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William Hartnell

William Hartnell

William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975), also known as Billy Hartnell or Bill Hartnell, was an English actor. Hartnell played the first incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, from 1963 to 1966. He was also known for his roles as Sergeant Grimshaw, the title character of the first Carry On film, Carry On Sergeant in 1958, and Company Sergeant Major Percy Bullimore in the sitcom The Army Game from 1957 until 1958, and again in 1960.

Hartnell entered the theatre in 1925 working under Frank Benson as a general stagehand. He appeared in numerous Shakespearian plays, including The Merchant of Venice (1926), Julius Caesar (1926), As You Like It (1926), Hamlet (1926), The Tempest (1926) and Macbeth (1926). He also appeared in She Stoops to Conquer (1926), School for Scandal (1926) and Good Morning, Bill (1927), before performing in Miss Elizabeth's Prisoner (1928). This play was written by Robert Neilson Stephens and E. Lyall Swete. It featured the actress Heather McIntyre, whom he married during the following year. His first of more than sixty film appearances was in Say It With Music (1932).

Hartnell continued to play comic characters until he was cast in the robust role of Sergeant Ned Fletcher in The Way Ahead (1944). From then on his career was defined by playing mainly policemen, soldiers, and thugs.

Hartnell's performance in This Sporting Life was noted by Verity Lambert, the producer who was setting up a new science-fiction television series for the BBC entitled Doctor Who; and, mainly on the strength of that performance, Lambert offered him the title role.

Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker

2024

as The Doctor (voice)

Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour

2023

as The Doctor (archive footage)

Talking Doctor Who

2023

as Self / The Doctor (1) (archive footage)

Tales of the Tardis

2023

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: Galaxy 4

2021

as The Doctor (voice)

Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time

2017

as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

2013

as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)

An Adventure in Space and Time

2013

as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)

Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited

2013

as Self

Don't Lose Your Head

2012

as The Doctor (archive footage)

Vision On

2012

as The Doctor (archive footage)

The Sets of Marinus

2009

as The Doctor (archive footage)

Creation of the Daleks

2006

as The Doctor (archive footage)

Masters of Sound

2006

as The Doctor (archive footage)

Inside the Spaceship: The Story of the TARDIS

2006

as The Doctor (archive footage)

Doctor Who

2005

as The Doctor (archive footage)

Remembering 'The Aztecs'

2002

as The Doctor (archive footage)

Doctor Who: The Five Doctors

1983

as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)

Doctor Who: Earthshock

1982

as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)

That's Carry On!

1977

as Sergeant Grimshawe

Doctor Who: The Three Doctors

1973

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet

1966

as The Doctor (1)

Doctor Who: The Smugglers

1966

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The War Machines

1966

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Savages

1966

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Gunfighters

1966

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker

1966

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Ark

1966

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve

1966

as The Doctor/Abbot of Amboise

Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan

1966

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Myth Makers

1965

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: Galaxy 4

1965

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Time Meddler

1965

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Chase

1965

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Space Museum

1965

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Crusade

1965

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: Lost in Time

1965

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Web Planet

1965

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Romans

1965

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Rescue

1965

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth

1964

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: Planet of Giants

1964

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror

1964

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Sensorites

1964

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Aztecs

1964

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus

1964

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: Marco Polo

1964

as The Doctor

Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction

1964

as Dr. Who

Doctor Who: The Daleks

1964

as Dr. Who

Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child

1963

as Dr. Who

Doctor Who

1963

as The Doctor

The World Ten Times Over

1963

as Dad

To Have and to Hold

1963

as Insp. Roberts

Heavens Above!

1963

as Major Fowler

This Sporting Life

1963

as 'Dad' Johnson

Tomorrow at Ten

1962

as Freddie Maddox

Ghost Squad

1961

Piccadilly Third Stop

1960

as Colonel

And the Same to You

1960

as Walter 'Wally' Burton

Jackpot

1960

as Supt. Frawley

The Desperate Man

1959

as Smith

The Night We Dropped a Clanger

1959

as Sgt. Bright

No Hiding Place

1959

The Mouse That Roared

1959

as Will Buckley

Shake Hands with the Devil

1959

as Sergeant Jenkins

Strictly Confidential

1959

Carry On Sergeant

1958

as Sergeant Grimshawe

Date with Disaster

1958

as Tracey

The Hypnotist

1957

as Inspector Ross

Hell Drivers

1957

as Cartley, Hawlett Manager

The Army Game

1957

Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst

1957

as Leading Seaman Leslie Frank

Tons of Trouble

1956

as Bert

Private's Progress

1956

as Sgt. Sutton

Doublecross

1956

as Herbert Whiteway

Josephine and Men

1955

as Detective Sgt. Parsons

Footsteps in the Fog

1955

as Herbert Moresby

Will Any Gentleman...?

1953

as Detective Inspector Martin

The Holly and the Ivy

1952

as Company Sergeant Major

The Ringer

1952

as Sam Hackett

The Pickwick Papers

1952

as Irate Cabman

The Magic Box

1952

as Recruiting Sergeant

The Dark Man

1951

as Superintendent of Police

Double Confession

1950

as Charlie Durham

The Lost People

1949

as Barnes

Now Barabbas

1949

as Warder Jackson

Escape

1948

as Inspector Harris

Brighton Rock

1948

as Dallow

Temptation Harbour

1947

as Jim Brown

Odd Man Out

1947

as Fencie - the barman

Appointment with Crime

1946

as Leo Martin

Murder in Reverse?

1945

as Tom Masterick

The Agitator

1945

as Peter Pettinger (as Billy Hartnell)

Strawberry Roan

1944

as Chris Lowe

The Way Ahead

1944

as Sgt. Ned Fletcher

Headline

1943

as Dell

The Dark Tower

1943

as Jim Towers (as Bill Hartnell)

The Bells Go Down

1943

as Brookes

The Peterville Diamond

1943

as Joseph (as Bill Hartnell)

Sabotage at Sea

1942

as Jacob Digby

The Goose Steps Out

1942

as German Officer at Station

They Flew Alone

1942

as Scotty

Suspected Person

1942

as Saunders

Freedom Radio

1941

as Radio Location Aerial Operator (uncredited)

They Came by Night

1940

as Undetermined Role

Murder Will Out

1939

as Dick

They Drive by Night

1938

as Bus Conductor

Farewell Again

1937

as Minor Role

Midnight at Madame Tussaud's

1936

as Stubbs

The Crimson Circle

1936

The Guv'nor

1935

as Car Salesman

The Perfect Flaw

1934

as Vickers

Follow the Lady

1933

as Mike Martindale