Hawkins was born at 45 Lyndhurst Road,
Wood Green, in
Middlesex (now
London Borough of Haringey), the son of a builder. He was educated at Wood Green's
Trinity County Grammar School, where, aged eight, he joined the school choir. By the age of ten Hawkins had joined the local operatic society, and whilst he was studying there he made his London stage debut, when aged thirteen, playing the Elf King in
Where the Rainbow Ends at the
Holborn Empire on Boxing Day, December 1923, The following year, aged 14, he played the page in a production of
Saint Joan by
George Bernard Shaw.
1930s In the 1930s Hawkins's focus was on the stage. He worked in the companies of
Sybil Thorndike,
John Gielgud and
Basil Dean. His performances included
Port Said by
Emlyn Williams (1931),
Below the Surface by HL Stoker and LS Hunt (1932),
Red Triangle by Val Gielgud (1932),
Service by CI Anthony, for director
Basil Dean (1933),
One of Us by Frank Howard,
As You Like It by William Shakespeare (1933), and
Iron Flowers by Cecil Lewis (1933, with
Jessica Tandy his wife). He started appearing in films, including
Birds of Prey (1930),
The Lodger (1932) On 22 January 1944, he transferred to the
Expeditionary Force Institutes in the rank of
lieutenant. He served with
ENSA in India and Southeast Asia. He relinquished his commission as a lieutenant (substantive) on 11 October 1946, and was granted the
honorary rank of
colonel. During his military service, he was employed by
Ealing Studios to make
The Next of Kin (1942). Hawkins's wife became pregnant and he became concerned about his future. He decided to accept a contract with Sir
Alexander Korda for three years at £50 per week. Hawkins had been recommended to Korda by the latter's production executive, Bill Bryden, who was married to
Elizabeth Allen, who had worked with Hawkins. Hawkins starred in
The Cruel Sea (1953), According to his
Guardian obituary, he "exemplified for many cinemagoers the stiff upper lip tradition prevalent in post-war British films. His craggy looks and authoritative bearing were used to good effect whatever branch of the services he represented."
Malta Story (1953) He had a guest role in
Twice Upon a Time (1953) for
Emeric Pressburger. It was followed by
The Prisoner (1955), "It's an enviable position, I know", said Hawkins. "But I have to be more careful now about the parts I choose, and it's hard not to offend people. Everyone thinks his own script is the best." He turned down the role of Colonel Carne in
The Glorious Gloucesters for
Warwick Films, and
Captain Cook for a project for the Rank organisation. "I'm tired of playing decent fellows", he said in a 1954 interview, "with stiff upper lip and even stiffer morals. I'm going to kill them off before they kill me as an actor. And I want stories written for me, not rejects intended for other fellows... I just inherit them from other people. Often, I find they've left the name of the actor originally suggested for the role. Always the same old names ... Errol Flynn, Gregory Peck ... five or six others. Before the script reaches them, somebody remembers me – especially if it's one of those infernally nice characters."
International star Hawkins got his wish when he received a Hollywood offer to play a pharaoh for
Howard Hawks in
Land of the Pharaohs (1955). Hawkins's career received a major boost when supporting
William Holden and
Alec Guinness in the highly acclaimed
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). He also played the lead in an American TV version of
The Fallen Idol. However, though initially sought for the role of a gay barrister in
Victim, he turned it down fearing that it might conflict with his masculine image. The role was eventually played by
Dirk Bogarde.
Decline as star A three-packet-a-day
chain smoker, Hawkins began experiencing voice problems in the late 1950s; unbeknownst to the public, he had undergone
cobalt treatment in 1959 for what was then described as a secondary condition of the
larynx, but which was probably cancer. He played
General Cornwallis in a European epic,
La Fayette (1961). He was in another big hit in
Lawrence of Arabia (1962), He made some appearances on US TV: "To Bury Caesar" with
Pamela Brown in 1963 and "Back to Back" for
The Bob Hope Theatre. He also appeared in
Judith (1966),
Illness In December 1965, Hawkins was diagnosed with throat cancer. His entire larynx was removed in January 1966. In March of that year he appeared at a royal screening of
Born Free attended by the
Queen and received a standing ovation. Thereafter, his performances were dubbed, often (with Hawkins's approval) by
Robert Rietti or
Charles Gray. Hawkins continued to smoke after losing his voice. In private, he used a
mechanical larynx to aid his speech. In 1967, it was reported that he would direct
Peter O'Toole in ''St Patrick's Battalion
in Mexico but the film was not made. Instead he resumed his acting career, with his voice dubbed and dialogue kept to a minimum: Shalako (1968) and Great Catherine (1968). In Oh! What a Lovely War'' (1969), playing
Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, he had no lines at all. He had an operation to restore his voice in 1968. It did not work: Hawkins could talk but only in a croaking voice. "The fact that producers are still offering me work is a source of much gratitude to me", he said in 1969. "I flatter myself that when they cast me in a part it's me Jack Hawkins they want and not the person who was once Jack Hawkins... if you know what I mean. And I'm perfectly honest with anyone who hires me. I tell them exactly what they're letting themselves in for." ==Personal life==