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Jack Hawkins

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John Edward Hawkins, CBE (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s.<ref>Obituary Variety, 25 July 1973, page 55.</ref> One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of military men.

CareerEdit

Hawkins was born at 45 Lyndhurst Road, Wood Green, in Middlesex (now London Borough of Haringey), the son of a builder.<ref name="ODNB">Template:Cite ODNB</ref> He was educated at Wood Green's Trinity County Grammar School, where, aged eight, he joined the school choir.<ref name="Brit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

By the age of ten Hawkins had joined the local operatic society,<ref name="Brit"/> and made his stage debut in Patience by Gilbert and Sullivan.<ref name="Brit"/> His parents enrolled him in the Italia Conti Academy,<ref name="Brit"/> and whilst he was studying there he made his London stage debut, when aged thirteen, playing the Elf King in Where the Rainbow Ends at the Holborn Empire on Boxing Day, December 1923,<ref name="Brit"/> a production that also included the young Noël Coward.<ref name="noel">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The following year aged 14 he played the page in a production of Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw.<ref name="jack"/> Five years later he was in a production of Beau Geste alongside Laurence Olivier.<ref name="guardian"/>

He appeared on Broadway in Journey's End by the age of 18.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1930sEdit

In the 1930s Hawkins's focus was on the stage. He worked in the companies of Sybil Thorndike, John Gielgud and Basil Dean.<ref name="new">Template:Cite news</ref> His performances included Port Said by Emlyn Williams (1931), Below the Surface by HL Stoker and LS Hunt (1932), Red Triangle by Val Gielgud (1932), Service by CI Anthony, for director Basil Dean (1933), One of Us by Frank Howard, As You Like It by William Shakespeare (1933) and Iron Flowers by Cecil Lewis (1933, with Jessica Tandy his wife).

He started appearing in films, including Birds of Prey (1930),<ref name="tcm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Lodger (1932),<ref name="tcm"/> (starring Ivor Novello), The Good Companions (1933),<ref name="tcm"/> The Lost Chord (1933),<ref name="tcm"/> I Lived with You (1933),<ref name="tcm"/> The Jewel (1933),<ref name="tcm"/> A Shot in the Dark (1933),<ref name="tcm"/> and Autumn Crocus (1934).<ref name="tcm"/>

In 1932 he was in a radio production of Hamlet with John Gielgud and Robert Donat and the following year he was in Danger. He was also in Death at Broadcasting House (1934), Lorna Doone (1934),<ref name="tcm"/> and Peg of Old Drury (1935).<ref name="tcm"/>

Stage roles included While Parents Sleep (1932) by Anthony Kimmins, Iron Mistress (1934) by Arthur Macrae; then an open air Shakespeare festival – As You Like It (1934) (with Anna Neagle), Twelfth Night (1934), Comedy of Errors (1934). Some of these productions were done on radio. The Maitlands by Ronald Mackenzie (1934) was for John Gielgud's company. He was Horatio to Gielgud's Hamlet (1934). He also appeared in Accidentally Yours by Clifford Grey (1935), The World Waits by Clifford Hummel (1935), Coincidence by Bryce Robertson (1935) and The Frog (1935).

Films in the late 1930s included Beauty and the Barge (1937),<ref name="tcm"/> The Frog (1937),<ref name="tcm"/> (which Hawkins played on stage), Who Goes Next? (1938),<ref name="tcm"/> A Royal Divorce (1938),<ref name="tcm"/> Murder Will Out (1939),<ref name="tcm"/> and The Flying Squad (1940).<ref name="tcm"/>

Theatre appearances included A Winter's Tale (1937), Autumn by Margaret Kennedy and Gregory Ratoff (1937, with Flora Robson for Basil Dean), The King's Breakfast by Rita Welman and Maurice Marks (1937–38), No More Music by Rosamund Lehman (1938), Can We Tell? by Robert Gore Brown (1938), Traitors Gate by Norma Stuart (1938) and Dear Octopus by Dodie Smith (1938–39).

Second World WarEdit

Having attended an Officer Cadet Training Unit, he was commissioned into the Royal Welch Fusiliers, British Army, as a second lieutenant on 8 March 1941.<ref name="LG 35118">Template:London Gazette</ref> On 22 January 1944, he transferred to the Expeditionary Force Institutes in the rank of lieutenant.<ref name="LG 37294">Template:London Gazette</ref> He served with ENSA in India and Southeast Asia.<ref name=ww2>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He relinquished his commission as a lieutenant (substantive) on 11 October 1946, and was granted the honorary rank of colonel.<ref name="LG 37809">Template:London Gazette</ref>

During his military service, he was employed by Ealing Studios to make The Next of Kin (1942).<ref name="tcm"/>

Post-war careerEdit

Hawkins left the army in July 1946. Two weeks later he appeared on stage in The Apple Cart at £10 a week. The following year he starred in Othello, to a mixed reception.<ref name="boy">Template:Cite news</ref>

Hawkins's wife became pregnant and he became concerned about his future. He decided to accept a contract with Sir Alexander Korda for three years at £50 a week. Hawkins had been recommended to Korda by the latter's production executive, Bill Bryden, who was married to Elizabeth Allen, who had worked with Hawkins.<ref name="boy"/>

The association began badly when Hawkins was cast in Korda's notorious flop Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948),<ref name="tcm"/> as Lord George Murray. However he followed it with a good role in the successful, highly acclaimed The Fallen Idol (1948),<ref name="tcm"/> for Carol Reed. He appeared in The Small Back Room (1949),<ref name="tcm"/> for Powell and Pressburger; he starred as the villain alongside Douglas Fairbanks Jr in the Sidney Gilliat directed State Secret (1950).<ref name="tcm"/>

He was recruited by 20th Century Fox to support Tyrone Power and Orson Welles, by playing the Prince of Wales in the expensive epic The Black Rose (1950).<ref name="tcm"/> He made another with Powell and Pressburger for Korda, The Elusive Pimpernel (1950).<ref name="tcm"/>

Hawkins played the lead in The Adventurers (1951),<ref name="tcm"/> shot in South Africa, then had a good role in another Hollywood-financed film shot in Britain, No Highway in the Sky (1951),<ref name="tcm"/> with James Stewart. It was followed by a British thriller with Ralph Richardson, Home at Seven (1952).<ref name="tcm"/>

In the spring of 1951 he went to Broadway and played Mercutio in a production of Romeo and Juliet with Olivia de Havilland.<ref name="boy"/>

StardomEdit

Hawkins became a star with the release of three successful films in which he played stern but sympathetic authority figures: Angels One Five (1951),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> as an RAF officer during the war; The Planter's Wife (1952),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> as a rubber planter combating communists in the Malayan Emergency (with Claudette Colbert); and Mandy (1952),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> the headmaster of a school for the deaf. All films ranked among the top ten most popular films at the British box office in 1952 and British exhibitors voted him the fourth most popular British star at the local box office.<ref name="comedian">Template:Cite news</ref>

Hawkins starred in The Cruel Sea (1953),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> playing a driven naval officer in World War II. Sir Michael Balcon said: "Even before the script was written, we knew it had to be Jack Hawkins. If he hadn't been free to play the part, then there wouldn't have been a film."<ref name="boy"/> The Cruel Sea was the most successful film of the year and saw Hawkins voted the most popular star in Britain regardless of nationality.<ref name=britmovie>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

According to his Guardian obituary, he "exemplified for many cinemagoers the stiff upper lip tradition prevalent in post-war British films. His craggy looks and authoritative bearing were used to good effect whatever branch of the services he represented."<ref name="guardian">Template:Cite news</ref>

Malta Story (1953),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> was another military story, with Hawkins as an RAF officer in the Siege of Malta during the war. It too was a hit, the ninth most popular film in Britain in 1953.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He had a guest role in Twice Upon a Time (1953) for Emeric Pressburger.<ref name="allmovie-film"/> He followed this with two mildly popular dramas – The Intruder (1953)<ref name="allmovie-film"/> and Front Page Story (1954).<ref name="allmovie-film"/>

The Seekers (1954),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> was partly shot in New Zealand and cast Hawkins in a rare romantic role. "My film wives to date usually stay home and knit, or else have conveniently died before the film starts," he said.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was followed by The Prisoner (1955),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> an unconventional drama, playing the shrewd interrogator in an authoritarian country who gets a respected priest (played by Alec Guinness) to discredit himself. None of these films was commercially successful but Hawkins was still voted the fifth biggest star at the British box office for 1954, and the most popular British one.<ref name="John">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "It's an enviable position, I know", said Hawkins. "But I have to be more careful now about the parts I choose, and it's hard not to offend people. Everyone thinks his own script is the best."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He turned down the role of Colonel Carne in The Glorious Gloucesters for Warwick Films and Captain Cook for a project for the Rank organisation;<ref name="jack">Template:Cite news</ref>

"I'm tired of playing decent fellows", he said in a 1954 interview, "with stiff upper lip and even stiffer morals. I'm going to kill them off before they kill me as an actor. And I want stories written for me, not rejects intended for other fellows... I just inherit them from other people. Often, I find they've left the name of the actor originally suggested for the role. Always the same old names ... Errol Flynn, Gregory Peck ... five or six others. Before the script reaches them, somebody remembers me – especially if it's one of those infernally nice characters."<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Cite news</ref>

International starEdit

Hawkins got his wish when he received a Hollywood offer to play a pharaoh for Howard Hawks in Land of the Pharaohs (1955).<ref name="allmovie-film"/>

He returned home to make an Ealing comedy, Touch and Go (1955),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> which was not particularly popular. He was more comfortably cast as a police officer in The Long Arm (1956),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> and a test pilot in The Man in the Sky (1957).<ref name="allmovie-film"/> He was an insurance investigator in Sidney Gilliat's Fortune Is a Woman (1957).<ref name=britmovie /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Hawkins's career received a major boost when supporting William Holden and Alec Guinness, in the highly acclaimed The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957).<ref name="allmovie-film"/>

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1958.

Hawkins played the lead role in a film for John Ford, playing a police officer in Gideon's Day (USA title: Gideon of Scotland Yard) (1958).<ref name="allmovie-film"/> He had a good role as a double agent in a war film, The Two-Headed Spy (1958) then was given another third lead in a Hollywood blockbuster Ben-Hur (1959), playing the Roman admiral who befriends Charlton Heston. It was even more successful than Bridge on the River Kwai.<ref name="allmovie-film"/>

He appeared as one of The Four Just Men (1959) in the Sapphire Films TV series for ITV.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also played the lead in an American TV version of The Fallen Idol.<ref name="allmovie-film"/>

He appeared in a heist film considered quite ground-breaking at the time for its references to sex, and popular at the British box office, also providing Hawkins with his final lead role in The League of Gentlemen (1960).<ref name="allmovie-film"/>

However, though initially sought for the role of a gay barrister in Victim, he turned it down fearing that it might conflict with his masculine image. The role was eventually played by Dirk Bogarde.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Decline as starEdit

A three-packet-a-day chain smoker, Hawkins began experiencing voice problems in the late 1950s; unbeknownst to the public, he had undergone cobalt treatment in 1959 for what was then described as a secondary condition of the larynx, but which was probably cancer.<ref name="Connelly"/>

Hawkins became worried about his voice and was concerned he would lose it. This caused him to take almost any work that was available. "I had to be realistic and take as much money as I could get while the going was good", he said.<ref name="throat">Template:Cite news</ref> He played General Cornwallis in a European epic, La Fayette (1961).<ref name="allmovie-film"/> and appeared with Shirley MacLaine and Laurence Harvey in Two Loves (1961),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> and supported Rosalind Russell in Five Finger Exercise (1962).<ref name="allmovie-film"/>

"There are not all that number of mature leading men around", he said in a 1961 interview. "There seems to be a generation missing. I think people quit going into the acting profession. A lot of them drifted out during the war. And then when the war was over it was difficult for them to get back into the theatre."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He was in another big hit in Lawrence of Arabia (1962),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> as General Allenby. Rampage (1963) was less distinguished, an alcoholic priest in Zulu (1964).<ref name="allmovie-film"/> He had supporting parts in The Third Secret (1964),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> Guns at Batasi (1964),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> and Lord Jim (1965).<ref name="allmovie-film"/> Masquerade (1965) gave him a lead opposite Cliff Robertson.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He made some appearances on US TV: "To Bury Caesar" with Pamela Brown in 1963 and "Back to Back" for The Bob Hope Theatre. He also appeared in Judith (1966),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> and The Poppy Is Also a Flower (1966).<ref name="allmovie-film">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

IllnessEdit

In December 1965, Hawkins was diagnosed with throat cancer. His entire larynx was removed in January 1966. In March of that year he appeared at a royal screening of Born Free attended by the Queen and received a standing ovation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Thereafter, his performances were dubbed, often (with Hawkins's approval) by Robert Rietti or Charles Gray. Hawkins continued to smoke after losing his voice.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In private, he used a mechanical larynx to aid his speech.<ref name="Connelly">Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1967 it was reported that he would direct Peter O'Toole in St Patrick's Battalion in Mexico but the film was not made.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Instead he resumed his acting career, with his voice dubbed and dialogue kept to a minimum: Shalako (1968) and Great Catherine (1968). In Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), playing Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, he had no lines at all. He had an operation to restore his voice in 1968. It did not work; Hawkins could talk but only in a croaking voice.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

"The fact that producers are still offering me work is a source of much gratitude to me", he said in 1969. "I flatter myself that when they cast me in a part it's me Jack Hawkins they want and not the person who was once Jack Hawkins... if you know what I mean. And I'm perfectly honest with anyone who hires me. I tell them exactly what they're letting themselves in for."<ref name="throat"/>

Some rare comedies followed: Monte Carlo or Bust (1969),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> Twinky (1970),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> The Adventures of Gerard (1970).<ref name="allmovie-film"/> There was more typical fare: Waterloo (1970),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> Jane Eyre (1970),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> The Beloved (1971),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> When Eight Bells Toll (1971),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> Nicholas and Alexandra (1971),<ref name="allmovie-film"/> and Kidnapped (1971).<ref name="allmovie-film"/>

The Last Lion (1972), shot in South Africa, offered him a rare lead. It was followed by Young Winston (1972), Escape to the Sun (1972), Theatre of Blood (1973) and Tales That Witness Madness (1973).<ref name="allmovie-film"/>

Hawkins also produced the film adaptation of Peter Barnes's The Ruling Class (1972), with Peter O'Toole and Alastair Sim.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Hawkins married actress Jessica Tandy in 1932, and the couple divorced in 1940. Together, they had one daughter, Susan Hawkins (1934–2004).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1947, Hawkins married former actress Doreen Lawrence (1919–2013), together, they had three children, Caroline (b. 1955),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Andrew (b. 1950), and Nicholas, and they remained married until his death in 1973.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

DeathEdit

In May 1973, Hawkins had an experimental operation on his throat to insert an artificial voice box. He started haemorrhaging and was admitted to St Stephen's Hospital, Fulham Road, London, in June, forcing him to drop out of The Tamarind Seed (1974), in which Hawkins was to have played a Russian general. He died on 18 July 1973,<ref>GRO Register of Deaths: SEP 1973 5a 1339 Chelsea – John Edward Hawkins, DoB = 14 September 1910</ref> of a secondary haemorrhage. He was 62.<ref name="dies">Template:Cite news</ref>

His final appearance was in the television mini-series QB VII. His autobiography, Anything for a Quiet Life, was published after his death. He was cremated and his ashes interred at Golders Green Crematorium in north London.<ref name="dies"/>

FilmographyEdit

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British box office rankingEdit

During the 1950s, British exhibitors consistently voted Hawkins one of the most popular local stars in the country in the annual poll conducted by the Motion Picture Herald:

  • 1952 – 4th most popular British star<ref name="comedian"/>
  • 1953 – most popular international star
  • 1954 – 5th most popular international star, most popular British star<ref name="John"/>
  • 1955 – 6th most popular British star<ref>"'The Dam Busters'." The Times [London, England] 29 December 1955: 12. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.</ref>
  • 1956 – 2nd most popular British star<ref>"The Most Popular Film Star in Britain" The Times [London, England] 7 December 1956: 3. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.</ref>
  • 1957 – 9th most popular British star<ref>'BRITISH ACTORS HEAD FILM POLL: BOX-OFFICE SURVEY', The Manchester Guardian (1901–1959) [Manchester (UK)] 27 December 1957: 3.</ref>
  • 1958 – 9th most popular British star

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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