Jack Hawkins

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Jack Hawkins (1973)

John Edward Hawkins (born September 14, 1910 in Wood Green , London , † July 18, 1973 in London) was a British actor .

Life

At the age of 12, Jack Hawkins made his acting debut in a Christmas play in London. At 18, he appeared on Broadway in the play Journeys End . Although he had worked as a film actor since 1930, his career only picked up pace after the end of World War II , in which he participated as a soldier with the Royal Welch Fusiliers .

Hawkins was subscribed to authoritarian characters because of his physical appearance - strong stature, angular facial features - and often appeared as a high-ranking military in the film epics of the 1950s and 1960s. In 1955 he was seen as the pharaoh at the side of Joan Collins in Howard Hawks ' monumental film Land of the Pharaohs . In 1957 he played in David Lean's Oscar-winning masterpiece The Bridge on the Kwai, a British officer who leads a commando operation in the jungle. In 1959 he acted in William Wyler's bible epic Ben Hur (1959) as fleet commander Quintus Arrius. David Lean cast him again as a British officer in 1962 in his epic Lawrence of Arabia .

Also in films such as The Spy with the Two Faces (1958), The Young General (1961), Shots in Batasi (1964), Agents Let Ask (1965), Judith (1966), Poppy is also a Flower (1966) or Waterloo (1970) Hawkins was seen in typical military roles. He also played counts, emperors and other nobles regularly. Hawkins was also able to distinguish himself as a versatile character actor in other roles and remained a sought-after film actor until his death. In the Federal Republic of Germany, Jack Hawkins was also known as Ben Manfred in the television series The Four Righteous from 1959 to 1960, which was broadcast by ZDF in 1964 .

In 1966 the actor was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, which is why his larynx had to be removed. Hawkins did not give up acting despite this serious illness, but his voice - since it was hardly understandable without a larynx - was dubbed in his late film appearances by his fellow actors Charles Gray and Robert Rietti .

Hawkins was married to actress Jessica Tandy from 1932 to 1941 , with whom he had a daughter. From his marriage to the actress Doreen Lawrence (1919-2013), whom he married in 1947, there are another daughter and two sons. His second marriage lasted until his death.

Hawkins died in 1973 after another larynx operation at the age of 62. He was in the Golders Green Crematorium in London cremated , where his ashes is located.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Jack Hawkins  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Portrait of Jack Hawkins in: The New York Times
personal data
SURNAME Hawkins, Jack
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hawkins, John Edward
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor
DATE OF BIRTH September 14, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH Wood Green , London , England
DATE OF DEATH 18th July 1973
Place of death London , England