James Hayter
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- April 23, 1907
- Died
- March 27, 1983
- Birthplace
- Lonavala, India
James Hayter (23 April 1907 – 27 March 1983) was a British actor. He was born in Lonavala, India, brought up in Scotland and died in Spain. His best remembered film roles include Friar Tuck in the 1952 film The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men and Samuel Pickwick in The Pickwick Papers of the same year. His rotund appearance and fruity voice made him a natural choice for such roles. A pupil of Dollar Academy, he became a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, his film career began in 1936 in Sensation, but was interrupted by World War II during which he served in the Royal Armoured Corps. His later career included roles in TV series such as The Forsyte Saga (1967), The Onedin Line and Are You Being Served?. His 1946 television series Pinwright's Progress, shown on the BBC, is recognised as the first real example of the half-hour situation comedy format in the history of British television. He was also the original narrator of the UK television advertisements for Mr. Kipling cakes. In fact, these ads led to his departure from Are You Being Served?; the cake company paid him a significant bonus to withdraw from the series, as they felt his reputation lent an air of dignity to their snack advertisements. In the film Oliver!, he played Mr Jessop the book shop owner. He appeared in scenes when Dodger steals a gentleman's wallet outside the book shop and also when Oliver is in court charged with the robbery. Hayter used to have a tree house in his back garden where he would retire of an evening to learn and practise his lines from his current script. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Hayter, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
- The Funny Blokes of British Comedy
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy 2005
as Mr. Percival Tebbs (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Light Princess 1978
as Owl (voice)
The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones 1976
as Briggs
Burke & Hare 1972
as Dr. Selby
Not Tonight, Darling 1971
as Mr. Finlay / grocer owner
Blood on Satan's Claw 1971
as Squire Middleton
The Firechasers 1971
as Inspector Herman
The Horror of Frankenstein 1970
as Bailiff
Song of Norway 1970
as Butler to Berg
David Copperfield 1969
as Porter
Oliver! 1968
as Mr. Jessop
A Challenge for Robin Hood 1967
as Friar Tuck
Stranger in the House 1967
as Harry Hawkins
Lawrence of Arabia 1962
as Sheik in Arab Council (uncredited)
Out of the Fog 1962
as Daniels
Go to Blazes 1962
as Pipe Smoker
- You'll Never See Me Again
You'll Never See Me Again 1959
as Joe Alden
The Boy and the Bridge 1959
as Tugboat Skipper
The 39 Steps 1959
as Mr Memory
The Captain's Table 1959
as Chief Engineer Earnshaw
I Was Monty's Double 1958
as Sgt. Adams
The Big Money 1958
as Mr Frith
Gideon's Day 1958
as Robert Mason, as Mason
Sail Into Danger 1957
as Monty
The Heart Within 1957
as Grandfather Willard
Carry On Admiral 1957
as Sir Henry Tomkinson (uncredited)
Mañana... 1957
as Silvestre
Seven Waves Away 1957
as 'Cookie' Morrow
It's a Wonderful World 1956
as Bert Fielding
Port Afrique 1956
as Nino
Keep It Clean 1956
as Mr. Bouncenboy
Touch and Go 1955
as Kimball
Land of the Pharaohs 1955
as Mikka
Beau Brummell 1954
as Mortimer
The Awakening 1954
as The Chief
For Better, for Worse 1954
as Plumber
A Day to Remember 1953
as Fred Collins
Will Any Gentleman...? 1953
as Dr. Smith
Always a Bride 1953
as Dutton
Four Sided Triangle 1953
as Dr. Harvey
The Great Game 1953
as Joe Lawson
- Royal Review
Royal Review 1953
as Commentator (voice)
The Pickwick Papers 1952
as Samuel Pickwick
The Crimson Pirate 1952
as Prof. Elihu Prudence
I'm A Stranger 1952
as Horatio Flowerdew
The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men 1952
as Friar Tuck
Calling Bulldog Drummond 1951
as Bill
Tom Brown's Schooldays 1951
as Old Thomas
Flesh and Blood 1951
as Sir Douglas Manley
The Woman with No Name 1950
as Captain Bradshawe
Trio 1950
as Albert Foreman (segment "The Verger")
Waterfront 1950
as Ship's Captain
Night and the City 1950
as Figler (uncredited)
Your Witness 1950
as Prouty
Morning Departure 1950
Actor
- Scrapbook for 1933
Scrapbook for 1933 1950
as (voice)
The Spider and the Fly 1949
as Mayor
Passport to Pimlico 1949
as Commissionaire
Dear Mr. Prohack 1949
as Carrell Quire
Helter Skelter 1949
as Inn Landlord (uncredited)
Don't Ever Leave Me 1949
as Man with Summons
All Over the Town 1949
as Councillor Baines
For Them That Trespass 1949
as John Craigie 'Jocko' Glenn
The Blue Lagoon 1949
as Dr Murdock
Once a Jolly Swagman 1949
as Pa Fox
Silent Dust 1949
as Pringle
No Room at the Inn 1948
as Councilor Trouncer
Quartet 1948
as Foreman of the Jury (segment "The Alien Corn")
Bonnie Prince Charlie 1948
as Kingsburgh
Woman Hater 1948
as Mr. Burrell
The Fallen Idol 1948
as Perry
A Song for Tomorrow 1948
as Nicholas Klausmann
My Brother Jonathan 1948
as Tom Morse
Vice Versa 1948
as Bandmaster
The End of the River 1947
as Chico
The Ghosts of Berkeley Square 1947
as Capt. Dodds (uncredited)
The October Man 1947
as Garage Man
Captain Boycott 1947
as Music Hall Comic (uncredited)
The Mark of Cain 1947
as Dr. White
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby 1947
as Ned and Charles Cheeryble
School for Secrets 1946
as Warrant Officer
The Laughing Lady 1946
as Ostler
Sailors Three 1940
as Hans
Band Waggon 1940
as (uncredited)
Come on George! 1939
as Barker
Murder in Soho 1939
as Nick Green
- The Moon in the Yellow River
The Moon in the Yellow River 1938
as Captain Potts
Marigold 1938
as Peter Gloag
Big Fella 1938
as Chuck
Aren't Men Beasts! 1937
as Minor Role
Sensation 1936
as Jock
Credits from TMDB.