- Hawkins made fifty-six features, including blockbusters The Cruel Sea, Bridge on the River Kwai, Zulu, Ben-Hur and The League of Gentlemen
- Extensively researched with exclusive interviews with Jack’s friends and colleagues, including Sir Michael Parkinson, director Peter Medak, and actors Virginia MacKenna, Peter McEnery, Derren Nesbitt, Michael Jayston, Lawrence Douglas and John Woodvine
- Includes a foreword exclusively written by Robert Henery, child star of Carol Reed’s 1949 epic The Fallen Idol, one of Hawkins’ early breakthrough screen roles
- Also includes the first ever interview with Dr Stanley Taub, inventor of the ‘VoiceBak’ and the man who installed the device on Jack’s throat in 1973
Jack Hawkins was the living embodiment of British ruggedness, resilience, humour, uprightness and compassion on and off the screen. The Cruel Sea, Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Zulu, Mandy and Ben-Hur were just a few of the scores of films that made him a top star. He built his fame not only on his acting ability, but also on his image as a symbol of British pluck and determination. His voice was unmistakable, with its whisky resonance and deep reserve of authority. As Sir Michael Parkinson remarked, ‘He was a formidable presence in the British film industry and later became one of those trustworthy film stars who an audience loved because he made them believe that everyone was as decent and brave as Jack Hawkins.’ He fought some courageous screen battles, but his bravest fight came when throat cancer threatened his career.
| BOOK ISBN |
9781781559178 |
| FORMAT |
234 x 156 mm |
| BINDING |
Hardback
|
| PAGES |
196 pages |
| PUBLICATION DATE |
November 2024 |
| TERRITORY |
World |
| ILLUSTRATIONS |
33 illustrations |
Nathan Morley, writer and broadcaster, is the author of several critically acclaimed books, including The Rise and Fall of Erich Honecker, Holidays with Hitler, Radio Hitler: Nazi Airwaves in the Second World War, and Disney’s British Gentleman: The Life and Career of David Tomlinson. As a journalist, he has written for the Daily Express, Deutsche Welle, Voice of America, ORF, CyBC TV, CBC, Crux, Catholic Herald, and Vatican Radio. He is a member of the Royal Historical Society and a recipient of a New York Radio Festivals award. He lives in the Troodos Mountains, above Limassol in Cyprus.
