Which famous actor had throat cancer?!
Question:
Which famous actor had throat cancer?
Answers: Jack Hawkins who was nominated for an Oscar due to his great performance
with Charlton Heston in "Ben Hur" ( He was Commander
of the Fleet of Roman Ships whom the Slave Ben Hur
saved from drowning---he freed Ben Hur from slavery and became his Benefactor )..
He was one of my favorites among a formidable group of
Character Actors from the U.K.
He had what is described by reviewers as having "craggy"
features----he played a number of roles as Military Officers
---one of which was "Bridge On The River Kwai"
Due to excessive smoking he developed Throat Cancer
and lost his voice sometime in the 1960s---
His doctors or some Technician developed a Mechanical
Device to enable him to "talk" and continue with his
career---it was said that he continued to smoke even
with the device.!
As a Character actor myself ( on Broadway and off)
I could admire his technique and an aura of powers
of believeability that permeated his characterizations
---I am sure those who played opposite him played
their own roles better because the basic nature
of acting is "responsiveness" that depends on
this quality and distinguishes those who go through
the motions to get a paycheck. He had tremendous appeal
to audiences---it was a treat to watch on the screen---he
never ever gave anything but an outstanding performance!
Once I was fortunate enough to appear with
another noted character actor from the U.K.
Felix Aylmer (Polonius in Ollivier's Hamlet)---
we spoke of Jack Hawkins and how we were
saddened at his illness to the point where we
couldn't watch his films with the Mechanical
"Voice"---he died in 1973 as I recall . Who is it? (If you know) Jack Klugman of the Odd Couple...he actually survived it and is in remission.