Jack Hedley

Jack Snowdon Hawkins (28 October 1929 – 11 December 2021), better known as Jack Hedley, was an English film, voice, radio, stage, character, theatre, screen and television actor best known for his performances on television. His birth name necessitated a change to avoid confusion with his namesake who was already registered with the British actors' trade union Equity. Personal life Hedley was born in London in 1929. His mother, Dorothy Withill, was 19 when she gave birth to him, and later married Albert Hawkins in 1936, although this man was not his father. He never knew the identity of his biological father. He came from humble beginnings, and used to earn money by collecting sacks of horse manure from the streets and selling them as fertiliser. However, he won a Beaverbrook scholarship to Downleas prep school, then won another scholarship to Bryanston, and then another to Dartmouth. He took a degree in history in 18 months. On leaving school, he became a cadet at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, then spent eight years as a Royal Marine Commando, which included active service in Malaya, India, the East Indies, Australia and Korea. He rose from cadet to lieutenant but was eventually invalided out after a bullet smashed the butt of his rifle into his leg. After 18 months working for his mother in her business, he lost interest.[1] He was unsure of what to do with his life, when he decided to follow a group of girls into a building and found himself inside RADA drama school. He signed up, and joined at the same time as Glenda Jackson and Alan Bates. The day after he left RADA, he got his first acting job, a small part in a Granada Television play in Manchester.