Jack Allen (actor)
Encyclopedia
Jack Allen was a British
film, theatre and television actor.
He made his stage debut in 1931 at The Liverpool Playhouse, appearing in The Swan and had a long theatrical career which lasted until 1980, when he appeared at The Old Vic in a production of The Merchant of Venice
.
He made his film debut in The Angelus (1937), while his most notable role was as Lieutenant Thomas Willoughby in the classic 1939 version of The Four Feathers
directed by Zoltan Korda
. He went on to have supporting roles in a number of films and television series until the 1980s, usually as typically British gentlemen and officer types.
Films include The Sound Barrier (1952), The Heart of the Matter
(1953), Jack the Ripper
(1959), The Queen's Guards
(1961) and Ned Kelly
(1970).
On television he played Major Upshot-Bagley during the second series of popular 1950s sitcom The Army Game
and made appearances in The Adventures of Robin Hood
, Dixon of Dock Green
, Danger Man
, The Prisoner
, Coronation Street
, The Sweeney
and Crown Court
.
He also served during World War II
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film, theatre and television actor.
He made his stage debut in 1931 at The Liverpool Playhouse, appearing in The Swan and had a long theatrical career which lasted until 1980, when he appeared at The Old Vic in a production of The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
.
He made his film debut in The Angelus (1937), while his most notable role was as Lieutenant Thomas Willoughby in the classic 1939 version of The Four Feathers
The Four Feathers
The Four Feathers is a 1902 adventure novel by British writer A.E.W. Mason that has inspired many films of the same title.-Plot summary:...
directed by Zoltan Korda
Zoltán Korda
Zoltan Korda was a Hungarian-born motion picture screenwriter, director and producer.Born Zoltán Kellner, Kellner Zoltán in Hungarian name order, of Jewish heritage in Pusztatúrpásztó, Túrkeve in Hungary , he was the middle brother of filmmakers Alexander and Vincent Korda.Zoltan Korda went to...
. He went on to have supporting roles in a number of films and television series until the 1980s, usually as typically British gentlemen and officer types.
Films include The Sound Barrier (1952), The Heart of the Matter
The Heart of the Matter
The Heart of the Matter , a novel by the English author Graham Greene, won the 1948 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. During World War II, Greene worked for the Secret Intelligence Service in Sierra Leone, the setting for his novel...
(1953), Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper (1959 film)
Jack the Ripper was a 1959 film produced and directed by Monty Berman and Robert S. Baker and is loosely based on Leonard Matters' theory that the Ripper was an avenging doctor. The black-and-white film starred Lee Patterson and Eddie Byrne and co-starred Betty McDowall, John Le Mesurier, and...
(1959), The Queen's Guards
The Queen's Guards
The Queen's Guards is a 1961 military drama film directed by Michael Powell from a script by Simon Harcourt-Smith and Roger Milner. It stars Daniel Massey, Raymond Massey, Robert Stephens, and Ursula Jeans.-Plot:...
(1961) and Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
(1970).
On television he played Major Upshot-Bagley during the second series of popular 1950s sitcom The Army Game
The Army Game
The Army Game is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1957 to 1961. Made in black-and-white, it is about National Service conscription to the post-war British Army. It was created by Sid Colin...
and made appearances in The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a popular British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes. It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show aired weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV in London in the...
, Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
, Danger Man
Danger Man
Danger Man is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the program and wrote many of the scripts...
, The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
, Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
and Crown Court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
.
He also served during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Selected filmography
- ConspiratorConspirator (1949 film)Conspirator is a 1949 British thriller film directed by Victor Saville and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Taylor and Robert Flemyng. A British guards officer who is a spy for the Soviet Union is ordered by his KGB handlers to murder his young American wife when she discovers his true...
(1949) - Man from TangierMan from TangierMan from Tangier is a 1957 British crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Robert Hutton, Lisa Gastoni and Martin Benson. It was also released as Thunder over Tangier...
(1957) - Jack the RipperJack the Ripper (1959 film)Jack the Ripper was a 1959 film produced and directed by Monty Berman and Robert S. Baker and is loosely based on Leonard Matters' theory that the Ripper was an avenging doctor. The black-and-white film starred Lee Patterson and Eddie Byrne and co-starred Betty McDowall, John Le Mesurier, and...
(1959) - The Breaking PointThe Breaking Point (1961 film)The Breaking Point is a 1961 British crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Peter Reynolds, Dermot Walsh, Joanna Dunham and Lisa Gastoni.-Cast:* Peter Reynolds - Eric Winlatter* Dermot Walsh - Robert Wade* Joanna Dunham - Cherry Winlatter...
(1961)