This English actor made numerous stage and television appearances and acted in over 75 British films, but he is best remembered as the First Doctor in BBC Television’s Doctor Who, which he played from 1963 to 1966. He was also well known for his roles as Sergeant Grimshaw, the title character of the first Carry On film, Carry On Sergeant (1958), and as Company Sergeant Major Percy Bullimore in the sitcom The Army Game (1957 to 1961) [Wikipedia]
| Name | William Hartnell | ||
| Born | January 8, 1908 | Died | April 23, 1975 |
Roles in Science Fiction on television, radio, or on film
Doctor Who
(1963-66, 1972/73)
Hartnell played the Doctor from the very first serial, “An Unearthly Child” until the end of the second serial of the fourth season, “The Tenth Planet”. He was very unwell and was finding it difficult to remember his lines. His era introduced the popular Daleks and the Cybermen. He did reprise his role – in a limited capacity – in the 10th anniversary story “The Three Doctors” during Jon Pertwee’s era. Hartnell died in 1975 so his role was played by Richard Hurndall in “The Five Doctors”.
