William Hartnell

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William Henry Hartnell (also Billy Hartnell ; born January 8, 1908 in St. Pancras , London , † April 23, 1975 in Marden , Kent ) was an English theater and film actor . His most famous role is that of " First Doctors " in the British science fiction telecast Doctor Who .

Life

The only son of his unmarried mother Lucy Hartnell grew up mostly with his aunt Bessie. He never got to know his father. At the age of 16 he was adopted by Hugh Blaker, who found him a job with Sir Frank Benson 's Shakespearean Company , with whom he appeared in touring performances until the 1930s. In 1928 he played in the play Miss Elizabeth's Prisoner alongside actress Heather McIntyre, whom he married the following year.

In the 1930s he also appeared in motion pictures as an actor, mostly in comedies, first in 1932 in Say It With Music . When the Second World War broke out, Hartnell was drafted into a tank company, but was retired after a nervous breakdown after only 18 months. He continued to make films and after a role in the war film The Way Ahead (1944), in which he played a sergeant, he was committed to soldiers and police officers, but also to gangsters in other films. In 1957 he starred alongside Stanley Baker and Patrick McGoohan in the British drama Duel at the wheel (Hell Drivers) . As a police officer, he also appeared in the first film in the popular Carry On series , Carry On Sergeant (1958), in which he played Sergeant Grimshaw. Also in the Peter Sellers film " The Mouse That Roared " ( The Mouse That Roared , 1959) was seen Hartnell.

Doctor Who

In 1963 the British television broadcaster BBC planned a science fiction series called Doctor Who . The main role was to play Geoffrey Bayldon . However, he refused and it was awarded to William Hartnell. Bayldon later became known as the magician Catweazle in the children's series of the same name and has occasionally appeared as a guest star on Doctor Who .

Hartnell played the Doctor Who role from 1963 to 1966 in 136 episodes and became so immensely popular that he hardly got any other roles afterwards. He also appeared in the role suit at openings and events. The role was designed so that the main character could be filled with a new actor through "regeneration". Hartnell was replaced by Patrick Troughton in 1966 for health reasons . After his health deteriorated, he only appeared once on the 10th anniversary special, The Three Doctors (1972). In special The Five Doctors (Engl. Title The Five Doctors ) (1983) can be seen an archive recording Hartnells. Since he was no longer alive at that time, he was imitated by Richard Hurndall . In 2013 Hartnell was played in the docudrama for the creation of Doctor Who An Adventure in Space and Time by David Bradley . In 2017 Bradley took on the role of the first Doctor in the actual series, in the episodes The Doctor Falls and Twice Upon a Time .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Hartnell, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hartnell, William Henry (full name); Hartnell, Billy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English actor
DATE OF BIRTH January 8, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH London , UK
DATE OF DEATH April 23, 1975
Place of death Marden (Kent) , England