John Abbott
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- June 5, 1905
- Died
- May 24, 1996
- Birthplace
- 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.
Filmography
The Commissioner 1998
as Commissioner's Laywer
A Hazard of Hearts 1987
as 2nd Gambler
Quest 1984
Actor
Smorgasbord 1983
as Surgeon
Slapstick of Another Kind 1982
as Dr. Frankenstein
- Blunt Instrument
Blunt Instrument 1981
as Dr. Durrant
- Outside Chance
Outside Chance 1978
as Coroner
Sherlock Holmes in New York 1976
as Heller
The Black Bird 1975
as Duquai
The Cat Creature 1973
as Dr. Reinhart
The Epic That Never Was 1969
as Ms. Robson's Host (uncredited)
2000 Years Later 1969
as Gregorius
Three Guns for Texas 1968
as Banker Irwing
The Jungle Book 1967
as Akela (voice)
Gambit 1966
as Emile
The Greatest Story Ever Told 1965
as Aben
Who's Minding the Store? 1963
as Mr. Orlandos
Gigi 1958
as Manuel
Omar Khayyam 1957
as Yusuf
Public Pigeon No. 1 1957
as Dipso Dale Rutherford
The Miracle on 34th Street 1955
as Dr. Sawyer
The Steel Lady 1953
as Mustafa el Melik
Sombrero 1953
as Don Daniel
Rogue's March 1953
as Herbert Bielensen
Thunder in the East 1952
as Nitra Puta
The Merry Widow 1952
as Marshovian Ambassador
Thunder on the Hill 1951
as Abel Harmer
Crosswinds 1951
as Sykes
Navy Bound 1951
as Pappa Cerrano
Sideshow 1950
as Pierre
Madame Bovary 1949
as Mayor Tuvache
The Woman in White 1948
as Frederick Fairlie
If Winter Comes 1947
as Mr. Twyning
Adventure Island 1947
as Huish
The Web 1947
as Charles Murdock
Time Out of Mind 1947
as Max Leiberman
Humoresque 1947
as Rozner
Deception 1946
as Bertram Gribble
Anna and the King of Siam 1946
as Phya Phrom
One More Tomorrow 1946
as Joseph Baronova
The Bandit of Sherwood Forest 1946
as Will Scarlet
The Notorious Lone Wolf 1946
as Lal Bara
Saratoga Trunk 1945
as Roscoe Bean
Pursuit to Algiers 1945
as Jodri
The Crime Doctor's Warning 1945
as Jimmy Gordon
A Thousand and One Nights 1945
as Ali
Honeymoon Ahead 1945
as Welles
The Power of the Whistler 1945
as Kaspar Andropolous
The Vampire's Ghost 1945
as Webb Fallon
The Falcon in Hollywood 1944
as Martin S. Dwyer
End of the Road 1944
as Chris Martin
Cry of the Werewolf 1944
as Peter Althius
Abroad with Two Yanks 1944
as Salesman
Secrets of Scotland Yard 1944
as Mortimer Cope
U-Boat Prisoner 1944
as Alfonse Lamont
Summer Storm 1944
as Lunin
Once Upon a Time 1944
as Reporter (uncredited)
The Mask of Dimitrios 1944
as Mr. Pappas
Jane Eyre 1943
as Mason
The Cross of Lorraine 1943
as Baker (uncredited)
Dangerous Blondes 1943
as Roland X. Smith (uncredited)
Mission to Moscow 1943
as Grinko (uncredited)
Hangmen Also Die! 1943
as Hostage (scenes deleted)
They Got Me Covered 1943
as Gregory Vanesou
The Gorilla Man 1943
as Dr. Ferris
London Blackout Murders 1943
as Jack Rawlings
Nightmare 1942
as Carl aka Charles
Get Hep to Love 1942
as Professor Radowsky
Mrs. Miniver 1942
as Fred
Rubber Racketeers 1942
as Dumbo
This Above All 1942
as Joe
Joan of Paris 1942
as English Spy
The Shanghai Gesture 1941
as Poppy's Escort
Ten Days in Paris 1940
as André
The Great Commandment 1939
as Starving Beggar, as Starving Begger (uncredited)
The Saint in London 1939
as Count Stephen Duni
This Man Is News 1938
as Hood with Foreign Accent
Under Secret Orders 1937
as Armand
Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel 1937
as Flower Seller
Street of Shadows 1937
Actor
The Conquest of the Air 1931
as Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier
Credits from TMDB.