One of Britain ’s most popular actors of the post-war period, Jack Hawkins died on 18 July, 1973, at the age of 62.

Although theatre was his first love, Mr Hawkins became a household name playing military men in epic films during the 1950s and 1960s.

His deep voice and emotionally-reserved yet strong-willed on screen persona typified the middle-class English gentleman of his era and kept him securely in work until the end of his career, despite having his voicebox removed after suffering from cancer.

Born on 14 September, 1910, in London, John Edward Hawkins was the son of a builder but turned his back on the family business to go to drama school and made his debut on the London stage playing the elf king in Where The Rainbow Ends at the age of 12.

Broadway came calling in his late teens with a role in Journey’s End but at 21 he was back in London starring as a young lover in Autumn Crocus , where he met his future wife Jessica Tandy and the two married a year later.

In 1931, he secured his first film role in Hitchcock’s The Lodger, which was followed by several minor roles on the big screen while he focused on his theatre performances.

In the Second World War he enlisted in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and spent time in India as part of the Entertainments National Service Association producing shows for British armed service personnel where he met his second wife, Doreen Lawrence.

The 1950s ushered in more success with the critically-acclaimed Mandy in 1952 and the success of The Cruel Sea in 1953 making him one of Britain’s top stars of the post-war era.

His character roles as military men increased his popularity further, playing the intrepid Major Warden in The Bridge On The River Kwai in 1957, the criminal mastermind in The League Of Gentlemen in 1960 and General Allenby in Lawrence Of Arabia in 1962.

He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1966 and had to have his larynx removed.

Although he continued to act, his performances were dubbed by either Charles Gray or Robert Rietti until his death in 1973 following an operation to implant an artificial voicebox.

Though he mainly enjoyed success in Britain, Mr Hawkins also made an impression in the US, starring in Hollywood blockbusters The Land Of The Pharoahs and Ben-Hur , and was thought to be the obvious choice for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar which ultimately went to Hugh Griffen.

His acting abilities were nonetheless recognised by four BAFTA Best British Actor nominations for Mandy in 1952, The Cruel Sea in 1953, The Prisoner in 1955 and The Long Arm in 1956 with an Emmy nod for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special for his final on-screen appearance in QB VII in 1973.

But in his penultimate film Theatre Of Blood in 1973, Mr Hawkins had a large part even though he did not speak a word – he only used his mechanical voicebox in private.

His autobiography, which was somewhat ironically titled Anything For A Quiet Life , was published posthumously in 1973.