John Abbott

Also Known As: John Lloyd Abbott, John Albert Chamberlain Kefford

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.

Department: Acting

Place of Birth: Stepney, London, England, UK

Adult: No

Birthday: June 05, 1905

Age: 119 years old

Gender: Male

Deathday: May 24, 1996

Popularity:

1.84%

Known For:

The Greatest Story Ever Told
Street of Shadows
Deception
The Jungle Book
Sherlock Holmes in New York
Humoresque
Mrs. Miniver
Gambit
The Mask of Dimitrios
The Web
Cry of the Werewolf
Outside Chance
The Power of the Whistler
The Woman in White
End of the Road
The Falcon in Hollywood
Madame Bovary
Joan of Paris
Crosswinds
Gigi
A Hazard of Hearts
Pursuit to Algiers
Summer Storm
The Gorilla Man
The Vampire's Ghost
The Saint in London
Thunder on the Hill
The Notorious Lone Wolf
Navy Bound
Sideshow
2000 Years Later
If Winter Comes
The Epic That Never Was
The Merry Widow
Secrets of Scotland Yard
Abroad with Two Yanks
Adventure Island
Omar Khayyam
Rogue's March
London Blackout Murders
Honeymoon Ahead
Time Out of Mind
Ten Days in Paris
U-Boat Prisoner
The Crime Doctor's Warning
Rubber Racketeers
Smorgasbord
Anna and the King of Siam
Saratoga Trunk
Hangmen Also Die!
The Steel Lady
Three Guns for Texas
One More Tomorrow
The Cat Creature
This Above All
Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel
The Great Commandment
The Cross of Lorraine
Who's Minding the Store?
Slapstick of Another Kind
Jane Eyre
Nightmare
They Got Me Covered
Thunder in the East
The Shanghai Gesture
Get Hep to Love
A Thousand and One Nights
Dangerous Blondes
Public Pigeon No. 1
Once Upon a Time
This Man Is News
Sombrero
The Conquest of the Air
Mission to Moscow
The Black Bird
Quest
The Miracle on 34th Street
The Bandit of Sherwood Forest
The Commissioner
Under Secret Orders
Blunt Instrument