Jack Hawkins | |
|---|---|
 Hawkins in 1973, photographed byAllan Warren | |
| Born | John Edward Hawkins (1910-09-14)14 September 1910 Wood Green,Middlesex, England |
| Died | 18 July 1973(1973-07-18) (aged 62) Chelsea, London, England |
| Alma mater | Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1923–1973 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Rank | |
| Unit | |
| Signature | |
 | |
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.[1] He was known for his portrayal of military men, said to "endow the countless figures of authority he played with a formidable screen presence."[2] One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was nominated for fourBAFTA Awards forBest British Actor.
Hawkins was born at 45 Lyndhurst Road,Wood Green, inMiddlesex (nowLondon Borough of Haringey), the son of a builder.[3] He was educated at Wood Green'sTrinity County Grammar School, where, aged eight, he joined the school choir.[4]
By the age of ten Hawkins had joined the local operatic society,[4] and made his stage debut inPatience byGilbert and Sullivan.[4] His parents enrolled him in theItalia Conti Academy,[5] and whilst he was studying there he made his London stage debut, when aged thirteen, playing the Elf King inWhere the Rainbow Ends at theHolborn Empire on Boxing Day, December 1923,[4] a production that also included the youngNoël Coward.[6] The following year, aged 14, he played the page in a production ofSaint Joan byGeorge Bernard Shaw.[7] Five years later he was in a production ofBeau Geste alongsideLaurence Olivier.[8]
He appeared onBroadway inJourney's End at the age of 18.[9]
In the 1930s Hawkins's focus was on the stage. He worked in the companies ofSybil Thorndike,John Gielgud andBasil Dean.[10] His performances includedPort Said byEmlyn Williams (1931),Below the Surface by HL Stoker and LS Hunt (1932),Red Triangle by Val Gielgud (1932),Service by CI Anthony, for directorBasil Dean (1933),One of Us by Frank Howard,As You Like It by William Shakespeare (1933), andIron Flowers by Cecil Lewis (1933, withJessica Tandy his wife).
He started appearing in films, includingBirds of Prey (1930),[11]The Lodger (1932)[11] (starringIvor Novello),The Good Companions (1933),[11]The Lost Chord (1933),[11]I Lived with You (1933),[11]The Jewel (1933),[11]A Shot in the Dark (1933),[11] andAutumn Crocus (1934).[11]
In 1932 he was in a radio production ofHamlet withJohn Gielgud andRobert Donat and the following year he was inDanger. He was also inDeath at Broadcasting House (1934),Lorna Doone (1934),[11] andPeg of Old Drury (1935).[11]
Stage roles includedWhile Parents Sleep (1932) byAnthony Kimmins,Iron Mistress (1934) by Arthur Macrae; then an open air Shakespeare festival –As You Like It (1934) (withAnna Neagle),Twelfth Night (1934), andThe Comedy of Errors (1934). Some of these productions were broadcast on radio.The Maitlands by Ronald Mackenzie (1934) was forJohn Gielgud's company. He was Horatio to Gielgud'sHamlet (1934). He also appeared inAccidentally Yours by Clifford Grey (1935),The World Waits by Clifford Hummel (1935),Coincidence by Bryce Robertson (1935) andThe Frog (1935).
Films in the late 1930s includedBeauty and the Barge (1937),[11]The Frog (1937),[11] (which Hawkins played on stage),Who Goes Next? (1938),[11]A Royal Divorce (1938),[11]Murder Will Out (1939),[11] andThe Flying Squad (1940).[11]
Theatre appearances includedA Winter's Tale (1937),Autumn by Margaret Kennedy and Gregory Ratoff (1937, withFlora Robson forBasil 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), andDear Octopus byDodie Smith (1938–39).
Having attended an Officer Cadet Training Unit, he was commissioned into theRoyal Welch Fusiliers,British Army, as asecond lieutenant on 8 March 1941.[12] On 22 January 1944, he transferred to theExpeditionary Force Institutes in the rank oflieutenant.[13] He served withENSA in India and Southeast Asia.[14] He relinquished his commission as alieutenant (substantive) on 11 October 1946, and was granted thehonorary rank ofcolonel.[15]
During his military service, he was employed byEaling Studios to makeThe Next of Kin (1942).[11]
Hawkins left the army in July 1946. Two weeks later he appeared on stage inThe Apple Cart at £10 per week. The following year he starred inOthello, to a mixed reception.[16]
Hawkins's wife became pregnant and he became concerned about his future. He decided to accept a contract with SirAlexander Korda for three years at £50 per week. Hawkins had been recommended to Korda by the latter's production executive, Bill Bryden, who was married toElizabeth Allen, who had worked with Hawkins.[16]
The association began badly when Hawkins was cast in Korda's notorious flopBonnie Prince Charlie (1948),[11] asLord George Murray. However, he followed it with a good role in the successful, highly acclaimedThe Fallen Idol (1948),[11] forCarol Reed. He appeared inThe Small Back Room (1949),[11] forPowell and Pressburger; he starred as the villain alongsideDouglas Fairbanks Jr in theSidney Gilliat directedState Secret (1950).[11]
He was recruited by20th Century Fox to supportTyrone Power andOrson Welles, by playing thePrince of Wales in the expensive epicThe Black Rose (1950).[11] He made another with Powell and Pressburger for Korda,The Elusive Pimpernel (1950).[11]
Hawkins played the lead inThe Adventurers (1951),[11] shot in South Africa, then had a good role in another Hollywood-financed film shot in Britain,No Highway in the Sky (1951),[11] withJames Stewart. It was followed by a British thriller withRalph Richardson,Home at Seven (1952).[11]
In the spring of 1951 he went to Broadway and playedMercutio in a production ofRomeo and Juliet withOlivia de Havilland.[16]
Hawkins became a star with the release of three successful films in which he played stern but sympathetic authority figures:Angels One Five (1951),[17] as anRAF officer during the war;The Planter's Wife (1952),[17] as a rubber planter combating communists in theMalayan Emergency (withClaudette Colbert); andMandy (1952),[17] as 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.[18]
Hawkins starred inThe Cruel Sea (1953),[17] playing a driven naval officer in World War II. SirMichael 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."[16]The Cruel Sea was the most successful film of the year and saw Hawkins voted the most popular star in Britain regardless of nationality.[19]
According to hisGuardian 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."[8]
Malta Story (1953)[17] was another military story, with Hawkins as an RAF officer in theSiege of Malta during the war. It too was a hit, the ninth most popular film in Britain in 1953.[20]
He had a guest role inTwice Upon a Time (1953) forEmeric Pressburger.[17] He followed this with two mildly popular dramas –The Intruder (1953)[17] andFront Page Story (1954).[17]
The Seekers (1954)[17] was partly shot inNew 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.[21] It was followed byThe Prisoner (1955),[17] an unconventional drama, playing the shrewd interrogator in an authoritarian country who gets a respected priest (played byAlec 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.[22][23] "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."[24]
He turned down the role of Colonel Carne inThe Glorious Gloucesters forWarwick Films, andCaptain Cook for a project for the Rank organisation.[7]
"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."[25]
Hawkins got his wish when he received a Hollywood offer to play a pharaoh forHoward Hawks inLand of the Pharaohs (1955).[17]
He returned home to make anEaling comedy,Touch and Go (1955),[17] which was not particularly popular. He was more comfortably cast as a police officer inThe Long Arm (1956),[17] and a test pilot inThe Man in the Sky (1957).[17] He was an insurance investigator in Sidney Gilliat'sFortune Is a Woman (1957).[19][26]
Hawkins's career received a major boost when supportingWilliam Holden andAlec Guinness in the highly acclaimedThe Bridge on the River Kwai (1957).[17]
He was appointed a Commander of theOrder of the British Empire (CBE) in 1958.
Hawkins played the lead role in a film forJohn Ford, playing a police officer inGideon's Day (USA title:Gideon of Scotland Yard) (1958).[17] 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 blockbusterBen-Hur (1959), playing the Roman admiral who befriendsCharlton Heston. It was even more successful thanBridge on the River Kwai.[17]
He appeared as one ofThe Four Just Men (1959) in theSapphire Films TV series forITV.[27] He also played the lead in an American TV version ofThe Fallen Idol.[17]
He appeared in a heist film considered 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 inThe League of Gentlemen (1960).[17][28]
However, though initially sought for the role of a gay barrister inVictim, he turned it down fearing that it might conflict with his masculine image. The role was eventually played byDirk Bogarde.[29]
A three-packet-a-daychain smoker, Hawkins began experiencing voice problems in the late 1950s; unbeknownst to the public, he had undergonecobalt treatment in 1959 for what was then described as a secondary condition of thelarynx, but which was probably cancer.[30]
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.[31] He playedGeneral Cornwallis in a European epic,La Fayette (1961).[17] and appeared withShirley MacLaine andLaurence Harvey inTwo Loves (1961),[17] and supportedRosalind Russell inFive Finger Exercise (1962).[17]
"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."[32]
He was in another big hit inLawrence of Arabia (1962),[17] asGeneral Allenby.Rampage (1963) was less distinguished; he played an alcoholic priest inZulu (1964).[17] He had supporting parts inThe Third Secret (1964),[17]Guns at Batasi (1964),[17] andLord Jim (1965).[17]Masquerade (1965) gave him a lead oppositeCliff Robertson.[33] He made some appearances on US TV: "To Bury Caesar" withPamela Brown in 1963 and "Back to Back" forThe Bob Hope Theatre. He also appeared inJudith (1966),[17] andThe Poppy Is Also a Flower (1966).[17]
In December 1965, Hawkins was diagnosed withthroat cancer. His entire larynx was removed in January 1966. In March of that year he appeared at a royal screening ofBorn Free attended by theQueen and received a standing ovation.[34]
Thereafter, his performances were dubbed, often (with Hawkins's approval) byRobert Rietti orCharles Gray. Hawkins continued to smoke after losing his voice.[35] In private, he used amechanical larynx to aid his speech.[30]
In 1967 it was reported that he would directPeter O'Toole inSt Patrick's Battalion inMexico but the film was not made.[36] Instead he resumed his acting career, with his voice dubbed and dialogue kept to a minimum:Shalako (1968) andGreat Catherine (1968). InOh! What a Lovely War (1969), playingEmperor 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.[37]
"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."[31]
Some rare comedies followed:Monte Carlo or Bust (1969),[17]Twinky (1970),[17]The Adventures of Gerard (1970).[17] There was more typical fare:Waterloo (1970),[17]Jane Eyre (1970),[17]The Beloved (1971),[17]When Eight Bells Toll (1971),[17]Nicholas and Alexandra (1971),[17] andKidnapped (1971).[17]
The Last Lion (1972), shot in South Africa, offered him a rare lead. It was followed byYoung Winston (1972),Escape to the Sun (1972),Theatre of Blood (1973), andTales That Witness Madness (1973).[17]
Hawkins also produced the film adaptation ofPeter Barnes'sThe Ruling Class (1972), withPeter O'Toole andAlastair Sim.[38]
Hawkins married actressJessica Tandy in 1932, and the couple divorced in 1940. Together, they had one daughter, Susan Hawkins (1934–2004).[39] In 1947, Hawkins married former actressDoreen Lawrence; together, they had three children, Caroline (b. 1955),[40] Andrew (b. 1950), and Nicholas, and they remained married until his death in 1973.[2][41]
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 ofThe Tamarind Seed (1974). In that film, Hawkins would have played a Russian general. He died on 18 July 1973,[42] of a secondary haemorrhage. He was 62.[43] He was cremated and his ashes interred atGolders Green Crematorium in north London.[43]
His final appearance had been in the television mini-seriesQB VII. Hisautobiography,Anything for a Quiet Life, was published posthumously, on 26 November 1973.[44]
During the 1950s, British exhibitors consistently voted Hawkins one of the most popular local stars in the country in the annual poll conducted by theMotion Picture Herald:
