Acting
John Abbott
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.
Filmography
The Commissioner
Film · 1998
A Hazard of Hearts
Film · 1987
Quest
Film · 1984
Smorgasbord
Film · 1983
Slapstick of Another Kind
Film · 1982
Blunt Instrument
Film · 1981
Outside Chance
Film · 1978
Edward and Mrs Simpson
Series · 1978
Sherlock Holmes in New York
Film · 1976
The Black Bird
Film · 1975
The Cat Creature
Film · 1973
Cool Million
Series · 1972
The Partners
Series · 1971
Timeslip
Series · 1970
2000 Years Later
Film · 1969
The Epic That Never Was
Film · 1969
Medical Center
Series · 1969
Paul Temple
Series · 1969
Three Guns for Texas
Film · 1968
Land of the Giants
Series · 1968
The Jungle Book
Film · 1967
Garrison's Gorillas
Series · 1967
Mannix
Series · 1967
Rango
Series · 1967
Gambit
Film · 1966
Star Trek
Series · 1966
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Film · 1965
Lost in Space
Series · 1965
Get Smart
Series · 1965
Laredo
Series · 1965
Flipper
Series · 1964
Bewitched
Series · 1964
Profiles in Courage
Series · 1964
Wendy and Me
Series · 1964
The Rogues
Series · 1964
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Series · 1964
Who's Minding the Store?
Film · 1963
Burke's Law
Series · 1963
The Beverly Hillbillies
Series · 1962
The Beverly Hillbillies
Series · 1962
Ichabod and Me
Series · 1961
The Islanders
Series · 1960
Outlaws
Series · 1960
Thriller
Series · 1960
Maigret
Series · 1960
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Series · 1959
Adventures in Paradise
Series · 1959
The Detectives
Series · 1959
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Series · 1959
Gigi
Film · 1958
Peter Gunn
Series · 1958
The Rifleman
Series · 1958
The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen
Series · 1958
77 Sunset Strip
Series · 1958
Omar Khayyam
Film · 1957
Public Pigeon No. 1
Film · 1957
Perry Mason
Series · 1957
Perry Mason
Series · 1957
Have Gun, Will Travel
Series · 1957
Telephone Time
Series · 1956
The Miracle on 34th Street
Film · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Series · 1955
Matinee Theater
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
The 20th Century Fox Hour
Series · 1955
Rogue's March
Film · 1953
The Steel Lady
Film · 1953
Sombrero
Film · 1953
General Electric Theater
Series · 1953
General Electric Theater
Series · 1953
The Merry Widow
Film · 1952
Thunder in the East
Film · 1952
Cavalcade of America
Series · 1952
Crosswinds
Film · 1951
Thunder on the Hill
Film · 1951
Navy Bound
Film · 1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Series · 1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Series · 1951
Sideshow
Film · 1950
Madame Bovary
Film · 1949
The Woman in White
Film · 1948
Studio One
Series · 1948
Humoresque
Film · 1947
The Web
Film · 1947
If Winter Comes
Film · 1947
Adventure Island
Film · 1947
Time Out of Mind
Film · 1947
Deception
Film · 1946
The Notorious Lone Wolf
Film · 1946
Anna and the King of Siam
Film · 1946
One More Tomorrow
Film · 1946
The Bandit of Sherwood Forest
Film · 1946
The Power of the Whistler
Film · 1945
Pursuit to Algiers
Film · 1945
The Vampire's Ghost
Film · 1945
Honeymoon Ahead
Film · 1945
The Crime Doctor's Warning
Film · 1945
Saratoga Trunk
Film · 1945
A Thousand and One Nights
Film · 1945
The Mask of Dimitrios
Film · 1944
Cry of the Werewolf
Film · 1944
End of the Road
Film · 1944
The Falcon in Hollywood
Film · 1944
Summer Storm
Film · 1944
Secrets of Scotland Yard
Film · 1944
Abroad with Two Yanks
Film · 1944
U-Boat Prisoner
Film · 1944
Once Upon a Time
Film · 1944
The Gorilla Man
Film · 1943
London Blackout Murders
Film · 1943
Hangmen Also Die!
Film · 1943
The Cross of Lorraine
Film · 1943
They Got Me Covered
Film · 1943
Dangerous Blondes
Film · 1943
Mission to Moscow
Film · 1943
Jane Eyre
Film · 1943
Mrs. Miniver
Film · 1942
Joan of Paris
Film · 1942
Rubber Racketeers
Film · 1942
Get Hep to Love
Film · 1942
This Above All
Film · 1942
Nightmare
Film · 1942
The Shanghai Gesture
Film · 1941
Ten Days in Paris
Film · 1940
The Saint in London
Film · 1939
The Great Commandment
Film · 1939
The Great Commandment
Film · 1939
This Man Is News
Film · 1938
Street of Shadows
Film · 1937
Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel
Film · 1937
Under Secret Orders
Film · 1937
The Conquest of the Air
Film · 1931