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.
Movie | The Commissioner | Commissioner's Laywer | 1998-02-22 |
Movie | The Young Poisoner's Handbook | Chairman | 1995-01-20 |
Movie | Four Weddings and a Funeral | Polite Verger - Wedding Four | 1994-03-09 |
Series | Kappatoo | Derek Cashmere | 1990-05-23 |
Movie | A Hazard of Hearts | 2nd Gambler | 1987-12-27 |
Movie | Quest | 1984-10-01 | |
Movie | Smorgasbord | Surgeon | 1983-04-13 |
Movie | Slapstick of Another Kind | Dr. Frankenstein | 1982-12-09 |
Movie | Measure for Measure | Second Gentleman | 1979-02-18 |
Series | Edward and Mrs Simpson | Mouth Organist | 1978-11-08 |
Movie | Outside Chance | Coroner | 1978-12-02 |
Movie | Doctor Who: Horror of Fang Rock | Vince Hawkins | 1977-09-24 |
Movie | Sherlock Holmes in New York | Heller | 1976-10-18 |
Movie | The Black Bird | Duquai | 1975-12-25 |
Movie | The Cat Creature | Dr. Reinhart | 1973-12-11 |
Series | Cool Million | Unknown | 1972-10-28 |
Series | The Partners | Unknown | 1971-09-18 |
Series | Timeslip | Unknown | 1970-09-28 |
Movie | 2000 Years Later | Gregorius | 1969-03-11 |
Movie | The Epic That Never Was | Himself - Ms. Robson's Host | 1969-09-19 |
Series | Medical Center | Professor MacIntyre | 1969-09-24 |
Series | Land of the Giants | Prof. Gorak | 1968-09-22 |
Movie | Three Guns for Texas | Banker Irwing | 1968-10-31 |
Series | Rango | Unknown | 1967-01-13 |
Series | Garrison's Gorillas | Unknown | 1967-09-06 |
Series | Mannix | Unknown | 1967-09-16 |
Movie | The Jungle Book | Akela (voice) | 1967-10-18 |
Series | Star Trek | Ayleborn | 1966-09-08 |
Movie | Gambit | Emile | 1966-12-21 |
Series | Lost in Space | Sesmar | 1965-09-15 |
Movie | The Greatest Story Ever Told | Aben | 1965-04-09 |
Series | Laredo | Unknown | 1965-09-16 |
Series | Get Smart | Unknown | 1965-09-18 |
Series | The Rogues | Sir Egbert | 1964-09-13 |
Series | Wendy and Me | Unknown | 1964-09-14 |
Series | Flipper | Unknown | 1964-09-19 |
Series | Bewitched | Unknown | 1964-09-17 |
Series | Profiles in Courage | Senator Wigfall | 1964-11-08 |
Series | Burke's Law | Conrad Jaeger | 1963-09-20 |
Movie | Who's Minding the Store? | Mr. Orlandos | 1963-11-28 |
Series | The Beverly Hillbillies | Sir Trevor Gielgud Burton-Guiness | 1962-09-26 |
Series | Ichabod and Me | Unknown | 1961-09-26 |
Series | Thriller | Kriss Milo ('The Mask of Medusa') | 1960-09-13 |
Series | The Islanders | Harwood Gones | 1960-10-02 |
Series | Outlaws | Unknown | 1960-09-26 |
Series | The DuPont Show with June Allyson | Professor Brent | 1959-09-21 |
Series | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis | Unknown | 1959-09-29 |
Series | Adventures in Paradise | Murdock | 1959-10-05 |
Series | The Detectives | Unknown | 1959-10-16 |
Series | Peter Gunn | Unknown | 1958-09-22 |
Movie | Gigi | Manuel | 1958-05-15 |
Series | The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen | The Cat | 1958-09-26 |
Series | The Rifleman | Unknown | 1958-09-30 |
Movie | Public Pigeon No. 1 | Dipso Dale Rutherford | 1957-05-17 |
Movie | Omar Khayyam | Yusuf | 1957-08-23 |
Series | Perry Mason | Dr. Durwood Tobey | 1957-09-21 |
Series | Have Gun, Will Travel | Unknown | 1957-09-14 |
Series | Telephone Time | Unknown | 1956-04-08 |
Series | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Mr. Munro | 1955-10-02 |
Series | Gunsmoke | Eddie | 1955-09-10 |
Series | Matinee Theater | Unknown | 1955-10-31 |
Series | The 20th Century Fox Hour | Unknown | 1955-10-05 |
Movie | The Miracle on 34th Street | Dr. Sawyer | 1955-12-14 |
Series | General Electric Theater | Nathan | 1953-02-01 |
Movie | Rogue's March | Herbert Bielensen | 1953-02-13 |
Movie | The Steel Lady | Mustafa el Melik | 1953-10-09 |
Movie | Sombrero | Don Daniel | 1953-04-22 |
Movie | The Merry Widow | Ambassador | 1952-09-05 |
Series | Cavalcade of America | Col. Barton | 1952-10-01 |
Movie | Thunder in the East | Nitra Puta | 1952-12-04 |
Movie | Navy Bound | Pappa Cerrano | 1951-03-04 |
Movie | Crosswinds | Sykes | 1951-10-01 |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Chang | 1951-12-24 |
Movie | Thunder on the Hill | Abel Harmer | 1951-10-17 |
Movie | Sideshow | Pierre | 1950-06-18 |
Movie | Madame Bovary | Mayor Tuvache | 1949-08-25 |
Series | Studio One | Travers | 1948-11-07 |
Movie | The Woman in White | Frederick Fairlie | 1948-05-07 |
Movie | Time Out of Mind | Max Leiberman | 1947-05-03 |
Movie | The Web | Charles Murdock | 1947-06-04 |
Movie | Humoresque | Rozner | 1947-01-25 |
Movie | Adventure Island | Huish | 1947-08-13 |
Movie | If Winter Comes | Mr. Twyning | 1947-12-31 |
Movie | The Notorious Lone Wolf | Lal Bara | 1946-02-14 |
Movie | The Bandit of Sherwood Forest | Will Scarlet | 1946-02-21 |
Movie | One More Tomorrow | Joseph Baronova | 1946-05-24 |
Movie | Deception | Bertram Gribble | 1946-10-26 |
Movie | Anna and the King of Siam | Phya Phrom | 1946-08-11 |
Movie | The Power of the Whistler | Kaspar Andropolous | 1945-04-19 |
Movie | The Vampire's Ghost | Webb Fallon | 1945-04-13 |
Movie | Honeymoon Ahead | Welles | 1945-05-11 |
Movie | Pursuit to Algiers | Jodri | 1945-10-26 |
Movie | A Thousand and One Nights | Ali | 1945-07-20 |
Movie | Saratoga Trunk | Roscoe Bean | 1945-11-21 |
Movie | The Crime Doctor's Warning | Jimmy Gordon | 1945-09-27 |
Movie | Summer Storm | Lunin | 1944-07-14 |
Movie | Once Upon a Time | Reporter (uncredited) | 1944-06-29 |
Movie | The Mask of Dimitrios | Mr. Pappas | 1944-06-23 |
Movie | U-Boat Prisoner | Alfonse Lamont | 1944-07-25 |
Movie | End of the Road | Chris Martin | 1944-11-10 |
Movie | Secrets of Scotland Yard | Mortimer Cope | 1944-07-26 |
Movie | Cry of the Werewolf | Peter Althius (uncredited) | 1944-08-17 |
Movie | The Falcon in Hollywood | Martin S. Dwyer | 1944-12-08 |
Movie | Abroad with Two Yanks | Salesman | 1944-08-04 |
Movie | They Got Me Covered | Gregory Vanesou | 1943-03-04 |
Movie | The Gorilla Man | Dr. Ferris | 1943-01-16 |
Movie | London Blackout Murders | Jack Rawlings | 1943-01-15 |
Movie | Hangmen Also Die! | Hostage (scenes deleted) | 1943-04-15 |
Movie | Mission to Moscow | Grinko (uncredited) | 1943-04-29 |
Movie | Jane Eyre | Mason | 1943-12-24 |
Movie | The Cross of Lorraine | Baker | 1943-11-12 |
Movie | Dangerous Blondes | Roland X. Smith (uncredited) | 1943-09-23 |
Movie | This Above All | Joe | 1942-05-12 |
Movie | Joan of Paris | English Spy | 1942-01-20 |
Movie | Rubber Racketeers | Dumbo | 1942-06-26 |
Movie | Get Hep to Love | Professor Radowsky | 1942-10-02 |
Movie | Mrs. Miniver | Fred | 1942-07-03 |
Movie | Nightmare | Carl aka Charles | 1942-11-10 |
Movie | The Shanghai Gesture | Poppy's Escort | 1941-12-25 |
Movie | Ten Days in Paris | André | 1940-06-01 |
Movie | The Saint in London | Count Stephen Duni | 1939-06-30 |
Movie | The Great Commandment | Starving Beggar | 1939-10-02 |
Movie | This Man Is News | Hood with Foreign Accent | 1938-09-16 |
Movie | Street of Shadows | 1937-04-13 | |
Movie | Under Secret Orders | Armand | 1937-12-06 |
Movie | Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel | Flower Seller | 1937-10-20 |
Movie | The Conquest of the Air | Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier | 1936-12-01 |