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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0007995
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q503911
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Filmography (Movies)
The Commissioner
Character:Commissioner's Laywer
Release Date:22/02/1998
A Hazard of Hearts
Character:2nd Gambler
Release Date:27/12/1987
Quest
Character:
Release Date:01/10/1984
Smorgasbord
Character:Surgeon
Release Date:13/04/1983
Slapstick of Another Kind
Character:Dr. Frankenstein
Release Date:09/12/1982
Blunt Instrument
Character:Dr. Durrant
Release Date:08/02/1981
Outside Chance
Character:Coroner
Release Date:02/12/1978
Sherlock Holmes in New York
Character:Heller
Release Date:18/10/1976
The Black Bird
Character:Duquai
Release Date:25/12/1975
The Cat Creature
Character:Dr. Reinhart
Release Date:11/12/1973
The Epic That Never Was
Character:Himself – Ms. Robson's Host (uncredited)
Release Date:19/09/1969
2000 Years Later
Character:Gregorius
Release Date:11/03/1969
Three Guns for Texas
Character:Banker Irwing
Release Date:31/10/1968
The Jungle Book
Character:Akela (voice)
Release Date:18/10/1967
Gambit
Character:Emile
Release Date:21/12/1966
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Character:Aben
Release Date:09/04/1965
Who's Minding the Store?
Character:Mr. Orlandos
Release Date:28/11/1963
Gigi
Character:Manuel
Release Date:15/05/1958
Omar Khayyam
Character:Yusuf
Release Date:23/08/1957
Public Pigeon No. 1
Character:Dipso Dale Rutherford
Release Date:17/05/1957
The Miracle on 34th Street
Character:Dr. Sawyer
Release Date:14/12/1955
The Steel Lady
Character:Mustafa el Melik
Release Date:09/10/1953
Sombrero
Character:Don Daniel
Release Date:22/04/1953
Rogue's March
Character:Herbert Bielensen
Release Date:13/02/1953
Thunder in the East
Character:Nitra Puta
Release Date:04/12/1952
The Merry Widow
Character:Marshovian Ambassador
Release Date:05/09/1952
Thunder on the Hill
Character:Abel Harmer
Release Date:17/10/1951
Crosswinds
Character:Sykes
Release Date:01/10/1951
Navy Bound
Character:Pappa Cerrano
Release Date:04/03/1951
Sideshow
Character:Pierre
Release Date:18/06/1950
Madame Bovary
Character:Mayor Tuvache
Release Date:25/08/1949
The Woman in White
Character:Frederick Fairlie
Release Date:07/05/1948
If Winter Comes
Character:Mr. Twyning
Release Date:31/12/1947
Adventure Island
Character:Huish
Release Date:13/08/1947
The Web
Character:Charles Murdock
Release Date:04/06/1947
Time Out of Mind
Character:Max Leiberman
Release Date:03/05/1947
Humoresque
Character:Rozner
Release Date:25/01/1947
Deception
Character:Bertram Gribble
Release Date:26/10/1946
Anna and the King of Siam
Character:Phya Phrom
Release Date:11/08/1946
One More Tomorrow
Character:Joseph Baronova
Release Date:24/05/1946
The Bandit of Sherwood Forest
Character:Will Scarlet
Release Date:21/02/1946
The Notorious Lone Wolf
Character:Lal Bara
Release Date:14/02/1946
Saratoga Trunk
Character:Roscoe Bean
Release Date:21/11/1945
Pursuit to Algiers
Character:Jodri
Release Date:26/10/1945
The Crime Doctor's Warning
Character:Jimmy Gordon
Release Date:27/09/1945
A Thousand and One Nights
Character:Ali
Release Date:20/07/1945
Honeymoon Ahead
Character:Welles
Release Date:11/05/1945
The Power of the Whistler
Character:Kaspar Andropolous
Release Date:19/04/1945
The Vampire's Ghost
Character:Webb Fallon
Release Date:13/04/1945
The Falcon in Hollywood
Character:Martin S. Dwyer
Release Date:08/12/1944
End of the Road
Character:Chris Martin
Release Date:10/11/1944
Cry of the Werewolf
Character:Peter Althius
Release Date:17/08/1944
Abroad with Two Yanks
Character:Salesman
Release Date:04/08/1944
Secrets of Scotland Yard
Character:Mortimer Cope
Release Date:26/07/1944
U-Boat Prisoner
Character:Alfonse Lamont
Release Date:25/07/1944
Summer Storm
Character:Lunin
Release Date:14/07/1944
Once Upon a Time
Character:Reporter (uncredited)
Release Date:29/06/1944
The Mask of Dimitrios
Character:Mr. Pappas
Release Date:23/06/1944
Jane Eyre
Character:Mason
Release Date:24/12/1943
The Cross of Lorraine
Character:Baker (uncredited)
Release Date:12/11/1943
Dangerous Blondes
Character:Roland X. Smith (uncredited)
Release Date:23/09/1943
Mission to Moscow
Character:Grinko (uncredited)
Release Date:29/04/1943
Hangmen Also Die!
Character:Hostage (scenes deleted)
Release Date:01/04/1943
They Got Me Covered
Character:Gregory Vanesou
Release Date:04/03/1943
The Gorilla Man
Character:Dr. Ferris
Release Date:16/01/1943
London Blackout Murders
Character:Jack Rawlings
Release Date:15/01/1943
Nightmare
Character:Carl aka Charles
Release Date:10/11/1942
Get Hep to Love
Character:Professor Radowsky
Release Date:02/10/1942
Mrs. Miniver
Character:Fred
Release Date:03/07/1942
Rubber Racketeers
Character:Dumbo
Release Date:26/06/1942
This Above All
Character:Joe
Release Date:12/05/1942
Joan of Paris
Character:English Spy
Release Date:20/01/1942
The Shanghai Gesture
Character:Poppy's Escort
Release Date:25/12/1941
Ten Days in Paris
Character:André
Release Date:01/06/1940
The Great Commandment
Character:Starving Beggar
Release Date:02/10/1939
The Great Commandment
Character:Starving Begger (uncredited)
Release Date:02/10/1939
The Saint in London
Character:Count Stephen Duni
Release Date:30/06/1939
This Man Is News
Character:Hood with Foreign Accent
Release Date:16/09/1938
Under Secret Orders
Character:Armand
Release Date:06/12/1937
Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel
Character:Flower Seller
Release Date:20/10/1937
Street of Shadows
Character:
Release Date:13/04/1937
The Conquest of the Air
Character:Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier
Release Date:01/12/1931
Television Appearances
Edward and Mrs Simpson
Character:Mouth Organist
Cool Million
Character:Sir Godwin Phipps-Cheston
The Partners
Character:
Timeslip
Character:
Medical Center
Character:Professor MacIntyre
Land of the Giants
Character:Prof. Gorak
Mannix
Character:
Garrison's Gorillas
Character:
Rango
Character:
Star Trek
Character:Ayleborn
Get Smart
Character:
Laredo
Character:
Lost in Space
Character:Sesmar
Profiles in Courage
Character:Senator Wigfall
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Character:Dr. Ellias Swan
Flipper
Character:
Bewitched
Character:
Wendy and Me
Character:
The Rogues
Character:Sir Egbert
Burke's Law
Character:Conrad Jaeger
The Beverly Hillbillies
Character:
The Beverly Hillbillies
Character:Sir Trevor Gielgud Burton-Guiness
Ichabod and Me
Character:
The Islanders
Character:Harwood Gones
Outlaws
Character:
Thriller
Character:Kriss Milo ('The Mask of Medusa')
The Detectives
Character:
Adventures in Paradise
Character:Murdock
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Character:
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Character:Professor Brent
The Rifleman
Character:
The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen
Character:The Cat
Peter Gunn
Character:
Perry Mason
Character:Prof. Carlos Muntz
Perry Mason
Character:Dr. Durwood Tobey
Have Gun, Will Travel
Character:Winston Ainslee
Telephone Time
Character:
Matinee Theater
Character:
The 20th Century Fox Hour
Character:Dr. Albert Sawyer
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Character:Mr. Munro
Gunsmoke
Character:Professor Lute Bone
Gunsmoke
Character:Eddie
General Electric Theater
Character:Professsor Meyerdal
General Electric Theater
Character:Nathan
Cavalcade of America
Character:Col. Barton
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Character:Chang
Studio One
Character:Travers
Images
