Ctrl+K
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.
as Commissioner's Laywer
as 2nd Gambler
as Surgeon
as Dr. Frankenstein
as Dr. Durrant
as Coroner
as Heller
as Duquai
as Dr. Reinhart
as Ms. Robson's Host (uncredited)
as Gregorius
as Banker Irwing
as Akela (voice)
as Emile
as Aben
as Mr. Orlandos
as Manuel
as Yusuf
as Dipso Dale Rutherford
as Dr. Sawyer
as Mustafa el Melik
as Don Daniel
as Herbert Bielensen
as Nitra Puta
as Marshovian Ambassador
as Abel Harmer
as Sykes
as Pappa Cerrano
as Pierre
as Mayor Tuvache
as Frederick Fairlie
as Mr. Twyning
as Huish
as Charles Murdock
as Max Leiberman
as Rozner
as Bertram Gribble
as Phya Phrom
as Joseph Baronova
as Will Scarlet
as Lal Bara
as Roscoe Bean
as Jodri
as Jimmy Gordon
as Welles
as Kaspar Andropolous
as Webb Fallon
as Martin S. Dwyer
as Chris Martin
as Peter Althius
as Salesman
as Mortimer Cope
as Alfonse Lamont
as Lunin
as Reporter (uncredited)
as Mr. Pappas
as Mason
as Baker (uncredited)
as Roland X. Smith (uncredited)
as Grinko (uncredited)
as Hostage (scenes deleted)
as Gregory Vanesou
as Dr. Ferris
as Jack Rawlings
as Carl aka Charles
as Professor Radowsky
as Fred
as Dumbo
as Joe
as English Spy
as Poppy's Escort
as André
as Starving Beggar
as Count Stephen Duni
as Hood with Foreign Accent
as Armand
as Flower Seller
as Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier
