbye, Mr. ChipsGoodbye, Mr. Chips · 1969
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
6.71969
MovieDramaMusic
Academy Award-honoree Peter O'Toole stars in this musical classic about a prim English schoolmaster who learns to show his compassion through the help of an outgoing showgirl. O'Toole, who received his fourth Oscar-nomination for this performance, is joined by '60s pop star Petula Clark and fellow Oscar-nominee Michael Redgrave.

Movies

Brief EncounterBrief Encounter · 1945
Brief Encounter
7.71945
MovieDramaRomance
Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey. Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love.
The BountyThe Bounty · 1984
The Bounty
6.81984
MovieActionDrama
An idyllic voyage to Tahiti in 1789 turns a crew aboard the H.M.S. Bounty against its captain when they find a tropical paradise.
A Night to RememberA Night to Remember · 1958
A Night to Remember
7.61958
MovieDramaAction
The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense British drama. The disaster is portrayed largely from the perspective of the ocean liner's second officer, Charles Lightoller. Despite numerous warnings about ice, the ship sails on, with Capt. Edward John Smith keeping it going at a steady clip. When the doomed vessel finally hits an iceberg, the crew and passengers discover that they lack enough lifeboats, and tragedy follows.
The Man Who Would Be KingThe Man Who Would Be King · 1975
The Man Who Would Be King
7.51975
MovieAdventureDrama
Tired of life as soldiers, Peachy Carnehan and Danny Dravot travel to the isolated land of Kafiristan, where they are ultimately embraced by the people and revered as rulers. After a series of misunderstandings, the natives come to believe that Dravot is a god, but he and Carnehan can't keep up their deception forever.
Without AirWithout Air · 1997
Without Air
10.01997
MovieDrama
This independent American feature tells the story of Shay and her boyfriend Radio. While he puts his unexpressed pain into heartrending Hendrix-like guitar-playing, Shay earns a living by stripping in a downtown bar. "Some people feel like they're living a life, I feel like I'm watching TV", is how Shay describes her life.
Pool of LondonPool of London · 1951
Pool of London
6.61951
MovieCrimeDrama
Jewel thieves, murder, and a manhunt swirl around a sailor off a cargo ship in post-war London.
Saraband for Dead LoversSaraband for Dead Lovers · 1948
Saraband for Dead Lovers
6.61948
MovieRomanceHistory
Sophie Dorothea is a young woman forced into a loveless marriage with Prince George Louis of Hanover. George Louis is later crowned King George I of England. Despairing of ever experiencing true love, the depressed queen finds life at court no solace. Sophie then falls for a dashing Swedish soldier of fortune, Count Konigsmark.
Goodbye, Mr. ChipsGoodbye, Mr. Chips · 1969
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
6.71969
MovieDramaMusic
Academy Award-honoree Peter O'Toole stars in this musical classic about a prim English schoolmaster who learns to show his compassion through the help of an outgoing showgirl. O'Toole, who received his fourth Oscar-nomination for this performance, is joined by '60s pop star Petula Clark and fellow Oscar-nominee Michael Redgrave.
The Hitch Hikers Guide to the GalaxyThe Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy · 1981
The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy
7.31981
MovieAdventureComedy
An Earth Man and his alien friend escape an exploding Earth, and set forth on an odd adventure across the universe with a known fugitive.
Cat GirlCat Girl · 1957
Cat Girl
4.91957
MovieHorror
A psychiatrist treats a woman who is convinced that she turns into a killer leopard because of a family curse.
The Seven-Per-Cent SolutionThe Seven-Per-Cent Solution · 1976
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
6.21976
MovieMysteryThriller
Concerned about his friend's cocaine use, Dr. Watson tricks Sherlock Holmes into travelling to Vienna, where Holmes enters the care of Sigmund Freud. Freud attempts to solve the mysteries of Holmes' subconscious, while Holmes devotes himself to solving a mystery involving the kidnapping of Lola Deveraux.
The Doctor and the DevilsThe Doctor and the Devils · 1985
The Doctor and the Devils
6.21985
MovieHorrorHistory
In Victorian England, graverobbers supply a wealthy doctor with bodies to research anatomy on, but greed causes them to seek an easier means of getting the job done.
How I Won the WarHow I Won the War · 1967
How I Won the War
5.61967
MovieComedyWar
An inept British WWII commander leads his troops to a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.
This Happy BreedThis Happy Breed · 1944
This Happy Breed
7.11944
MovieDrama
A chronicle of the lives of the Gibbons family, from shortly after the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum · 1966
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
6.11966
MovieMusicComedy
A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom.
TrogTrog · 1970
Trog
4.51970
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
Anthropologist Dr Brockton unearths a primitive troglodyte — an Ice Age 'missing link': half-caveman, half-ape — in a local cave. Through experimentation, she manages to communicate with and domesticate him before he's released by an irate land developer and goes on a rampage, terrorising the local citizenry.
The ProfessionalsThe Professionals · 1960
The Professionals
5.51960
MovieCrimeThriller
A renowned safecracker and his crew try to rob a bank by entering the vault through the sewer system.
The Yes GirlsThe Yes Girls · 1971
The Yes Girls
2.61971
MovieDrama
Maria, a juvenile delinquent is stuck in a boring girls school for young offenders in Sunderland. A suggestive wink and a flash of her knickers at an elderly gardener is enough to convince the old sod to help Maria escape from the school.
Two-Way StretchTwo-Way Stretch · 1960
Two-Way Stretch
6.81960
MovieComedyCrime
Three criminals plan to break out of prison the day before their release in order to carry out a daring jewel robbery, intending to establish the perfect alibi by returning to jail afterwards. First however they must get out, a task made more difficult by a new, stricter prison officer.
The Return of the SoldierThe Return of the Soldier · 1983
The Return of the Soldier
6.31983
MovieDrama
The horrors of World War I have robbed returning veteran Chris Baldry of his memory. The traumatized soldier doesn't even recognize his own wife, Kitty, or remember their years together. While Baldry attempts to cope with the unfamiliar surroundings of his own home, he seeks out the company of an old flame from his childhood, Margaret Grey. His amnesia also makes him a ready target for the affections of his older cousin, Jenny.
The Shooting PartyThe Shooting Party · 1985
The Shooting Party
6.61985
MovieDramaRomance
1913, shortly before the outbreak of WWI. A group of aristocrats gathers at the estate of Sir Randolph Nettleby for a weekend shoot. As the terminal decrepitude of a dying class is reflected in the social interactions and hypocrisy of its members, only world weary Sir Randolph seems to realise that the sun is setting.
Henry VIIIHenry VIII · 1979
Henry VIII
6.61979
MovieHistoryDrama
Henry is a proud monarch who flies in the face of the church in seeking to divorce Queen Katherine and marry Anne Bullen. As cardinal Wolsey, the powerful Lord Chancellor of England, attempts to bend Rome to the King's wishes, the court reverbates with political intrigue and accusations of treachery.
Doctor Who: The Space PiratesDoctor Who: The Space Pirates · 1969
Doctor Who: The Space Pirates
5.21969
MovieScience FictionDrama
The TARDIS materialises in Earth's future on a space beacon just before it is attacked by pirates. The travellers find themselves trapped in a sealed section of the beacon. It is blown apart and flown to where the pirates will plunder it of the precious mineral argonite. They witness a conflict between the pirates and the Interstellar Space Corps, led by General Hermack and Major Warne. The ISC are convinced that the pirates' mastermind is an innocent yet eccentric space mining pioneer named Milo Clancey, while their true leader is a man named Caven. Caven has a secret base on the planet Ta. He is assisted by Madeleine Issigri, daughter of Clancey's ex-partner Dom, who - unknown to her - is now his captive. When Madeleine discovers Caven's full treachery, she helps to bring him to justice. The time travellers are given a lift back to the TARDIS by Clancey in his rickety old ship, the LIZ 79.
The Blue LampThe Blue Lamp · 1950
The Blue Lamp
6.61950
MovieCrimeThriller
P.C. George Dixon is a long-serving traditional copper who is due to retire shortly. He takes a new recruit under his aegis and introduces him to the easy-going night beat. Dixon is a classic ordinary hero but also anachronistic, unprepared and unable to answer the violence of the 1950s.

TV Shows

Doctor WhoDoctor Who · 1963
Doctor Who
7.91963
SeriesDrama
The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.
The AvengersThe Avengers · 1961
The Avengers
7.81961
SeriesCrime
A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).
Count DuckulaCount Duckula · 1988
Count Duckula
7.91988
SeriesAnimation
Count Duckula is a vegetarian vampire duck, coming into the world as an accident. Unlike his family and ancestors, he has no bloodlust, as when he was reincarnated, blood was omitted and replaced with ketchup.
No Hiding PlaceNo Hiding Place · 1959
No Hiding Place
4.81959
SeriesCrimeDrama
No Hiding Place is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series Murder Bag and Crime Sheet, all starring Raymond Francis as Detective Superintendent, later Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart.
All Creatures Great and SmallAll Creatures Great and Small · 1978
All Creatures Great and Small
7.81978
SeriesComedyDrama
The trials and misadventures of the staff at a country veterinary office in Yorkshire. James Herriot, a young animal surgeon, moves to a small Yorkshire town to begin his first job.
Scarecrow and Mrs. KingScarecrow and Mrs. King · 1983
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
6.61983
SeriesDrama
Scarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show stars Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance, after encountering one another in a train station.
The Wednesday PlayThe Wednesday Play · 1964
The Wednesday Play
5.21964
SeriesDrama
An anthology series of television plays which aired on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured.
Danger ManDanger Man · 1960
Danger Man
7.41960
SeriesDrama
Danger Man is a British television series which was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the programme and wrote many of the scripts. Danger Man was financed by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment.
Jeeves and WoosterJeeves and Wooster · 1990
Jeeves and Wooster
8.11990
SeriesComedy
Jeeves and Wooster is a British comedy-drama series adapted by Clive Exton from P.G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" stories. It aired on the ITV network from 1990 to 1993, starring Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster, a young gentleman with a "distinctive blend of airy nonchalance and refined gormlessness", and Stephen Fry as Jeeves, his improbably well-informed and talented valet. Wooster is a bachelor, a minor aristocrat and member of the idle rich. He and his friends, who are mainly members of The Drones Club, are extricated from all manner of societal misadventures by the indispensable valet, Jeeves. The stories are set in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1930s.
UFOUFO · 1970
UFO
7.81970
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyDrama
A secret, high-technology international agency called SHADO defends Earth from alien invaders.
Dr. Finlay's CasebookDr. Finlay's Casebook · 1962
Dr. Finlay's Casebook
6.71962
SeriesComedyDrama
Dr Finlay's Casebook is a BBC television series that was broadcast from 1962 until 1971. Based on A. J. Cronin's novella Country Doctor, the storylines centred on a general medical practice in the fictional Scottish town of Tannochbrae during the late 1920s.
Sunday Night TheatreSunday Night Theatre · 1950
Sunday Night Theatre
3.51950
SeriesDrama
Sunday Night Theatre was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, partly because of technical limitations in this era, and the theatrical basis of early television drama. Some of the earliest collaborations between Rudolph Cartier and Nigel Neale were produced for this series, including Arrow to the Heart and Nineteen Eighty-Four. The Sunday night drama slot was subsequently renamed The Sunday-Night Play which ran for four seasons between 1960 and 1963. ITV transmitted its own unrelated run of Sunday Night Theatre between 1971 and 1974.
Van der ValkVan der Valk · 1972
Van der Valk
6.21972
SeriesDrama
Van der Valk is a British television series that was produced by Thames Television for the ITV network. It starred Barry Foster in the title role as Dutch detective Commissaris "Piet" van der Valk. Based on the characters and atmosphere of the novels of Nicolas Freeling, the first series was shown in 1972.
DetectiveDetective · 1964
Detective
9.01964
SeriesCrime
A BBC anthology series featuring adaptations of detective stories over 45 episodes in three seasons that ran from 1964 to 1969. As with many BBC programmes made before the early 1970s, many of its episodes no longer exist. Of the eighteen episodes from the first season only twelve are currently known to exist; likewise six of the sixteen editions from the second run are considered lost, and just one of the final ten survives in the archives.
The Rivals of Sherlock HolmesThe Rivals of Sherlock Holmes · 1971
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
7.51971
SeriesMysteryCrime
An anthology series produced by Thames Television, comprised of short mystery, suspense or crime adaptations featuring, as the title suggests, detectives who were literary contemporaries of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.
TargetTarget · 1977
Target
7.01977
SeriesDramaCrime
A crime drama set in Southampton following a team of detectives and the cases they solve.
PoldarkPoldark · 1975
Poldark
6.91975
SeriesDrama
Poldark is a television drama based on Winston Graham's novels of the same title. It was first transmitted on BBC Two across two seasons between 1975 and 1977. The adaptation covered all seven novels (of the eventual twelve) published up to the time. In late 18th-century Cornwall, Ross Poldark loses his fiancée, well-bred beauty Elizabeth, to his cousin Francis. He ends up marrying his servant, Demelza Carne, but his passion for Elizabeth simmers on for years. Meanwhile, he strives to make his derelict copper mines a success. Life is hard, smuggling is rife, and Ross finds himself taking the side of the underclass against the ruthless behaviour of his enemies, the greedy Warleggan clan.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy · 1981
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
8.01981
SeriesComedySci-Fi & Fantasy
Don't Panic! The story of Arthur Dent, an average Englishman whose life was spared by his friend, who turned out to be an alien, while the planet Earth is destroyed. His friend tells him about the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a guide with anything you ever needed, and wanted to know. They travel across the galaxy, meeting friendly, and not so friendly characters in order to find the great question (the answer being 42).
The Main ChanceThe Main Chance · 1969
The Main Chance
8.31969
SeriesDrama
The Main Chance was a British television series which first aired on ITV between 1969,1970,1972 and 1975. A drama, it depicts the sudden transformation in the life of solicitor David Main who relocates from London to Leeds.
Out of the UnknownOut of the Unknown · 1965
Out of the Unknown
7.11965
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyDrama
Out of the Unknown is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Each episode was a dramatisation of a science fiction short story; some were created for the series, but most were adaptations of already published stories. The first three years were exclusively science fiction, but that genre was abandoned in the final year in favour of horror and fantasy. A number of episodes were wiped during the early 1970s, as was standard procedure at the time.
ShoestringShoestring · 1979
Shoestring
7.71979
SeriesCrimeDrama
Shoestring is a BBC detective drana set in Bristol and starring Trevor Eve as private detective Eddie Shoestring, who operatee his own show on Radio West, the local radio station. The programme ran between 30 September 1979 and 21 December 1980, in two series with 21 hour-long episodes. Eve opted not to return after two series, as he wanted to diversify into theatre, so the production team changed the setting to Jersey and created Bergerac, also following a detective returning to work after a bad period in his life.
BudgieBudgie · 1971
Budgie
7.21971
Series
Budgie is a popular British television series starring former popstar Adam Faith which was produced by ITV company London Weekend Television and broadcast on the ITV network between 1971 and 1972. The series was created by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall . The show was produced by Verity Lambert, Rex Firkin was the Executive producer.
The Adventures of Sir LancelotThe Adventures of Sir Lancelot · 1956
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot
7.01956
Series
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot is a British television series first broadcast in 1956, produced by Sapphire Films for ITC Entertainment and screened on the ITV network. The series starred William Russell as the eponymous Sir Lancelot, a Knight of the Round Table in the time of King Arthur at Camelot.
Richard the LionheartRichard the Lionheart · 1962
Richard the Lionheart
9.01962
SeriesFamily
A kid-friendly take on the exploits of King Richard the Lion Heart, from his participation in the Crusades, to his capture in Austria, to his final return to England.