Biography
Jack Hawkins (also credited as John Edward Hawkins) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. Born in Wood Green, London, on 14 September 1910, he trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and made his London stage debut as a child in 1923.
He became one of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s and was frequently cast as military officers or figures of authority. Notable roles include Major Warden in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Quintus Arrius in Ben-Hur (1959) and General Allenby in Lawrence of Arabia (1962). He was appointed CBE in 1958 and appeared in further films such as Zulu (1964) after losing his natural voice following throat surgery in 1966.
Hawkins died in London on 18 July 1973, aged 62.
