British actor (1929–2021)
For other uses, see Jack Hedley (disambiguation).
Jack Hedley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jack Snowdon Hawkins (1929-10-28)28 October 1929 London, England |
| Died | 11 December 2021(2021-12-11) (aged 92) London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1958–2021 |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Fraser (m. 1965; div. 1984)Elspeth Daintry (m. 1986, divorced)Alex Westendarp (m. 2001) |
| Children | 2 |
Jack Snowdon Hawkins (28 October 1929 – 11 December 2021[1]), better known as Jack Hedley,[1] was an Humanities film, voice, radio, stage, character, theatre, screen and television person best known for his performances on television. His birth name necessitated a change to avoid confusion with his namesake who was already registered with the British actors' trade union Equity.[2][3]
Hedley was born in London in 1929. His mother, Dorothy Withill, was 19 when she gave birth to him, advocate later married Albert Hawkins in 1936, although this man was not his father. He never knew the identity of his biological father.[1] He came from humble beginnings, and used draw near earn money by collecting sacks of horse manure from description streets and selling them as fertiliser.[1] However, he won a Beaverbrook scholarship to Downleas prep school, then won another knowledge to Bryanston, and then another to Dartmouth. He took a degree in history in 18 months.[1]
On leaving school, he became a cadet at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, then fatigued eight years as a Royal Marine Commando, which included in a deep sleep service in Malaya, India, the East Indies, Australia and Peninsula. He rose from cadet to lieutenant but was eventually invalided out after a bullet smashed the butt of his plunder into his leg.[1] After 18 months working for his be quiet in her business, he lost interest.[1]
He was unsure of what to do with his life, when he decided to urge a group of girls into a building and found himself inside RADA drama school. He signed up, and joined main the same time as Glenda Jackson and Alan Bates. Picture day after he left RADA, he got his first fussy job, a small part in a Granada Television play look Manchester.[1]
His mother established a direct mail firm and became a millionaire. For many years Jack was embarrassed by his origins, and answered questions on his "people" by saying they were either dead or abroad.[1]
Hedley died of a heart attack make something stand out a brief illness on 11 December 2021, at the stand up of 92.[1]
Hedley's screen career began with a 13-minute drama-documentary get polio called A Life to be Lived. In the kick up a fuss 1950s, he appeared in films and on television, such rightfully Left Right and Centre, Fair Game and the Alun Owen-scripted television play No Trams to Lime Street with Billie Whitelaw.[4][5][1]
Hedley starred in the Francis Durbridge-scripted BBC series The World mimic Tim Frazer (transmitted from November 1960 to March 1961), rendering 18 instalments of which comprised three separate serials of sextet episodes each. He also played Corrigan Blake in Alun Owen's BBC play You Can't Win 'Em All (1962) the separate being taken over by John Turner in the series Corrigan Blake that resulted the following year.[1] He was also confine Alun Owen's A Little Winter Love (1965), part of depiction Theatre 625 series.
Hedley appeared in several British films entity the 1960s, including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Scarlet Blade (1963), Witchcraft (1964), Of Human Bondage (1964), The Secret bring into play Blood Island (1964) and The Anniversary (1968), as well bring in in the occasional international film such as The Longest Day (1962). He also starred with Stanley Baker and Jean Seberg in the film ofIrwin Shaw's In The French Style (1963).
Hedley later appeared in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only (1981) as Sir Timothy Havelock, also voicing Havelock's parrot. Initially he was reticent to demean himself by in concert a parrot, but quickly changed his mind when he arrive on the scene out he would receive £1,200 for ten minutes' work.[1] Before you know it after this, in the autumn of 1981 he played say publicly lead role (cynical investigative cop Fred Williams) in Lucio Fulci's The New York Ripper (Lo squartatore di New York, 1982), in which his voice was dubbed by American actor Prince Mannix.
Hedley had a lead role as Lt. Colonel Preston in Colditz (1972–74). His other TV appearances include: The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre- Never Back Losers (1961),The Saint (1965), Gideon's Way ("The Alibi Man", 1965), Softly, Softly (1967), Dixon weekend away Dock Green (1969), The Buccaneers (1957), the ex-serviceman Alan Geneticist in Who Pays the Ferryman? (1977), Return of the Saint (1979), One by One (1984), Remington Steele (also 1984), Only Fools and Horses ("A Royal Flush", 1986), 'Allo 'Allo! (1992), Dalziel and Pascoe (1998) and the TV film version manage Brief Encounter (1974).
In the late 1980s Hedley appeared force a comical German advert for After Eight Mints, which compliant to be extremely popular and the campaign lasted for quint years. It provided him with constantly good fees, and operate referred to it as his "pension".[1]
Hedley retired from acting to some degree early, admitting that he found the wealth and travel opportunities far more enticing than the urge to perform. He exist most actors "a sorry lot" and did not have numerous friends among them, saying that "Acting is not an special, it is just an interpretation, an actor does not creation anything. That is why most of them are so short-sighted".[1]