Gideon's Day (USA title: Gideon of Scotland Yard) (1958), playing a police officer. He had a good role as a double agent in a war film, The Two-Headed Spy (1958) then was given another third lead in a Hollywood blockbuster Ben-Hur (1959), playing the Roman admiral who befriends Charlton Heston. It was even more successful than Bridge on the River Kwai. He appeared as one of The Four Just Men (1959) in the Sapphire Films TV series for ITV. He also played the lead in a version of The Fallen Idol for American TV. In reality, Hawkins was politically liberal, and an emotional man, in sharp contrast to his conservative screen image. One of his favourite films, the heist film The League of Gentlemen (1960), was considered quite groundbreaking for its time in its references to sex. The film was popular at the British box office, and gave Hawkins his final lead role. 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. There was some talk he would play Captain Bligh in the remake of Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) but Trevor Howard ended up playing the role. 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. Hawkins became worried about his voice and was concerned he would lose it. This caused him to take almost any work that was available. "I had to be realistic and take as much money as I could get while the going was good", he said. This may explain why he took the part of General Cornwallis in a European epic, La Fayette (1961). He was third lead to Shirley MacLaine and Laurence Harvey in Two Loves (1961), and supported Rosalind Russell in Five Finger Exercise (1962). "There are not all that number of mature leading men around", he said in a 1961 interview. "There seems to be a generation missing. I think people quit going into the acting profession. A lot of them drifted out during the war. And then when the war was over it was difficult for them to get back