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William Hartnell

William Hartnell

Actor · 1908 – 1975 · Saint Pancras, London, England, UK

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.

Movies22

  • Movie8.2
  • Movie8.0
  • Movie6.7

    Hell Drivers

    1957 · 69 votes

  • Movie8.0
  • Movie7.7
  • Movie7.3

    Odd Man Out

    1947 · 233 votes

  • Movie6.4

    The Mouse That Roared

    1959 · 147 votes

  • Movie6.8

    Brighton Rock

    1948 · 136 votes

  • Movie7.0

    This Sporting Life

    1963 · 127 votes

  • Movie7.2
  • Movie5.8

    That's Carry On!

    1977 · 25 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Footsteps in the Fog

    1955 · 47 votes

  • Movie6.5

    The Magic Box

    1952 · 25 votes

  • Movie6.5

    The Way Ahead

    1944 · 42 votes

  • Movie6.5
  • Movie7.3
  • Movie7.9
  • Movie7.4

    Doctor Who: Marco Polo

    1964 · 14 votes

  • Movie7.9
  • Movie
  • Movie7.4
  • Movie6.4

    Carry On Sergeant

    1958 · 76 votes

Series7

  • TV7.9

    Doctor Who

    1963 · 722 votes

  • TV4.8

    No Hiding Place

    1959 · 4 votes

  • TV7.0

    The Army Game

    1957 · 4 votes

  • TV5.6

    Tales of the Tardis

    2023 · 8 votes

  • TV6.0

    Ghost Squad

    1961 · 3 votes

  • TV6.4
  • TV