Jack Hawkins
Encyclopedia
Colonel
John Edward "Jack" Hawkins CBE
(14 September 1910 - 18 July 1973) was an English
actor
of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.
, Middlesex
, the son of master builder
Thomas George Hawkins and his wife, Phoebe née Goodman. The youngest of four children in a close-knit family, Jack was educated at St. Michael's School, Wood Green, where he joined his school choir at the age of eight; two years later he sang in the local operatic society's Patience
by Gilbert and Sullivan
.
Hawkins attended stage school in London, the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, which led to his London
stage debut in Where the Rainbow Ends at the Holborn Empire
on 26 December 1923, a production that also included the young Noël Coward
. Hawkins made his New York
stage debut on Broadway
by 22 March 1929 as Second Lieutenant Hibbert in R. C. Sherriff's
Journey's End
, at the age of 18.
As early as 1933, the drama critic of the Evening News called him ‘the most indubitable of matinée idols’ and predicted that he might outstrip talented contemporaries such as Ralph Richardson
and John Gielgud
, and in the pre-war years Hawkins often worked with the latter. The high point of this collaboration was Gielgud's staging, in the period of the Phoney War, of Oscar Wilde
's The Importance of Being Earnest
in which Hawkins scintillated in the role of Algernon Moncrieff.
After the fall of France
in 1940, Hawkins volunteered for service with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He was posted to India
where he was put in charge of troop entertainment and, by July 1944, he was a colonel
commanding the administration of the Entertainments National Service Association
(ENSA) for India and Southeast Asia
.
Although he had appeared in several films during the 1930s, it was only after World War II
that he began to build a successful career in the cinema; he signed a three-year film contract with Alexander Korda
and later switched to Rank
, ceasing to appear on the stage after 1951. He often played stern but sympathetic authority figures in films like Angels One Five
, The Cruel Sea
, the film that made him a star, and The Long Arm
.
From the late 1950s, he mostly appeared in character roles, often in epic films like The Bridge on the River Kwai
, Lawrence of Arabia
(playing General Edmund Allenby
), Lord Jim
and Oh! What a Lovely War
. For The Bridge on the River Kwai, he had to persuade good friend Alec Guinness
to take the lead role, which would ultimately win Guinness an Oscar.
Some of Hawkins more unusual roles included an Egyptian
Pharaoh
in Land of the Pharaohs
, Ben Hur's adoptive Roman father Quintus Arrius in Ben-Hur
, and Zulu
, where he played against type as the fanatical coward, Reverend Otto Witt.
He appeared as one of The Four Just Men (1959) in the Sapphire Films
TV series for ITV
.
In reality Hawkins was politically liberal, and an emotional man, in sharp contrast to his conservative screen image. One of his favourite films, The League of Gentlemen
, was considered quite groundbreaking for its time in its references to sex. However, though initially sought for the role of a gay barrister in Victim, he turned it down fearing that it might conflict with his masculine image. The role was eventually played by Dirk Bogarde
.
Hawkins also produced the film adaptation of Peter Barnes
's The Ruling Class
(1972), with Peter O'Toole
and Alastair Sim
.
in 1959 for what was then described as a secondary condition of the larynx
, but which was probably cancer. In private, he used a mechanical larynx
to aid his speech. In December 1965, he was diagnosed with throat cancer
. His entire larynx was removed in January of the following year; thereafter his performances were dubbed, often (with Hawkins's approval) by Robert Rietti
or actor Charles Gray
.
Following an unsuccessful operation to fit him with an artificial voice box, he died at St Stephen's Hospital, Fulham Road
, London, on 18 July 1973. He was 62. His final appearance was in the television miniseries QB VII
. His autobiography, Anything For a Quiet Life, was published after his death. He was cremated and interred at the Golders Green Crematorium
.
(1909–1994), with whom he had a daughter, Susan; and from 31 October 1947 until his death to Doreen Mary Atkinson (née Beadle), with whom he had a daughter, Caroline and two sons, Nick and Andrew.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
John Edward "Jack" Hawkins CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(14 September 1910 - 18 July 1973) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.
Career
Hawkins was born at Lyndhurst Road, Wood GreenWood Green
Wood Green is a district in north London, England, located in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated north of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London.-History:...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, the son of master builder
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Thomas George Hawkins and his wife, Phoebe née Goodman. The youngest of four children in a close-knit family, Jack was educated at St. Michael's School, Wood Green, where he joined his school choir at the age of eight; two years later he sang in the local operatic society's Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
by Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
.
Hawkins attended stage school in London, the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, which led to his London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
stage debut in Where the Rainbow Ends at the Holborn Empire
Weston's Music Hall
Weston's Music Hall was a music hall and theatre that opened on 16 November 1857 at 242-245 High Holborn. In 1906, the theatre became known as the Holborn Empire.-Early years:...
on 26 December 1923, a production that also included the young Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
. Hawkins made his New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
stage debut on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
by 22 March 1929 as Second Lieutenant Hibbert in R. C. Sherriff's
R. C. Sherriff
-External links:**...
Journey's End
Journey's End
Journey's End is a 1928 drama, the seventh of English playwright R. C. Sherriff. It was first performed at the Apollo Theatre in London by the Incorporated Stage Society on 9 December 1928, starring a young Laurence Olivier, and soon moved to other West End theatres for a two-year run...
, at the age of 18.
As early as 1933, the drama critic of the Evening News called him ‘the most indubitable of matinée idols’ and predicted that he might outstrip talented contemporaries such as Ralph Richardson
Ralph Richardson
Sir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor, one of a group of theatrical knights of the mid-20th century who, though more closely associated with the stage, also appeared in several classic films....
and John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
, and in the pre-war years Hawkins often worked with the latter. The high point of this collaboration was Gielgud's staging, in the period of the Phoney War, of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
in which Hawkins scintillated in the role of Algernon Moncrieff.
After the fall of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
in 1940, Hawkins volunteered for service with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He was posted to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
where he was put in charge of troop entertainment and, by July 1944, he was a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
commanding the administration of the Entertainments National Service Association
Entertainments National Service Association
The Entertainments National Service Association or ENSA was an organisation set up in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes...
(ENSA) for India and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.
Although he had appeared in several films during the 1930s, it was only after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
that he began to build a successful career in the cinema; he signed a three-year film contract with Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
and later switched to Rank
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
, ceasing to appear on the stage after 1951. He often played stern but sympathetic authority figures in films like Angels One Five
Angels One Five
Angels One Five is a 1952 British film directed by George More O'Ferrall, and starring Jack Hawkins, Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, John Gregson, Cyril Raymond, Veronica Hurst and also featuring Bill Everett. Based on the book 'What Are Your Angels Now?' by Pelham Groom Angels One Five is a 1952...
, The Cruel Sea
The Cruel Sea (film)
The Cruel Sea is a 1953 British film from Ealing Studios starring Jack Hawkins and Donald Sinden, with Denholm Elliott, Stanley Baker, Liam Redmond, Virginia McKenna and Moira Lister...
, the film that made him a star, and The Long Arm
The Long Arm (film)
The Long Arm is a 1956 British crime film starring Jack Hawkins, directed by Charles Frend and produced by Michael Balcon. In the US it's known as The Third Key.-Plot:...
.
From the late 1950s, he mostly appeared in character roles, often in epic films like The Bridge on the River Kwai
The Bridge on the River Kwai
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 British World War II film by David Lean based on The Bridge over the River Kwai by French writer Pierre Boulle. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–43 for its historical setting. It stars William...
, Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia (film)
Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through his British company, Horizon Pictures, with the screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. The film stars Peter O'Toole in the title role. It is widely...
(playing General Edmund Allenby
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby GCB, GCMG, GCVO was a British soldier and administrator most famous for his role during the First World War, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918.Allenby, nicknamed...
), Lord Jim
Lord Jim (1965 film)
Lord Jim is a 1965 adventure film made by Columbia Pictures. It was produced and directed by Richard Brooks with Jules Buck and Peter O'Toole as associate producers, from a screenplay by Brooks...
and Oh! What a Lovely War
Oh! What a Lovely War
Oh! What a Lovely War is a musical film based on the stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! originated by Charles Chilton as a radio play, The Long Long Trail in December 1961, and transferred to stage by Gerry Raffles in partnership with Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop created in 1963,...
. For The Bridge on the River Kwai, he had to persuade good friend Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
to take the lead role, which would ultimately win Guinness an Oscar.
Some of Hawkins more unusual roles included an Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
in Land of the Pharaohs
Land of the Pharaohs
Land of the Pharaohs is a 1955 CinemaScope epic film made by the Continental Company, Ltd and presented by Warner Bros. It was directed and produced by Howard Hawks from a screenplay by Harold Jack Bloom, Harry Kurnitz, and the novelist William Faulkner...
, Ben Hur's adoptive Roman father Quintus Arrius in Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
, and Zulu
Zulu (film)
Zulu is a 1964 historical war film depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and the Zulus in January 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War....
, where he played against type as the fanatical coward, Reverend Otto Witt.
He appeared as one of The Four Just Men (1959) in the Sapphire Films
Sapphire Films
Sapphire Films was a British television production company, active in the 1950s. Amongst their best-known series are The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, The Buccaners, and The Four Just Men produced for ITC Entertainment and screened on ITV in the UK, as well as being...
TV series for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
In reality Hawkins was politically liberal, and an emotional man, in sharp contrast to his conservative screen image. One of his favourite films, The League of Gentlemen
The League of Gentlemen (film)
The League of Gentlemen is a 1960 British crime film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Hawkins, Nigel Patrick and Richard Attenborough. It was based on the 1958 novel by John Boland and adapted by Bryan Forbes, who also starred in the film...
, was considered quite groundbreaking for its time in its references to sex. However, though initially sought for the role of a gay barrister in Victim, he turned it down fearing that it might conflict with his masculine image. The role was eventually played by Dirk Bogarde
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
.
Hawkins also produced the film adaptation of Peter Barnes
Peter Barnes
Peter Barnes was an English Olivier Award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His most famous work is the play The Ruling Class, which was made into a 1972 film for which Peter O'Toole received an Oscar nomination....
's The Ruling Class
The Ruling Class
The Ruling Class is a 1972 British black comedy film. It is an adaptation of Peter Barnes' satirical stage play which tells the story of a paranoid schizophrenic British nobleman who inherits a peerage. The film costars Alastair Sim, William Mervyn, Coral Browne, Harry Andrews, Carolyn Seymour,...
(1972), with Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus Lorcan O'Toole is an Irish actor of stage and screen. O'Toole achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, and then went on to become a highly-honoured film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards, and holds the record for most...
and Alastair Sim
Alastair Sim
Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is best remembered in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge, and for his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two St. Trinian's films...
.
Illness and death
A three-pack-a-day smoker, Hawkins began experiencing voice problems in the late 1950s; unknown to the public he had undergone cobalt treatmentCobalt therapy
Cobalt therapy or cobalt-60 therapy is the medical use of gamma rays from cobalt-60 radioisotopes to treat conditions such as cancer.Because the cobalt machines were expensive and required specialist support they were often housed in cobalt units.In 1961 cobalt therapy was expected to replace X-ray...
in 1959 for what was then described as a secondary condition of the larynx
Larynx
The larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles and mammals involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume...
, but which was probably cancer. In private, he used a mechanical larynx
Mechanical larynx
A mechanical larynx, also referred to as a "throat back", is a medical device used to produce clearer speech by those who have lost their original voicebox, usually due to cancer of the larynx. The most common device is the electrolarynx which is handheld, battery operated and placed under the...
to aid his speech. In December 1965, he was diagnosed with throat cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
. His entire larynx was removed in January of the following year; thereafter his performances were dubbed, often (with Hawkins's approval) by Robert Rietti
Robert Rietti
Robert Rietti , usually credited as Robert Rietty, is a Italian actor and director.- Biography :Born of Italian heritage, Lucio Rietti was “discovered” at the age of 8 by his father Vittorio who noticed the boy had completely memorized a copy of a script he had given Lucio having wanted help from...
or actor Charles Gray
Charles Gray (actor)
Charles Gray was an English actor who was well-known for roles including the arch-villain Blofeld in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, Sherlock Holmes' brother Mycroft Holmes in the Granada television series, and as The Criminologist in the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show in...
.
Following an unsuccessful operation to fit him with an artificial voice box, he died at St Stephen's Hospital, Fulham Road
Fulham Road
Fulham Road is a street in London, England, that runs from the A219 road in right in the centre of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, through Chelsea to Brompton Road Knightsbridge and the A4 in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.Fulham Road runs parallel...
, London, on 18 July 1973. He was 62. His final appearance was in the television miniseries QB VII
QB VII
QB VII by Leon Uris was a best seller published in 1970. This four-part novel highlights the events leading to a life-shattering libel trial in the United Kingdom.-Plot summary:...
. His autobiography, Anything For a Quiet Life, was published after his death. He was cremated and interred at the Golders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000, and was opened in 1902 by Sir Henry Thompson....
.
Personal life
Hawkins was married twice: from 22 October 1932 until 1940 to the actress Jessica TandyJessica Tandy
Jessie Alice "Jessica" Tandy was an English-American stage and film actress.She first appeared on the London stage in 1926 at the age of 16, playing, among others, Katherine opposite Laurence Olivier's Henry V, and Cordelia opposite John Gielgud's King Lear. She also worked in British films...
(1909–1994), with whom he had a daughter, Susan; and from 31 October 1947 until his death to Doreen Mary Atkinson (née Beadle), with whom he had a daughter, Caroline and two sons, Nick and Andrew.
Filmography
- Birds of Prey (1930)
- The LodgerThe Lodger (1932 film)The Lodger is a British thriller film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Ivor Novello, Elizabeth Allan and Jack Hawkins. It is based on the novel The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes, also filmed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1927, by John Brahm in 1944, as Man in the Attic directed by Hugo Fregonese,...
(1932) - The Good CompanionsThe Good Companions (1933 film)The Good Companions is a 1933 comedy film directed by Victor Saville starring Jessie Matthews and John Gielgud. It is based on the novel of the same name.-Cast:* Jessie Matthews - Susie Dean* Edmund Gwenn - Jess Oakroyd* John Gielgud - Inigo Jollifant...
(1933) - The Lost ChordThe Lost Chord"The Lost Chord" is a song composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1877 at the bedside of his brother Fred during Fred's last illness. The manuscript is dated 13 January 1877; Fred Sullivan died five days later...
(1933) - I Lived with YouI Lived with YouI Lived with You is a 1933 British romantic comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Ivor Novello, Ursula Jeans and Ida Lupino. It is based on the play I Lived With You by Novello.-Cast:* Ivor Novello - Prince Felix Lenieff...
(1933) - The JewelThe JewelThe Jewel is a 1933 British crime film directed by Reginald Denham and starring Hugh Williams, Frances Drake and Jack Hawkins. A family heirloom is stolen, and the family attempt to recover it.-Cast:* Hugh Williams ... Frank Hallam...
(1933) - A Shot in the DarkA Shot in the Dark (1933 film)A Shot in the Dark is a 1933 British mystery film directed by George Pearson and starring Dorothy Boyd, O. B. Clarence, Jack Hawkins and Michael Shepley. When a wealthy old man dies suddenly, a local reverend suspects something and begins to investigate....
(1933) - Autumn CrocusAutumn Crocus (film)Autumn Crocus is a 1934 British romance film directed by Basil Dean and starring Ivor Novello, Fay Compton and Muriel Aked. A teacher falls in love with the married owner of the guest house in which she is staying during a holiday to Austria...
(1934) - Lorna DooneLorna Doone (1934 film)Lorna Doone is a 1934 British drama film directed by Basil Dean and starring Victoria Hopper, John Loder and Margaret Lockwood. It is based on the novel Lorna Doone by R.D...
(1934) - Death at Broadcasting HouseDeath at Broadcasting HouseDeath at Broadcasting House, also known as Death at a Broadcast, is a 1934 British mystery film directed by Reginald Denham and starring Ian Hunter, Austin Trevor, Henry Kendall, and Jack Hawkins.-Cast:...
(1934) - Peg of Old DruryPeg of Old DruryPeg of Old Drury is a 1935 British historical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Cedric Hardwicke and Margaretta Scott. The film is a biopic of eighteenth century Irish actress Peg Woffington. It was based on the play Masks and Faces by Charles Reade and Tom Taylor.-Cast:*...
(1935) - Beauty and the Barge (1937)
- The FrogThe FrogThe Frog is a 1937 British crime film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Noah Beery, Jack Hawkins and Richard Ainley. The police are on the trail of a criminal mastermind who goes by the name of The Frog. It was based on a novel by Edgar Wallace...
(1937) - Who Goes Next?Who Goes Next?Who Goes Next? is a 1938 British war film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Barry K. Barnes, Sophie Stewart and Jack Hawkins. During the First World War, a number of captured British officers attempt to escape a Prisoner of War camp.-Cast:...
(1938) - A Royal Divorce (1938)
- Murder Will OutMurder Will Out (1940 film)Murder Will Out is a 1939 British crime film directed by Roy William Neill, starring John Loder, Jane Baxter and Jack Hawkins, and released by Warner Brothers...
(1940) - The Flying SquadThe Flying Squad (1940 film)The Flying Squad is a 1940 British crime film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Sebastian Shaw, Phyllis Brooks, Jack Hawkins, Basil Radford, Ludwig Stössel, Kathleen Harrison and Henry Oscar. It was based on a novel by Edgar Wallace in which the officers of the Flying Squad attempt to tackle...
(1940) - The Next of KinThe Next of KinThe Next of Kin, also known as Next of Kin, is a 1942 World War II propaganda film produced by Ealing Studios.The film was originally commissioned by the British War Office as a training film to promote the government propaganda message that "Careless talk costs lives"...
(1942) - The Fallen Idol (1948)
- Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948)
- The Small Back RoomThe Small Back RoomThe Small Back Room is a film by the British producer-writer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger starring David Farrar and Kathleen Byron and featuring Jack Hawkins and Cyril Cusack. It was based on the novel of the same name by Nigel Balchin...
(1949) - The Elusive PimpernelThe Elusive PimpernelThe Elusive Pimpernel is a 1950 British period adventure film by the British-based director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, based on the novel The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. Despite having been shot in color, it was released in the United States in black and...
(1950) - State SecretState SecretState Secret is a 1950 British drama film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Jack Hawkins, Glynis Johns and Herbert Lom. It was released in the United States under the title The Great Manhunt.-Cast:...
(1950) - The Black RoseThe Black RoseThe Black Rose is a 1950 20th Century-Fox film starring Tyrone Power and Orson Welles, loosely based on Thomas B. Costain's book. It was filmed partly on location in England and Morocco which substitutes for the Gobi Desert of China...
(1950) - No Highway in the SkyNo Highway in the SkyNo Highway in the Sky is a 1951 British disaster film directed by Henry Koster and starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich...
(1951) - The AdventurersThe Adventurers (1951 film)The Adventurers is a 1951 British adventure film directed by David MacDonald and starring Jack Hawkins, Peter Hammond and Dennis Price. In the wake of the Boer War several men journey into the South African veldt in search of diamonds.-Cast:...
(1951) - Home at Seven (1952)
- Angels One FiveAngels One FiveAngels One Five is a 1952 British film directed by George More O'Ferrall, and starring Jack Hawkins, Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, John Gregson, Cyril Raymond, Veronica Hurst and also featuring Bill Everett. Based on the book 'What Are Your Angels Now?' by Pelham Groom Angels One Five is a 1952...
(1952) - MandyMandy (film)Mandy was a 1952 Ealing Studios film, based on the book The Day Is Ours by Hilda Lewis, with screenplay by Nigel Balchin and Jack Whittingham, and direction by Alexander Mackendrick and Fred Sears. Another title for the film was Crash of Silence...
(1952) - The Planter's WifeThe Planter's WifeThe Planter's Wife is a 1952 British drama film directed by Ken Annakin, and starring Claudette Colbert, Jack Hawkins and Anthony Steel. It is set against the backdrop of the Malayan Emergency and focuses on a rubber planter and his neighbours who are fending off a campaign of sustained attacks by...
(1952) - The Cruel SeaThe Cruel Sea (film)The Cruel Sea is a 1953 British film from Ealing Studios starring Jack Hawkins and Donald Sinden, with Denholm Elliott, Stanley Baker, Liam Redmond, Virginia McKenna and Moira Lister...
(1953) - Malta StoryMalta StoryMalta Story is a 1953 British war film based on the heroic defence of Malta, the island itself, its people and the RAF aviators who fought to defend it...
(1953) - Twice Upon a Time (1953)
- The IntruderThe Intruder (1953 film)The Intruder is a 1953 British drama film directed by Guy Hamilton and starring Jack Hawkins, George Cole, Dennis Price, George Baker and Hugh Williams.-External links:*...
(1953) - The SeekersThe Seekers (1954 film)The Seekers is a 1954 British adventure film produced by the Rank Organisation and directed by Ken Annakin. It starred Jack Hawkins, Glynis Johns, Noel Purcell, and Kenneth Williams....
(1954) - Front Page StoryFront Page StoryFront Page Story is a 1954 British drama film directed by Gordon Parry and starring Jack Hawkins, Elizabeth Allan and Eva Bartok.-Cast:* Jack Hawkins as Grant* Elizabeth Allan as Susan Grant* Eva Bartok as Mrs. Thorpe* Derek Farr as Teale...
(1954) - Land of the PharaohsLand of the PharaohsLand of the Pharaohs is a 1955 CinemaScope epic film made by the Continental Company, Ltd and presented by Warner Bros. It was directed and produced by Howard Hawks from a screenplay by Harold Jack Bloom, Harry Kurnitz, and the novelist William Faulkner...
(1955) - The PrisonerThe Prisoner (1955 film)The Prisoner is a 1955 drama film directed by Peter Glenville and based on the play by Bridget Boland. The film stars Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins.-Cast:* Alec Guinness as The Cardinal* Jack Hawkins as The Interrogator* Wilfrid Lawson as The Jailer...
(1955) - Touch and GoTouch and Go (1955 film)Touch and Go is a Technicolor British film comedy, directed by Michael Truman and released by Ealing Studios in 1955. The film was indifferently received on release and is not generally included in the canon of classic Ealing Comedies...
(1955)
- The Long ArmThe Long Arm (film)The Long Arm is a 1956 British crime film starring Jack Hawkins, directed by Charles Frend and produced by Michael Balcon. In the US it's known as The Third Key.-Plot:...
(1956) - Fortune is a WomanFortune is a WomanFortune is a Woman is a 1957 British crime film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Jack Hawkins, Arlene Dahl and Dennis Price. An attempted insurance fraud goes badly wrong...
(1957) - Man in the SkyMan in the SkyMan in the Sky is a 1957 film produced by Ealing Studios and starring Jack Hawkins.-Plot:...
(1957) - The Bridge on the River KwaiThe Bridge on the River KwaiThe Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 British World War II film by David Lean based on The Bridge over the River Kwai by French writer Pierre Boulle. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–43 for its historical setting. It stars William...
(1957) - The Two-Headed SpyThe Two-Headed SpyThe Two-Headed Spy is a 1958 British spy thriller, set in World War II. It starred Jack Hawkins and was directed by Andre De Toth. It also starred Gia Scala, Erik Schumann and Alexander Knox.-Plot:...
(1958) - Gideon's DayGideon's Day (film)Gideon's Day is a 1958 British crime film directed by John Ford and starring Jack Hawkins, Dianne Foster and Cyril Cusack. An adaptation of John Creasey's novel of the same name it is the first film to feature the character George Gideon of Scotland Yard, here played by Jack Hawkins. A police...
(USA title: Gideon of Scotland Yard) (1958) - Ben-HurBen-Hur (1959 film)Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
(1959) - The League of GentlemenThe League of Gentlemen (film)The League of Gentlemen is a 1960 British crime film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Hawkins, Nigel Patrick and Richard Attenborough. It was based on the 1958 novel by John Boland and adapted by Bryan Forbes, who also starred in the film...
(1960) - Two LovesTwo LovesTwo Loves is a 1961 American drama film directed by Charles Walters. It was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Shirley MacLaine - Anna Vorontosov* Laurence Harvey - Paul Lathrope* Jack Hawkins - Abercrombie...
(1961) - Lafayette (1961)
- Five Finger ExerciseFive Finger ExerciseFive Finger Exercise is a 1962 drama film made by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by Daniel Mann and produced by Frederick Brisson from a screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, based on the play by Peter Shaffer....
(1962) - Lawrence of ArabiaLawrence of Arabia (film)Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through his British company, Horizon Pictures, with the screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. The film stars Peter O'Toole in the title role. It is widely...
(1962) - RampageRampage (1963 film)Rampage is a 1963 adventure film about big game hunters set in Malaysia and starring Robert Mitchum, Jack Hawkins, and Elsa Martinelli. The movie was directed by Phil Karlson from the novel by Alan Caillou and features a musical score by Elmer Bernstein....
(1963) - ZuluZulu (film)Zulu is a 1964 historical war film depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and the Zulus in January 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War....
(1964) - Guns at BatasiGuns at BatasiGuns at Batasi is a 1964 drama film starring Richard Attenborough, Jack Hawkins, Flora Robson, John Leyton and Mia Farrow. It is set in an overseas colonial military outpost during the last days of the British Empire in East Africa....
(1964) - The Third SecretThe Third Secret (film)The Third Secret is a 1964 British drama film directed by Charles Crichton. The screenplay by Robert L. Joseph focuses on an American newscaster who investigates the mysterious death of his psychoanalyst...
(1964) - Lord JimLord Jim (1965 film)Lord Jim is a 1965 adventure film made by Columbia Pictures. It was produced and directed by Richard Brooks with Jules Buck and Peter O'Toole as associate producers, from a screenplay by Brooks...
(1965) - Masquerade (1965)
- Judith (1966)
- Danger Grows Wild (1966)
- ShalakoShalako (film)Shalako is a 1968 British western film directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot. Stephen Boyd portrayed a classic western villain. Jack Hawkins played an upper class Englishman abroad in the "new" country...
(1968) - Stalked (1968)
- Great CatherineGreat CatherineGreat Catherine is a 1968 British comedy film directed by Gordon Flemyng, based on a play by George Bernard Shaw, and starring Peter O'Toole, Zero Mostel, Jeanne Moreau and Jack Hawkins...
(1968) - Oh! What a Lovely WarOh! What a Lovely WarOh! What a Lovely War is a musical film based on the stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! originated by Charles Chilton as a radio play, The Long Long Trail in December 1961, and transferred to stage by Gerry Raffles in partnership with Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop created in 1963,...
(1969) - Monte Carlo or BustMonte Carlo or BustMonte Carlo or Bust is a 1969 comedy film. The story is based on the Monte Carlo Rally - first raced in 1911 - and the film recalls this general era, set in the 1920s. The film is a British/French/Italian co-production, and was released in the United States under the title Those Daring Young Men in...
(1969) - Waterloo (1970)
- Jane EyreJane Eyre (1970 film)Jane Eyre is a 1970 TV-film directed by Delbert Mann starring George C. Scott and Susannah York. It is based on the 1847 novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë....
(1970) - The Beloved (1970)
- The Adventures of GerardThe Adventures of GerardThe Adventures of Gerard is a 1970 British adventure comedy film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski and starring Peter McEnery, Claudia Cardinale, Eli Wallach and Jack Hawkins...
(1970) - Twinky (1970)
- When Eight Bells TollWhen Eight Bells Toll (1971 film)When Eight Bells Toll is a 1971 action film set in Scotland, based upon Scottish author Alistair MacLean's 1965 novel of the same name. Producer Elliott Kastner planned to produce a string of realistic gritty espionage thrillers to rival the James Bond series, but the film's poor box office...
(1971) - Nicholas and AlexandraNicholas and AlexandraNicholas and Alexandra is a 1971 biographical film which tells the story of the last Russian monarch, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, and his wife, Tsarina Alexandra....
(1971) - KidnappedKidnapped (1971 film)Kidnapped is a 1971 British adventure film directed by Delbert Mann and starring Michael Caine and Trevor Howard, based on the novel Kidnapped and the first half of the sequel Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson.-Plot of the film:...
(1971) - Young WinstonYoung WinstonYoung Winston is a 1972 British film based on the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.The film was based on the book My Early Life: A Roving Commission by Winston Churchill. The first part of the film covers Churchill's unhappy schooldays, up to the death of his father...
(1972) - The Last LionThe Last LionFor the Churchill biography, see The Last Lion: Winston Spencer ChurchillThe Last Lion is a 1972 South African action film directed by Elmo De Witt and starring Jack Hawkins, Karen Spies and Dawid Van Der Walt. The screenplay was written by Wilbur Smith...
(1972) - Escape to the SunEscape to the SunEscape to the Sun is a 1972 drama film written and directed by Menahem Golan and starring Laurence Harvey, Josephine Chaplin, John Ireland, Lila Kedrova and Jack Hawkins. A group of people wish to flee the Soviet Union to escape political repression, but their activities soon attract the attention...
(1972) - Theatre of BloodTheatre of BloodTheatre of Blood is a horror film starring Vincent Price as vengeful actor Edward Lionheart and Diana Rigg as his daughter Edwina Lionheart. The cast includes such distinguished actors as Harry Andrews, Coral Browne, Robert Coote, Jack Hawkins, Michael Hordern, Arthur Lowe, Joan Hickson, Robert...
(1973) - Tales That Witness MadnessTales That Witness MadnessTales That Witness Madness is a 1973 British horror film produced by Norman Priggen, directed by veteran horror director Freddie Francis, and written by actress Jennifer Jayne....
(1973)