Hawkins, Jack (John Edward) 1910-73
English actor

Born in Wood Green, London, he trained for the theatre at the Italia Conti School of Acting, before making his debut in Where the Rainbow Ends (1923), then subsequently performing in the original production of Saint Joan (1924). His adult debut was in Young Woodley (1929), and his first New York appearance was in Journey's End (1930). His first film Birds of Prey (1930) began a prolific cinema career that ran parallel with a series of admired Shakespearean roles opposite John Gielgud. A colonel in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (1940-46) during World War II, after the war he gave an acclaimed performance in Othello (1946). He became one of Great Britain's most popular film stars, playing heroes with stiff upper-lips and authoritarian figures in such films as The Cruel Sea (1953), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Stricken with throat cancer in 1966, he courageously continued to act with fellow actors dubbing his voice. He published an autobiography, Anything for a Quiet Life (1973), and made his final appearance in the television mini-series QB VII (transmitted 1974).