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John Abbott

John Abbott

Actor · 1905 – 1996 · Stepney, London, England, UK

John Albert Chamberlain Kefford was an English character actor professionally known as John Abbott. His memorable roles include the invalid Frederick Fairlie in the 1948 film The Woman in White and the pacifist Ayelborne in the Star Trek episode "Errand of Mercy". as well as a Shakespearean actor. In 1934, he began his career in show business when he made his professional stage debut in a revival of Dryden's Aureng-zebe with Sybil Thorndike. He then joined the Old Vic Company and appeared in Shakespearean roles, including Claudius in a production of Hamlet at Elsinore Castle in Denmark with Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and Alec Guinness. His first Broadway role was that of Count Mancini in He Who Gets Slapped in 1946. He also appeared on Broadway in Monserrat and The Waltz of the Toreadors. He made his film debut in Mademoiselle Docteur in 1937 and went on to act in scores of films in the next 30 years. Among his film credits are Mission to Moscow, Jane Eyre, A Thousand and One Nights, Humoresque, and The Greatest Story Ever Told. His television appearances in that time were even more numerous, beginning with pioneering broadcasts by the BBC before the Second World War. In the early days of the Second World War, Abbott worked at the British Embassy in Stockholm. When the time came to leave, he had to by way of the United States. While in the U.S., he was offered a part in Hollywood in 1941 and ended up living there for the rest of his life. On American television between the 1950s and 1970s, Abbott had roles on a wide variety of series such as Kraft Television Theatre, Studio 57, Gunsmoke, Matinee Theatre, Bonanza, Thriller, Star Trek, Mannix, Iron Horse, and Bewitched. Although he was blacklisted during the Red Scare of the 1950s, a producer who wanted to hire him eventually succeeded in getting the actor removed from the list.In his final years, Abbott taught acting to students free of charge. Abbott died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from natural causes on 24 May 1996 at the age of 90.

Movies24

  • Movie7.3

    The Jungle Book

    1967 · 6.8K votes

  • Movie6.4
  • Movie7.1

    Mrs. Miniver

    1942 · 298 votes

  • Movie6.9

    Jane Eyre

    1943 · 157 votes

  • Movie6.2

    Gigi

    1958 · 357 votes

  • Movie6.9

    Hangmen Also Die!

    1943 · 143 votes

  • Movie6.9

    Who's Minding the Store?

    1963 · 92 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Gambit

    1966 · 178 votes

  • Movie6.1
  • Movie6.3

    The Merry Widow

    1952 · 12 votes

  • Movie5.3
  • Movie7.8

    A Hazard of Hearts

    1987 · 25 votes

  • Movie6.8

    Madame Bovary

    1949 · 59 votes

  • Movie6.7

    Deception

    1946 · 50 votes

  • Movie7.1

    The Mask of Dimitrios

    1944 · 57 votes

  • Movie6.2
  • Movie7.0

    Humoresque

    1947 · 73 votes

  • Movie5.7

    Smorgasbord

    1983 · 22 votes

  • Movie5.7

    Summer Storm

    1944 · 12 votes

  • Movie6.8

    Quest

    1984 · 25 votes

  • Movie6.0
  • Movie6.0

    Once Upon a Time

    1944 · 17 votes

  • Movie6.4

    Thunder on the Hill

    1951 · 33 votes

  • Movie5.6

    Thunder in the East

    1952 · 8 votes

Series24

  • TV7.7

    Perry Mason

    1957 · 139 votes

  • TV8.0

    Star Trek

    1966 · 1.6K votes

  • TV7.1

    The Rifleman

    1958 · 54 votes

  • TV6.8

    Mannix

    1967 · 56 votes

  • TV8.0

    Get Smart

    1965 · 448 votes

  • TV7.8

    Bewitched

    1964 · 764 votes

  • TV5.3

    Matinee Theater

    1955 · 7 votes

  • TV7.3

    Have Gun, Will Travel

    1957 · 44 votes

  • TV7.8

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    1955 · 265 votes

  • TV5.4

    Studio One

    1948 · 13 votes

  • TV6.9

    The Beverly Hillbillies

    1962 · 139 votes

  • TV6.3

    Burke's Law

    1963 · 12 votes

  • TV6.4

    Medical Center

    1969 · 14 votes

  • TV6.7

    Gunsmoke

    1955 · 119 votes

  • TV7.3

    Lost in Space

    1965 · 137 votes

  • TV6.8
  • TV6.8

    Land of the Giants

    1968 · 50 votes

  • TV6.6

    Peter Gunn

    1958 · 26 votes

  • TV6.7

    Outlaws

    1960 · 3 votes

  • TV6.1

    Adventures in Paradise

    1959 · 7 votes

  • TV7.2

    The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

    1964 · 75 votes

  • TV6.7

    Thriller

    1960 · 20 votes

  • TV6.0
  • TV6.5

    Telephone Time

    1956 · 4 votes