Jack Hawkins

John Edward Hawkins (September 14, 1910 - July 18, 1973) was a British actor who appeared in films like The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia and The Cruel Sea.

Related Topics:
September 14 - 1910 - July 18 - 1973 - British - Actor - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Lawrence of Arabia - The Cruel Sea

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Hawkins made his London stage debut aged 12, and was appearing on Broadway in Journey's End by the age of 18. Although he appeared in several films during the 1930s, it was only after service in The Second World War that he began to build a successful career in the cinema, often playing stern but sympathetic authority figures in films like Angels One Five (1952), The Long Arm (1956) and The Cruel Sea (1953), the film that made him a star.

Related Topics:
London - Broadway - Journey's End - 1930s - The Second World War - Angels One Five - 1952 - The Long Arm - 1956 - The Cruel Sea - 1953

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From the late 1950s he mostly appeared in character roles, often in epic films like The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), and Lawrence of Arabia (1962).

Related Topics:
1950s - The Bridge on the River Kwai - 1957 - Lawrence of Arabia - 1962

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Some of his more unusual roles included an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh in Land of the Pharaohs (1955), Quintus Arrius, Ben Hur's adopted Roman father, in Ben-Hur (1959), and Zulu (1964), where he played against type as the fanatical Rev. Otto Witt.

Related Topics:
Ancient Egyptian - Pharaoh - Land of the Pharaohs - 1955 - Ben-Hur - 1959 - Zulu - 1964

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He was married to Jessica Tandy from 1932 to 1942 and later to Doreen Lawrence from 1946 until his death in 1973. In 1966, Hawkins was diagnosed with throat cancer and his entire larynx was removed; thereafter his performances were dubbed, usually by actor Charles Gray. Hawkins died in 1973 following an operation to insert an artificial voicebox. He was 62.

Related Topics:
Jessica Tandy - 1932 - 1942 - 1946 - 1973 - Throat cancer - Charles Gray

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