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Jack Hawkins

John Edward Hawkins, CBE (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s.[1] One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of military men.

Jack Hawkins

Hawkins in 1973, photographed by Allan Warren
Born
John Edward Hawkins

(1910-09-14)14 September 1910
Died18 July 1973(1973-07-18) (aged 62)
Chelsea, London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1923–1973
Spouse(s)
(m. 1932; div. 1940)

(m. 1947)
Children4
Military career
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Rank
Unit
Signature

Career

Hawkins was born at 45 Lyndhurst Road, Wood Green, in what is now Haringey, London, the son of a builder.[2] He was educated at Wood Green's Trinity County Grammar School, where, aged eight, he joined the school choir.[3]

By the age of ten Hawkins had joined the local operatic society, and made his stage debut in Patience by Gilbert and Sullivan. His parents enrolled him in the Italia Conti Academy and whilst he was studying there he made his London stage debut, when aged thirteen, playing the Elf King in Where the Rainbow Ends at the Holborn Empire on Boxing Day, December 1923, a production that also included the young Noël Coward.[3] The following year aged 14 he played the page in a production of Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw.[4] Five years later he was in a production of Beau Geste alongside Laurence Olivier.[5]

He appeared on Broadway in Journey's End by the age of 18.[6]

1930s

In the 1930s Hawkins's focus was on the stage. He worked in the companies of Sybil Thorndike, John Gielgud and Basil Dean.[7] His performances included Port Said by Emlyn Williams (1931), Below the Surface by HL Stoker and LS Hunt (1932), Red Triangle by Val Gielgud (1932), Service by CI Anthony, for director Basil Dean (1933), One of Us by Frank Howard, As You Like It by William Shakespeare (1933) and Iron Flowers by Cecil Lewis (1933, with Jessica Tandy his wife).

He started appearing in films, including a number of "quota quickies" as well as more prestigious productions. His appearances included Birds of Prey (1930), The Lodger (1932) (starring Ivor Novello), The Good Companions (1933), The Lost Chord (1933), I Lived with You (1933), The Jewel (1933), A Shot in the Dark (1933) and Autumn Crocus (1934).

In 1932 he was in a radio production of Hamlet with John Gielgud and Robert Donat and the following year he was in Danger.

He was also in Death at Broadcasting House (1934), Lorna Doone (1934) and Peg of Old Drury (1935).

Stage roles included While Parents Sleep (1932) by Anthony Kimmins, Iron Mistress (1934) by Arthur Macrae; then an open air Shakespeare festival – As You Like It (1934) (with Anna Neagle), Twelfth Night (1934), Comedy of Errors (1934). Some of these productions were done on radio. The Maitlands by Ronald Mackenzie (1934) was for John Gielgud's company. He was Horatio to Gielgud's Hamlet (1934). He also appeared in Accidentally Yours by Clifford Grey (1935), The World Waits by Clifford Hummel (1935), Coincidence by Bryce Robertson (1935) and The Frog (1935).

Films in the late 1930s included Beauty and the Barge (1937), The Frog (1937) (which Hawkins played on stage), Who Goes Next? (1938), A Royal Divorce (1938), Murder Will Out (1939) and The Flying Squad (1940).

Theatre appearances included A Winter's Tale (1937), Autumn by Margaret Kennedy and Gregory Ratoff (1937, with Flora Robson for Basil Dean), The King's Breakfast by Rita Welman and Maurice Marks (1937–38), No More Music by Rosamund Lehman (1938), Can We Tell? by Robert Gore Brown (1938), Traitors Gate by Norma Stuart (1938) and Dear Octopus by Dodie Smith (1938–39).

Second World War

Having attended an Officer Cadet Training Unit, he was commissioned into the Royal Welch Fusiliers, British Army, as a second lieutenant on 8 March 1941.[8] On 22 January 1944, he transferred to the Expeditionary Force Institutes in the rank of lieutenant.[9] He served with ENSA in India and Southeast Asia.[10] He relinquished his commission as a lieutenant (substantive) on 11 October 1946, and was granted the honorary rank of colonel.[11]

During his military service, he made The Next of Kin (1942) for Ealing Studios.

Post-war career

Hawkins left the army in July 1946. Two weeks later he appeared on stage in The Apple Cart at £10 a week. The following year he starred in Othello, to a mixed reception.[12]

Hawkins's wife became pregnant and he became concerned about his future. He decided to accept a contract with Sir Alexander Korda for three years at £50 a week. Hawkins had been recommended to Korda by the latter's production executive, Bill Bryden, who was married to Elizabeth Allen, who had worked with Hawkins.[12]

The association began badly when Hawkins was cast in Korda's notorious flop Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948) as Lord George Murray. However he followed it with a good role in the successful, highly acclaimed The Fallen Idol (1948) for Carol Reed. Also acclaimed was The Small Back Room (1949), for Powell and Pressburger; he impressed as the villain in State Secret (1950), for Sidney Gilliat with Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

He was recruited by 20th Century Fox to support Tyrone Power and Orson Welles in the expensive epic The Black Rose (1950). He made another with Powell and Pressburger for Korda, The Elusive Pimpernel (1950), playing the prince of Wales.

Hawkins played the lead in The Adventurers (1951), shot in South Africa, then had a good role in another Hollywood-financed film shot in Britain, No Highway in the Sky (1951), with James Stewart. It was followed by a British thriller with Ralph Richardson, Home at Seven (1952).

In the spring of 1951 he went to Broadway and played Mercutio in a production of Romeo and Juliet with Olivia de Havilland.[12]

Stardom

Hawkins became a star with the release of three successful films in which he played stern but sympathetic authority figures: Angels One Five (1951), as an RAF officer during the war; The Planter's Wife (1952), as a rubber planter combating communists in the Malayan Emergency (with Claudette Colbert); and Mandy (1952), the headmaster of a school for the deaf. All films ranked among the top ten most popular films at the British box office in 1952 and British exhibitors voted him the fourth most popular British star at the local box office.[13]

Hawkins consolidated his new status with The Cruel Sea (1953), playing a driven naval officer in World War II. Sir Michael Balcon said: "Even before the script was written, we knew it had to be Jack Hawkins. If he hadn't been free to play the part, then there wouldn't have been a film."[12] The Cruel Sea was the most successful film of the year and saw Hawkins voted the most popular star in Britain regardless of nationality.[14]

According to his Guardian obituary, he "exemplified for many cinemagoers the stiff upper lip tradition prevalent in post-war British films. His craggy looks and authoritative bearing were used to good effect whatever branch of the services he represented."[5]

Malta Story (1953) was another military story, with Hawkins as an RAF officer in the Siege of Malta during the war. It too was a hit, the ninth most popular film in Britain in 1953.[15]

He had a guest role in Twice Upon a Time (1953) for Emeric Pressburger. He followed this with two mildly popular dramas – The Intruder (1953) and Front Page Story (1954).

The Seekers (1954) was partly shot in New Zealand and cast Hawkins in a rare romantic role. "My film wives to date usually stay home and knit, or else have conveniently died before the film starts," he said.[16] It was followed by The Prisoner (1955), an unconventional drama, playing the shrewd interrogator in an authoritarian country who gets a respected priest (played by Alec Guinness) to discredit himself. None of these films was commercially successful but Hawkins was still voted the fifth biggest star at the British box office for 1954, and the most popular British one.[17][18] "It's an enviable position, I know", said Hawkins. "But I have to be more careful now about the parts I choose, and it's hard not to offend people. Everyone thinks his own script is the best."[19]

He turned down the role of Colonel Carne in The Glorious Gloucesters for Warwick Films and Captain Cook for a project for the Rank organisation;[4] neither movie was made.

"I'm tired of playing decent fellows", he said in a 1954 interview, "with stiff upper lip and even stiffer morals. I'm going to kill them off before they kill me as an actor. And I want stories written for me, not rejects intended for other fellows... I just inherit them from other people. Often, I find they've left the name of the actor originally suggested for the role. Always the same old names ... Errol Flynn, Gregory Peck ... five or six others. Before the script reaches them, somebody remembers me – especially if it's one of those infernally nice characters."[20]

International star

Hawkins got his wish when he received a Hollywood offer to play a pharaoh for Howard Hawks in Land of the Pharaohs (1955).

He returned home to make an Ealing comedy, Touch and Go (1955), which was not particularly popular. He was more comfortably cast as a police officer in The Long Arm (1956) and a test pilot in The Man in the Sky (1957). He was an insurance investigator in Sidney Gilliat's Fortune Is a Woman (1957).[14][21]

Hawkins's career received a major boost when given the third lead in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), supporting William Holden and Alec Guinness. This was a massive hit and highly acclaimed.

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1958.

Hawkins played the lead role in a film for John Ford, Gideon's Day (USA title: Gideon of Scotland Yard) (1958), playing a police officer. He had a good role as a double agent in a war film, The Two-Headed Spy (1958) then was given another third lead in a Hollywood blockbuster Ben-Hur (1959), playing the Roman admiral who befriends Charlton Heston. It was even more successful than Bridge on the River Kwai.

He appeared as one of The Four Just Men (1959) in the Sapphire Films TV series for ITV.[22] He also played the lead in a version of The Fallen Idol for American TV.

In reality, Hawkins was politically liberal, and an emotional man, in sharp contrast to his conservative screen image. One of his favourite films, the heist film The League of Gentlemen (1960), was considered quite groundbreaking for its time in its references to sex. The film was popular at the British box office, and gave Hawkins his final lead role.

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.[23] There was some talk he would play Captain Bligh in the remake of Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) but Trevor Howard ended up playing the role.

Decline as star

A three-packet-a-day chain smoker, Hawkins began experiencing voice problems in the late 1950s; unbeknownst to the public, he had undergone cobalt treatment in 1959 for what was then described as a secondary condition of the larynx, but which was probably cancer.[24]

Hawkins became worried about his voice and was concerned he would lose it. This caused him to take almost any work that was available. "I had to be realistic and take as much money as I could get while the going was good", he said.[25]

This may explain why he took the part of General Cornwallis in a European epic, La Fayette (1961). He was third lead to Shirley MacLaine and Laurence Harvey in Two Loves (1961), and supported Rosalind Russell in Five Finger Exercise (1962).

"There are not all that number of mature leading men around", he said in a 1961 interview. "There seems to be a generation missing. I think people quit going into the acting profession. A lot of them drifted out during the war. And then when the war was over it was difficult for them to get back into the theatre."[26]

He was in another big hit in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), as General Allenby. Rampage (1963) was less distinguished, but Zulu (1964) gave him a good role as a cowardly priest; it was, however, clearly a supporting part, and Hawkins's days as a star seemed to be over.

He had supporting parts in The Third Secret (1964), Guns at Batasi (1964) and Lord Jim (1965). Masquerade (1965) gave him a lead opposite Cliff Robertson.[27] He made some appearances on US TV: "To Bury Caesar" with Pamela Brown in 1963 and "Back to Back" for The Bob Hope Theatre. He also appeared in Judith (1966), and The Poppy Is Also a Flower (1966).

Illness

In December 1965, Hawkins was diagnosed with throat cancer. His entire larynx was removed in January 1966. In March of that year he appeared at a royal screening of Born Free attended by the Queen and received a standing ovation.[28]

Thereafter his performances were dubbed, often (with Hawkins's approval) by Robert Rietti or Charles Gray. Hawkins continued to smoke after losing his voice.[29] In private, he used a mechanical larynx to aid his speech.[24]

In 1967 it was reported that he would direct Peter O'Toole in St Patrick's Battalion in Mexico but the film was not made.[30]

Instead he resumed his acting career, with his voice dubbed and dialogue kept to a minimum: Shalako (1968) and Great Catherine (1968). In Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), playing Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, he had no lines at all. He had an operation to restore his voice in 1968. It did not work; Hawkins could talk but only in a croaking voice.[31]

"The fact that producers are still offering me work is a source of much gratitude to me", he said in 1969. "I flatter myself that when they cast me in a part it's me Jack Hawkins they want and not the person who was once Jack Hawkins... if you know what I mean. And I'm perfectly honest with anyone who hires me. I tell them exactly what they're letting themselves in for."[25]

Some rare comedies followed: Monte Carlo or Bust (1969), Twinky (1970), The Adventures of Gerard (1970). There was more typical fare: Waterloo (1970), Jane Eyre (1970), The Beloved (1971), When Eight Bells Toll (1971), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and Kidnapped (1971).

The Last Lion (1972), shot in South Africa, offered him a rare lead. It was followed by Young Winston (1972), Escape to the Sun (1972), Theatre of Blood (1973) and Tales That Witness Madness (1973).

Hawkins also produced the film adaptation of Peter Barnes's The Ruling Class (1972), with Peter O'Toole and Alastair Sim.[32]

Personal life

Hawkins married actress Jessica Tandy in 1932, and the couple divorced in 1940. Together, they had one daughter, Susan Hawkins (b. 1934).[33] In 1947, Hawkins married former actress Doreen Lawrence (1919–2013), and they remained married until his death in 1973.[34][35] Together they had three children, Caroline (b. 1955),[36] Andrew, and Nicholas.

Death

In May 1973, Hawkins had an experimental operation on his throat to insert an artificial voicebox. He started haemorrhaging and was admitted to St Stephen's Hospital, Fulham Road, London in June, forcing him to drop out of The Tamarind Seed (1974), in which Hawkins was to have played a Russian general. He died on 18 July 1973,[37] of a secondary haemorrhage. He was 62.[38]

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 his ashes interred at Golders Green Crematorium in north London.

Filmography

British box office ranking

During the 1950s, British exhibitors consistently voted Hawkins one of the most popular local stars in the country in the annual poll conducted by the Motion Picture Herald:

  • 1952 – 4th most popular British star[13]
  • 1953 – most popular international star
  • 1954 – 5th most popular international star, most popular British star[17]
  • 1955 – 6th most popular British star[39]
  • 1956 – 2nd most popular British star[40]
  • 1957 – 9th most popular British star[41]
  • 1958 – 9th most popular British star

References

  1. ^ Obituary Variety, 25 July 1973, page 55.
  2. ^ "Hawkins, John Edward [Jack] (1910–1973)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/57310. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ a b . Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  4. ^ a b "JACK HAWKINS". The Newcastle Sun. No. 11, 178. New South Wales, Australia. 1 April 1954. p. 27. Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ a b "Jack Hawkins". The Guardian. 19 July 1973. p. 7.
  6. ^ The Broadway League. "Jack Hawkins – IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information". ibdb.com.
  7. ^ Thompson, Howard (4 April 1954). "PORTRAIT OF A FILM IDOL: Britain's Jack Hawkins Gives a Self-Effacing Appraisal of Popularity". The New York Times. p. X5.
  8. ^ "No. 35118". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 March 1941. pp. 1794–1795.
  9. ^ "No. 37294". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 October 1945. p. 4893.
  10. ^ "Hawkins, John Edward "Jack"". ww2gravestone.com.
  11. ^ "No. 37809". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 December 1946. p. 5962.
  12. ^ a b c d "Jack's THE BOY IN ENGLAND NOW". Truth. No. 3342. New South Wales, Australia. 14 February 1954. p. 19. Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ a b "COMEDIAN TOPS FILM POLL". The Sunday Herald. Sydney. 28 December 1952. p. 4. Retrieved 9 July 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ a b . britmovie.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  15. ^ "WORLD NEWS IN BRIEF". The Age. No. 30, 786. Victoria, Australia. 1 January 1954. p. 4. Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ ""PASSIONATE" JACK HAWKINS". Brisbane Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 29 October 1953. p. 23 (CITY FINAL). Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ a b "JOHN WAYNE HEADS BOX-OFFICE POLL". The Mercury. Hobart, Tas. 31 December 1954. p. 6. Retrieved 9 July 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ ""DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE" HEADS BOX OFFICE ATTRACTIONS". Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser. Queensland, Australia. 31 December 1954. p. 9. Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "BOOM TIMES FOR JACK HAWKINS". Sunday Mail. Queensland, Australia. 16 May 1954. p. 27. Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ^ "I Want To Be Evil". The Newcastle Sun. No. 11, 357. New South Wales. 9 December 1954. p. 33. Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia. "I Want To Be Evil". The Newcastle Sun. No. 11, 357. New South Wales. 9 December 1954. p. 33. Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ^ Alex von Tunzelmann (6 August 2013). "Land of the Pharaohs: the plot won't triangulate – reel history". The Guardian.
  22. ^ "4 Just Men". 78rpm.co.uk.
  23. ^ . BFI. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.
  24. ^ a b Hawkins, Jack (1975). Anything for a Quiet Life. London: Coronet. ISBN 0-340-19866-4.
  25. ^ a b Goodey, Glenn (8 July 1969). "THROAT OPERATION: Jack Hawkins Can Still Communicate". Los Angeles Times. p. c10.
  26. ^ Finnigan, Joseph (6 July 1961). "Hawkins, 'No Idol,' Is Sought by Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. p. 28.
  27. ^ "'Here they come again': Zulu at 50". theartsdesk.com. 20 June 2014.
  28. ^ "Queen Gives Jack Hawkins a Big Hand". Los Angeles Times. 16 March 1966. p. d14.
  29. ^ "Jack Hawkins movies, photos, movie reviews, filmography and biography". AllMovie.
  30. ^ "Jack Hawkins to direct O'Toole". The Irish Times. 10 July 1967. p. 11.
  31. ^ "Actor speaks again". The Canberra Times. Vol. 42, no. 12, 018. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 June 1968. p. 5. Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  32. ^ . BFI. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.
  33. ^ Chaplin, Charles (18 June 1995). . Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 3 June 2013.
  34. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Hawkins, Jack (1910-1973) Biography". screenonline.org.uk.
  35. ^ "Widow of Jack Hawkins dies aged 94". Telegraph.co.uk. 17 June 2013.
  36. ^ Young, Jim De; Miller, John (2003). London Theatre Walks: Thirteen Dramatic Tours Through Four Centuries of History and Legend. ISBN 9781557835161.
  37. ^ GRO Register of Deaths: SEP 1973 5a 1339 CHELSEA – John Edward Hawkins, DoB = 14 September 1910
  38. ^ "JACK HAWKINS DIES, 62". The Canberra Times. Vol. 47, no. 13, 491. 19 July 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 30 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  39. ^ "'The Dam Busters'." The Times [London, England] 29 December 1955: 12. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.
  40. ^ "The Most Popular Film Star in Britain" The Times [London, England] 7 December 1956: 3. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.
  41. ^ 'BRITISH ACTORS HEAD FILM POLL: BOX-OFFICE SURVEY', The Manchester Guardian (1901–1959) [Manchester (UK)] 27 December 1957: 3.

External links

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For other people named Jack Hawkins see Jack Hawkins disambiguation This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed May 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Jack Hawkins news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message John Edward Hawkins CBE 14 September 1910 18 July 1973 was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s 1 One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s he was known for his portrayal of military men Jack HawkinsCBEHawkins in 1973 photographed by Allan WarrenBornJohn Edward Hawkins 1910 09 14 14 September 1910Wood Green Middlesex EnglandDied18 July 1973 1973 07 18 aged 62 Chelsea London EnglandOccupationActorYears active1923 1973Spouse s Jessica Tandy m 1932 div 1940 wbr Doreen Lawrence m 1947 wbr Children4Military careerAllegianceUnited KingdomRankLieutenant substantive Colonel honorary UnitRoyal Welch Fusiliers ENSASignature Contents 1 Career 1 1 1930s 1 2 Second World War 1 3 Post war career 1 4 Stardom 1 5 International star 1 6 Decline as star 1 7 Illness 2 Personal life 3 Death 4 Filmography 5 British box office ranking 6 References 7 External linksCareer EditHawkins was born at 45 Lyndhurst Road Wood Green in what is now Haringey London the son of a builder 2 He was educated at Wood Green s Trinity County Grammar School where aged eight he joined the school choir 3 By the age of ten Hawkins had joined the local operatic society and made his stage debut in Patience by Gilbert and Sullivan His parents enrolled him in the Italia Conti Academy and whilst he was studying there he made his London stage debut when aged thirteen playing the Elf King in Where the Rainbow Ends at the Holborn Empire on Boxing Day December 1923 a production that also included the young Noel Coward 3 The following year aged 14 he played the page in a production of Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw 4 Five years later he was in a production of Beau Geste alongside Laurence Olivier 5 He appeared on Broadway in Journey s End by the age of 18 6 1930s Edit In the 1930s Hawkins s focus was on the stage He worked in the companies of Sybil Thorndike John Gielgud and Basil Dean 7 His performances included Port Said by Emlyn Williams 1931 Below the Surface by HL Stoker and LS Hunt 1932 Red Triangle by Val Gielgud 1932 Service by CI Anthony for director Basil Dean 1933 One of Us by Frank Howard As You Like It by William Shakespeare 1933 and Iron Flowers by Cecil Lewis 1933 with Jessica Tandy his wife He started appearing in films including a number of quota quickies as well as more prestigious productions His appearances included Birds of Prey 1930 The Lodger 1932 starring Ivor Novello The Good Companions 1933 The Lost Chord 1933 I Lived with You 1933 The Jewel 1933 A Shot in the Dark 1933 and Autumn Crocus 1934 In 1932 he was in a radio production of Hamlet with John Gielgud and Robert Donat and the following year he was in Danger He was also in Death at Broadcasting House 1934 Lorna Doone 1934 and Peg of Old Drury 1935 Stage roles included While Parents Sleep 1932 by Anthony Kimmins Iron Mistress 1934 by Arthur Macrae then an open air Shakespeare festival As You Like It 1934 with Anna Neagle Twelfth Night 1934 Comedy of Errors 1934 Some of these productions were done on radio The Maitlands by Ronald Mackenzie 1934 was for John Gielgud s company He was Horatio to Gielgud s Hamlet 1934 He also appeared in Accidentally Yours by Clifford Grey 1935 The World Waits by Clifford Hummel 1935 Coincidence by Bryce Robertson 1935 and The Frog 1935 Films in the late 1930s included Beauty and the Barge 1937 The Frog 1937 which Hawkins played on stage Who Goes Next 1938 A Royal Divorce 1938 Murder Will Out 1939 and The Flying Squad 1940 Theatre appearances included A Winter s Tale 1937 Autumn by Margaret Kennedy and Gregory Ratoff 1937 with Flora Robson for Basil Dean The King s Breakfast by Rita Welman and Maurice Marks 1937 38 No More Music by Rosamund Lehman 1938 Can We Tell by Robert Gore Brown 1938 Traitors Gate by Norma Stuart 1938 and Dear Octopus by Dodie Smith 1938 39 Second World War Edit Having attended an Officer Cadet Training Unit he was commissioned into the Royal Welch Fusiliers British Army as a second lieutenant on 8 March 1941 8 On 22 January 1944 he transferred to the Expeditionary Force Institutes in the rank of lieutenant 9 He served with ENSA in India and Southeast Asia 10 He relinquished his commission as a lieutenant substantive on 11 October 1946 and was granted the honorary rank of colonel 11 During his military service he made The Next of Kin 1942 for Ealing Studios Post war career Edit Hawkins left the army in July 1946 Two weeks later he appeared on stage in The Apple Cart at 10 a week The following year he starred in Othello to a mixed reception 12 Hawkins s wife became pregnant and he became concerned about his future He decided to accept a contract with Sir Alexander Korda for three years at 50 a week Hawkins had been recommended to Korda by the latter s production executive Bill Bryden who was married to Elizabeth Allen who had worked with Hawkins 12 The association began badly when Hawkins was cast in Korda s notorious flop Bonnie Prince Charlie 1948 as Lord George Murray However he followed it with a good role in the successful highly acclaimed The Fallen Idol 1948 for Carol Reed Also acclaimed was The Small Back Room 1949 for Powell and Pressburger he impressed as the villain in State Secret 1950 for Sidney Gilliat with Douglas Fairbanks Jr He was recruited by 20th Century Fox to support Tyrone Power and Orson Welles in the expensive epic The Black Rose 1950 He made another with Powell and Pressburger for Korda The Elusive Pimpernel 1950 playing the prince of Wales Hawkins played the lead in The Adventurers 1951 shot in South Africa then had a good role in another Hollywood financed film shot in Britain No Highway in the Sky 1951 with James Stewart It was followed by a British thriller with Ralph Richardson Home at Seven 1952 In the spring of 1951 he went to Broadway and played Mercutio in a production of Romeo and Juliet with Olivia de Havilland 12 Stardom Edit Hawkins became a star with the release of three successful films in which he played stern but sympathetic authority figures Angels One Five 1951 as an RAF officer during the war The Planter s Wife 1952 as a rubber planter combating communists in the Malayan Emergency with Claudette Colbert and Mandy 1952 the headmaster of a school for the deaf All films ranked among the top ten most popular films at the British box office in 1952 and British exhibitors voted him the fourth most popular British star at the local box office 13 Hawkins consolidated his new status with The Cruel Sea 1953 playing a driven naval officer in World War II Sir Michael Balcon said Even before the script was written we knew it had to be Jack Hawkins If he hadn t been free to play the part then there wouldn t have been a film 12 The Cruel Sea was the most successful film of the year and saw Hawkins voted the most popular star in Britain regardless of nationality 14 According to his Guardian obituary he exemplified for many cinemagoers the stiff upper lip tradition prevalent in post war British films His craggy looks and authoritative bearing were used to good effect whatever branch of the services he represented 5 Malta Story 1953 was another military story with Hawkins as an RAF officer in the Siege of Malta during the war It too was a hit the ninth most popular film in Britain in 1953 15 He had a guest role in Twice Upon a Time 1953 for Emeric Pressburger He followed this with two mildly popular dramas The Intruder 1953 and Front Page Story 1954 The Seekers 1954 was partly shot in New Zealand and cast Hawkins in a rare romantic role My film wives to date usually stay home and knit or else have conveniently died before the film starts he said 16 It was followed by The Prisoner 1955 an unconventional drama playing the shrewd interrogator in an authoritarian country who gets a respected priest played by Alec Guinness to discredit himself None of these films was commercially successful but Hawkins was still voted the fifth biggest star at the British box office for 1954 and the most popular British one 17 18 It s an enviable position I know said Hawkins But I have to be more careful now about the parts I choose and it s hard not to offend people Everyone thinks his own script is the best 19 He turned down the role of Colonel Carne in The Glorious Gloucesters for Warwick Films and Captain Cook for a project for the Rank organisation 4 neither movie was made I m tired of playing decent fellows he said in a 1954 interview with stiff upper lip and even stiffer morals I m going to kill them off before they kill me as an actor And I want stories written for me not rejects intended for other fellows I just inherit them from other people Often I find they ve left the name of the actor originally suggested for the role Always the same old names Errol Flynn Gregory Peck five or six others Before the script reaches them somebody remembers me especially if it s one of those infernally nice characters 20 International star Edit Hawkins got his wish when he received a Hollywood offer to play a pharaoh for Howard Hawks in Land of the Pharaohs 1955 He returned home to make an Ealing comedy Touch and Go 1955 which was not particularly popular He was more comfortably cast as a police officer in The Long Arm 1956 and a test pilot in The Man in the Sky 1957 He was an insurance investigator in Sidney Gilliat s Fortune Is a Woman 1957 14 21 Hawkins s career received a major boost when given the third lead in The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 supporting William Holden and Alec Guinness This was a massive hit and highly acclaimed He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire CBE in 1958 Hawkins played the lead role in a film for John Ford Gideon s Day USA title Gideon of Scotland Yard 1958 playing a police officer He had a good role as a double agent in a war film The Two Headed Spy 1958 then was given another third lead in a Hollywood blockbuster Ben Hur 1959 playing the Roman admiral who befriends Charlton Heston It was even more successful than Bridge on the River Kwai He appeared as one of The Four Just Men 1959 in the Sapphire Films TV series for ITV 22 He also played the lead in a version of The Fallen Idol for American TV In reality Hawkins was politically liberal and an emotional man in sharp contrast to his conservative screen image One of his favourite films the heist film The League of Gentlemen 1960 was considered quite groundbreaking for its time in its references to sex The film was popular at the British box office and gave Hawkins his final lead role 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 23 There was some talk he would play Captain Bligh in the remake of Mutiny on the Bounty 1962 but Trevor Howard ended up playing the role Decline as star Edit A three packet a day chain smoker Hawkins began experiencing voice problems in the late 1950s unbeknownst to the public he had undergone cobalt treatment in 1959 for what was then described as a secondary condition of the larynx but which was probably cancer 24 Hawkins became worried about his voice and was concerned he would lose it This caused him to take almost any work that was available I had to be realistic and take as much money as I could get while the going was good he said 25 This may explain why he took the part of General Cornwallis in a European epic La Fayette 1961 He was third lead to Shirley MacLaine and Laurence Harvey in Two Loves 1961 and supported Rosalind Russell in Five Finger Exercise 1962 There are not all that number of mature leading men around he said in a 1961 interview There seems to be a generation missing I think people quit going into the acting profession A lot of them drifted out during the war And then when the war was over it was difficult for them to get back into the theatre 26 He was in another big hit in Lawrence of Arabia 1962 as General Allenby Rampage 1963 was less distinguished but Zulu 1964 gave him a good role as a cowardly priest it was however clearly a supporting part and Hawkins s days as a star seemed to be over He had supporting parts in The Third Secret 1964 Guns at Batasi 1964 and Lord Jim 1965 Masquerade 1965 gave him a lead opposite Cliff Robertson 27 He made some appearances on US TV To Bury Caesar with Pamela Brown in 1963 and Back to Back for The Bob Hope Theatre He also appeared in Judith 1966 and The Poppy Is Also a Flower 1966 Illness Edit In December 1965 Hawkins was diagnosed with throat cancer His entire larynx was removed in January 1966 In March of that year he appeared at a royal screening of Born Free attended by the Queen and received a standing ovation 28 Thereafter his performances were dubbed often with Hawkins s approval by Robert Rietti or Charles Gray Hawkins continued to smoke after losing his voice 29 In private he used a mechanical larynx to aid his speech 24 In 1967 it was reported that he would direct Peter O Toole in St Patrick s Battalion in Mexico but the film was not made 30 Instead he resumed his acting career with his voice dubbed and dialogue kept to a minimum Shalako 1968 and Great Catherine 1968 In Oh What a Lovely War 1969 playing Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria he had no lines at all He had an operation to restore his voice in 1968 It did not work Hawkins could talk but only in a croaking voice 31 The fact that producers are still offering me work is a source of much gratitude to me he said in 1969 I flatter myself that when they cast me in a part it s me Jack Hawkins they want and not the person who was once Jack Hawkins if you know what I mean And I m perfectly honest with anyone who hires me I tell them exactly what they re letting themselves in for 25 Some rare comedies followed Monte Carlo or Bust 1969 Twinky 1970 The Adventures of Gerard 1970 There was more typical fare Waterloo 1970 Jane Eyre 1970 The Beloved 1971 When Eight Bells Toll 1971 Nicholas and Alexandra 1971 and Kidnapped 1971 The Last Lion 1972 shot in South Africa offered him a rare lead It was followed by Young Winston 1972 Escape to the Sun 1972 Theatre of Blood 1973 and Tales That Witness Madness 1973 Hawkins also produced the film adaptation of Peter Barnes s The Ruling Class 1972 with Peter O Toole and Alastair Sim 32 Personal life EditHawkins married actress Jessica Tandy in 1932 and the couple divorced in 1940 Together they had one daughter Susan Hawkins b 1934 33 In 1947 Hawkins married former actress Doreen Lawrence 1919 2013 and they remained married until his death in 1973 34 35 Together they had three children Caroline b 1955 36 Andrew and Nicholas Death EditIn May 1973 Hawkins had an experimental operation on his throat to insert an artificial voicebox He started haemorrhaging and was admitted to St Stephen s Hospital Fulham Road London in June forcing him to drop out of The Tamarind Seed 1974 in which Hawkins was to have played a Russian general He died on 18 July 1973 37 of a secondary haemorrhage He was 62 38 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 his ashes interred at Golders Green Crematorium in north London Filmography EditBirds of Prey 1930 as Alfred The Lodger 1932 as John Martin The Good Companions 1933 as Albert The Lost Chord 1933 as Sr Jim Selby I Lived with You 1933 as Mort The Jewel 1933 as Peter Roberts A Shot in the Dark 1933 as Norman Paull Autumn Crocus 1934 as Alaric Death at Broadcasting House 1934 as Herbert Evans Lorna Doone 1934 as Member of the Court uncredited Peg of Old Drury 1935 as Michael O Taffe Beauty and the Barge 1937 as Lt Seton Boyne The Frog 1937 as Capt Gordon Who Goes Next 1938 as Capt Beck A Royal Divorce 1938 as Capt Charles Murder Will Out 1939 as Stamp The Flying Squad 1940 as Mark McGill The Next of Kin 1942 as Brigade Major Harcourt The Fallen Idol 1948 as Detective Ames Bonnie Prince Charlie 1948 as Lord George Murray The Small Back Room 1949 as R B Waring State Secret 1950 as Colonel Galcon The Black Rose 1950 as Tristram Griffen The Elusive Pimpernel 1950 as Prince of Wales Footpad attacking Lord Anthony The Adventurers 1951 as Pieter Brandt No Highway in the Sky 1951 as Dennis Scott Home at Seven 1952 as Dr Sparling Angels One Five 1952 as Group Capt Tiger Small Mandy 1952 as Dick Searle The Planter s Wife 1952 as Jim Frazer The Cruel Sea 1953 as Ericson Malta Story 1953 as Air Vice Marshal Frank Twice Upon a Time 1953 as Dr Mathews The Intruder 1953 as Wolf Merton Front Page Story 1954 as Grant The Seekers 1954 as Phillip Wayne The Prisoner 1955 as the Interrogator Land of the Pharaohs 1955 as Pharaoh Khufu Touch and Go 1955 as Jim Fletcher The Long Arm 1956 as Detective Superintendent Tom Halliday The Man in the Sky 1957 as John Mitchell Fortune Is a Woman 1957 as Oliver Branwell The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 as Major Warden Gideon s Day USA title Gideon of Scotland Yard 1958 as DCI George Gideon The Two Headed Spy 1958 as Gen Alex Schottland Ben Hur 1959 as Quintus Arrius The League of Gentlemen 1960 as Col Norman Hyde Lafayette 1961 as General Cornwallis Two Loves 1961 as William W J Abercrombie Five Finger Exercise 1962 as Stanley Harrington Lawrence of Arabia 1962 as General Allenby Rampage 1963 as Otto Abbot Zulu 1964 as Otto Witt The Third Secret 1964 as Sir Frederick Belline Guns at Batasi 1964 as Colonel Deal Lord Jim 1965 as Marlow Masquerade 1965 as Colonel Drexel Judith 1966 as Major Lawton The Poppy Is Also a Flower 1966 as General Bahar Stalked short 1968 as the Man Shalako 1968 as Sir Charles Daggett Great Catherine 1968 as the British Ambassador Oh What a Lovely War 1969 as Emperor Franz Joseph Monte Carlo or Bust 1969 as Count Levinovitch Twinky 1970 as Judge Millington Draper The Adventures of Gerard 1970 as Marshal Millefleurs Waterloo 1970 as General Sir Thomas Picton Jane Eyre 1970 as Mr Brocklehurst The Beloved 1971 as Father Nicholas When Eight Bells Toll 1971 as Sir Anthony Skouras Nicholas and Alexandra 1971 as Count Fredericks The Last Lion 1972 as Ryk Mannering Young Winston 1972 as Mr Welldon Escape to the Sun 1972 as Baburin Kidnapped 1973 as Captain Hoseason Theatre of Blood 1973 as Solomon Psaltery Tales That Witness Madness 1973 as Dr NicholasBritish box office ranking EditDuring the 1950s British exhibitors consistently voted Hawkins one of the most popular local stars in the country in the annual poll conducted by the Motion Picture Herald 1952 4th most popular British star 13 1953 most popular international star 1954 5th most popular international star most popular British star 17 1955 6th most popular British star 39 1956 2nd most popular British star 40 1957 9th most popular British star 41 1958 9th most popular British starReferences Edit Obituary Variety 25 July 1973 page 55 Hawkins John Edward Jack 1910 1973 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 57310 Subscription or UK public library membership required a b Profile of Jack Hakwins at britmovie co uk Archived from the original on 25 March 2015 Retrieved 7 March 2015 a b JACK HAWKINS The Newcastle Sun No 11 178 New South Wales Australia 1 April 1954 p 27 Retrieved 30 October 2016 via National Library of Australia a b Jack Hawkins The Guardian 19 July 1973 p 7 The Broadway League Jack Hawkins IBDB The official source for Broadway Information IBDB The official source for Broadway Information ibdb com Thompson Howard 4 April 1954 PORTRAIT OF A FILM IDOL Britain s Jack Hawkins Gives a Self Effacing Appraisal of Popularity The New York Times p X5 No 35118 The London Gazette Supplement 25 March 1941 pp 1794 1795 No 37294 The London Gazette Supplement 2 October 1945 p 4893 Hawkins John Edward Jack ww2gravestone com No 37809 The London Gazette Supplement 3 December 1946 p 5962 a b c d Jack s THE BOY IN ENGLAND NOW Truth No 3342 New South Wales Australia 14 February 1954 p 19 Retrieved 30 October 2016 via National Library of Australia a b COMEDIAN TOPS FILM POLL The Sunday Herald Sydney 28 December 1952 p 4 Retrieved 9 July 2012 via National Library of Australia a b Jack Hawkins britmovie co uk Archived from the original on 25 March 2015 Retrieved 7 March 2015 WORLD NEWS IN BRIEF The Age No 30 786 Victoria Australia 1 January 1954 p 4 Retrieved 30 October 2016 via National Library of Australia PASSIONATE JACK HAWKINS Brisbane Telegraph Queensland Australia 29 October 1953 p 23 CITY FINAL Retrieved 30 October 2016 via National Library of Australia a b JOHN WAYNE HEADS BOX OFFICE POLL The Mercury Hobart Tas 31 December 1954 p 6 Retrieved 9 July 2012 via National Library of Australia DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE HEADS BOX OFFICE ATTRACTIONS Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser Queensland Australia 31 December 1954 p 9 Retrieved 30 October 2016 via National Library of Australia BOOM TIMES FOR JACK HAWKINS Sunday Mail Queensland Australia 16 May 1954 p 27 Retrieved 30 October 2016 via National Library of Australia I Want To Be Evil The Newcastle Sun No 11 357 New South Wales 9 December 1954 p 33 Retrieved 30 October 2016 via National Library of Australia I Want To Be Evil The Newcastle Sun No 11 357 New South Wales 9 December 1954 p 33 Retrieved 30 October 2016 via National Library of Australia Alex von Tunzelmann 6 August 2013 Land of the Pharaohs the plot won t triangulate reel history The Guardian 4 Just Men 78rpm co uk Victim BFI Archived from the original on 12 July 2012 a b Hawkins Jack 1975 Anything for a Quiet Life London Coronet ISBN 0 340 19866 4 a b Goodey Glenn 8 July 1969 THROAT OPERATION Jack Hawkins Can Still Communicate Los Angeles Times p c10 Finnigan Joseph 6 July 1961 Hawkins No Idol Is Sought by Hollywood Los Angeles Times p 28 Here they come again Zulu at 50 theartsdesk com 20 June 2014 Queen Gives Jack Hawkins a Big Hand Los Angeles Times 16 March 1966 p d14 Jack Hawkins movies photos movie reviews filmography and biography AllMovie Jack Hawkins to direct O Toole The Irish Times 10 July 1967 p 11 Actor speaks again The Canberra Times Vol 42 no 12 018 Australian Capital Territory Australia 4 June 1968 p 5 Retrieved 30 October 2016 via National Library of Australia The Ruling Class BFI Archived from the original on 12 July 2012 Chaplin Charles 18 June 1995 Life After Jessie For 52 years Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy shared the love story of the century Her death last year devastated him but his love lives on Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 3 June 2013 BFI Screenonline Hawkins Jack 1910 1973 Biography screenonline org uk Widow of Jack Hawkins dies aged 94 Telegraph co uk 17 June 2013 Young Jim De Miller John 2003 London Theatre Walks Thirteen Dramatic Tours Through Four Centuries of History and Legend ISBN 9781557835161 GRO Register of Deaths SEP 1973 5a 1339 CHELSEA John Edward Hawkins DoB 14 September 1910 JACK HAWKINS DIES 62 The Canberra Times Vol 47 no 13 491 19 July 1973 p 1 Retrieved 30 October 2016 via National Library of Australia The Dam Busters The Times London England 29 December 1955 12 The Times Digital Archive Web 11 July 2012 The Most Popular Film Star in Britain The Times London England 7 December 1956 3 The Times Digital Archive Web 11 July 2012 BRITISH ACTORS HEAD FILM POLL BOX OFFICE SURVEY The Manchester Guardian 1901 1959 Manchester UK 27 December 1957 3 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jack Hawkins Jack Hawkins at IMDb Jack Hawkins at the Internet Broadway Database Jack Hawkins at the BFI s Screenonline British Cinema Greats Page Jack Hawkins at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jack Hawkins amp oldid 1136616906, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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