John Abbott
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- June 5, 1905
- Died
- May 24, 1996 (aged 90)
- Birthplace
- Stepney, London, England, UK
Biography
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.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
The Commissioner
Movie · as Commissioner's Laywer
A Hazard of Hearts
Movie · as 2nd Gambler
Quest
Movie
Smorgasbord
Movie · as Surgeon
Slapstick of Another Kind
Movie · as Dr. Frankenstein
Blunt Instrument
Movie · as Dr. Durrant
Outside Chance
Movie · as Coroner
Edward and Mrs Simpson
TV · as Mouth Organist · 1 ep
Sherlock Holmes in New York
Movie · as Heller
The Black Bird
Movie · as Duquai
The Cat Creature
Movie · as Dr. Reinhart
Cool Million
TV · as Sir Godwin Phipps-Cheston · 1 ep
The Partners
TV · 1 ep
Timeslip
TV · 1 ep
2000 Years Later
Movie · as Gregorius
The Epic That Never Was
Movie · as Ms. Robson's Host (uncredited)
Medical Center
TV · as Professor MacIntyre · 1 ep
Paul Temple
TV · as Floor Manager · 1 ep
Three Guns for Texas
Movie · as Banker Irwing
Land of the Giants
TV · as Prof. Gorak · 1 ep
The Jungle Book
Movie · as Akela (voice)
Garrison's Gorillas
TV · 1 ep
Mannix
TV · 1 ep
Rango
TV · 1 ep
Gambit
Movie · as Emile
Star Trek
TV · as Ayleborn · 1 ep
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Movie · as Aben
Lost in Space
TV · as Sesmar · 1 ep
Get Smart
TV · as Mondo · 1 ep
Laredo
TV · 1 ep
Flipper
TV · 1 ep
Bewitched
TV · 1 ep
Profiles in Courage
TV · as Senator Wigfall · 1 ep
Wendy and Me
TV · 1 ep
The Rogues
TV · as Sir Egbert · 1 ep
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
TV · as Dr. Ellias Swan · 1 ep
Who's Minding the Store?
Movie · as Mr. Orlandos
Burke's Law
TV · as Conrad Jaeger · 1 ep
The Beverly Hillbillies
TV · as Sir Trevor Gielgud Burton-Guiness
Ichabod and Me
TV · 1 ep
The Islanders
TV · as Harwood Gones · 1 ep
Outlaws
TV · 1 ep
Thriller
TV · as Kriss Milo ('The Mask of Medusa') · 1 ep
Maigret
TV · as Extra in Film Sequences (uncredited) · 1 ep
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
TV · 1 ep
Adventures in Paradise
TV · as Murdock · 1 ep
The Detectives
TV · 1 ep
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
TV · as Professor Brent · 1 ep
Gigi
Movie · as Manuel
Peter Gunn
TV · 1 ep
The Rifleman
TV · 1 ep
The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen
TV · as The Cat · 1 ep
77 Sunset Strip
TV · as Dr. Felstrand · 1 ep
Omar Khayyam
Movie · as Yusuf
Public Pigeon No. 1
Movie · as Dipso Dale Rutherford
Perry Mason
TV · as Prof. Carlos Muntz, Dr. Durwood Tobey · 1 ep
Have Gun, Will Travel
TV · as Winston Ainslee · 1 ep
Telephone Time
TV · as Jutchenko · 1 ep
The Miracle on 34th Street
Movie · as Dr. Sawyer
Gunsmoke
TV · as Professor Lute Bone, Eddie · 1 ep
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
TV · as Mr. Munro · 1 ep
Matinee Theater
TV · 5 eps
The 20th Century Fox Hour
TV · as Dr. Albert Sawyer · 1 ep
Rogue's March
Movie · as Herbert Bielensen
The Steel Lady
Movie · as Mustafa el Melik
Sombrero
Movie · as Don Daniel
General Electric Theater
TV · as Professsor Meyerdal, Nathan · 1 ep
The Merry Widow
Movie · as Marshovian Ambassador
Thunder in the East
Movie · as Nitra Puta
Cavalcade of America
TV · as Col. Barton · 1 ep
Crosswinds
Movie · as Sykes
Thunder on the Hill
Movie · as Abel Harmer
Navy Bound
Movie · as Pappa Cerrano
Hallmark Hall of Fame
TV · as Chang · 1 ep
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV · 1 ep
Sideshow
Movie · as Pierre
Madame Bovary
Movie · as Mayor Tuvache
The Woman in White
Movie · as Frederick Fairlie
Studio One
TV · as Travers · 1 ep
Humoresque
Movie · as Rozner
The Web
Movie · as Charles Murdock
If Winter Comes
Movie · as Mr. Twyning
Adventure Island
Movie · as Huish
Time Out of Mind
Movie · as Max Leiberman
Deception
Movie · as Bertram Gribble
The Notorious Lone Wolf
Movie · as Lal Bara
Anna and the King of Siam
Movie · as Phya Phrom
One More Tomorrow
Movie · as Joseph Baronova
The Bandit of Sherwood Forest
Movie · as Will Scarlet
The Power of the Whistler
Movie · as Kaspar Andropolous
Pursuit to Algiers
Movie · as Jodri
The Vampire's Ghost
Movie · as Webb Fallon
Honeymoon Ahead
Movie · as Welles
The Crime Doctor's Warning
Movie · as Jimmy Gordon
Saratoga Trunk
Movie · as Roscoe Bean
A Thousand and One Nights
Movie · as Ali
The Mask of Dimitrios
Movie · as Mr. Pappas
Cry of the Werewolf
Movie · as Peter Althius
End of the Road
Movie · as Chris Martin
The Falcon in Hollywood
Movie · as Martin S. Dwyer
Summer Storm
Movie · as Lunin
Secrets of Scotland Yard
Movie · as Mortimer Cope
Abroad with Two Yanks
Movie · as Salesman
U-Boat Prisoner
Movie · as Alfonse Lamont
Once Upon a Time
Movie · as Reporter (uncredited)
The Gorilla Man
Movie · as Dr. Ferris
London Blackout Murders
Movie · as Jack Rawlings
Hangmen Also Die!
Movie · as Hostage (scenes deleted)
The Cross of Lorraine
Movie · as Baker (uncredited)
They Got Me Covered
Movie · as Gregory Vanesou
Dangerous Blondes
Movie · as Roland X. Smith (uncredited)
Mission to Moscow
Movie · as Grinko (uncredited)
Jane Eyre
Movie · as Mason
Mrs. Miniver
Movie · as Fred
Joan of Paris
Movie · as English Spy
Rubber Racketeers
Movie · as Dumbo
Get Hep to Love
Movie · as Professor Radowsky
This Above All
Movie · as Joe
Nightmare
Movie · as Carl aka Charles
The Shanghai Gesture
Movie · as Poppy's Escort
Ten Days in Paris
Movie · as André
The Saint in London
Movie · as Count Stephen Duni
The Great Commandment
Movie · as Starving Beggar, Starving Begger (uncredited)
This Man Is News
Movie · as Hood with Foreign Accent
Street of Shadows
Movie
Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel
Movie · as Flower Seller
Under Secret Orders
Movie · as Armand
The Conquest of the Air
Movie · as Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier