William Hartnell
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- January 8, 1908
- Died
- April 23, 1975 (aged 67)
- Birthplace
- Saint Pancras, London, England, UK
Biography
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.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Doctor Who: The Savages
Movie · as The Doctor (voice)
Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War
Movie · as Dr. Who (archive footage) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
Movie · as The Doctor (voice)
Doctor Who at the Proms
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Talking Doctor Who
Movie · as Self / The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour
Movie · as The Doctor (archive footage)
Tales of the Tardis
TV · as The Doctor · 2 eps
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
Movie · as The Doctor (voice)
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
TV · as Doctor Who · 8 eps
Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
An Adventure in Space and Time
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who at the Proms
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited
TV · as Self · 11 eps
Vision On
Movie · as The Doctor (archive footage)
Don't Lose Your Head: The Making of 'The Reign of Terror'
Movie · as The Doctor (archive footage)
The Sets of Marinus
Movie · as The Doctor (archive footage)
Mounting the Rescue
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
The Ties That Bind Us
Movie · as The First Doctor (archive footage)
Creation of the Daleks
Movie · as The Doctor (archive footage)
Masters of Sound
Movie · as The Doctor (archive footage)
Inside the Spaceship: The Story of the TARDIS
Movie · as The Doctor (archive footage)
Doctor Who: Origins
Movie · as The Doctor (archive footage)
Future Memories: Making 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Remembering 'The Aztecs'
Movie · as The Doctor (archive footage)
What's a Carry On?
Movie · as Sergeant Grimshawe (archive footage) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors
Movie · as The First Doctor (archive footage)
Doctor Who: Mawdryn Undead
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: Earthshock
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
That's Carry On!
Movie · as Sergeant Grimshawe (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The Three Doctors
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks
Movie · as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The War Machines
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
Movie · as The Doctor / Abbot of Amboise
Doctor Who: The Savages
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Ark
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Gunfighters
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Smugglers
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet
Movie · as The Doctor (1)
Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks
Movie · as The Doctor in the mirror (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The Romans
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Rescue
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Crusade
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Web Planet
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Space Museum
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Time Meddler
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Myth Makers
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Chase
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: Lost in Time
TV · as The Doctor · 3 eps
Doctor Who: The Aztecs
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: Marco Polo
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Sensorites
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: Planet of Giants
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Daleks
Movie · as The Doctor
This Sporting Life
Movie · as 'Dad' Johnson
Heavens Above!
Movie · as Major Fowler
The World Ten Times Over
Movie · as Dad
To Have and to Hold
Movie · as Insp. Roberts
Tomorrow at Ten
Movie · as Freddie Maddox
Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child
Movie · as The Doctor
Doctor Who
TV · as The Doctor · 138 eps
Ghost Squad
TV · 1 ep
And the Same to You
Movie · as Walter 'Wally' Burton
Piccadilly Third Stop
Movie · as Colonel
Jackpot
Movie · as Supt. Frawley
The Mouse That Roared
Movie · as Will Buckley
The Night We Dropped a Clanger
Movie · as Sgt. Bright
The Desperate Man
Movie · as Smith
Shake Hands with the Devil
Movie · as Sergeant Jenkins
Strictly Confidential
Movie · as Grimshaw
No Hiding Place
TV · 1 ep
Carry On Sergeant
Movie · as Sergeant Grimshawe
Date with Disaster
Movie · as Tracey
On the Run
Movie · as Tom Casey
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst
Movie · as Leading Seaman Leslie Frank
Hell Drivers
Movie · as Cartley, Hawlett Manager
The Hypnotist
Movie · as Inspector Ross
The Army Game
TV · as Sergeant Major Percy Bullimore · 50 eps
Private's Progress
Movie · as Sgt. Sutton
Doublecross
Movie · as Herbert Whiteway
Tons of Trouble
Movie · as Bert
Footsteps in the Fog
Movie · as Herbert Moresby
Josephine and Men
Movie · as Detective Sgt. Parsons
Will Any Gentleman...?
Movie · as Detective Inspector Martin
The Magic Box
Movie · as Recruiting Sergeant
The Ringer
Movie · as Sam Hackett
The Holly and the Ivy
Movie · as Company Sergeant Major
The Pickwick Papers
Movie · as Irate Cabman
The Dark Man
Movie · as Superintendent of Police
Double Confession
Movie · as Charlie Durham
Now Barabbas
Movie · as Warder Jackson
The Lost People
Movie · as Barnes
Brighton Rock
Movie · as Dallow
Escape
Movie · as Inspector Harris
Odd Man Out
Movie · as Fencie - the barman
Temptation Harbour
Movie · as Jim Brown
Appointment with Crime
Movie · as Leo Martin
A Defeated People
Movie · as Commentator (voice)
The Agitator
Movie · as Peter Pettinger (as Billy Hartnell)
Murder in Reverse
Movie · as Tom Masterick
The Way Ahead
Movie · as Sgt. Ned Fletcher
Strawberry Roan
Movie · as Chris Lowe
Headline
Movie · as Dell
The Dark Tower
Movie · as Jim Powers (as Bill Hartnell)
The Bells Go Down
Movie · as Brookes
The Peterville Diamond
Movie · as Joseph (as Bill Hartnell)
Suspected Person
Movie · as Detective Saunders
They Flew Alone
Movie · as Scotty
The Goose Steps Out
Movie · as German Officer at Station
Sabotage at Sea
Movie · as Jacob Digby
Freedom Radio
Movie · as Radio Location Aerial Operator (uncredited)
They Came by Night
Movie · as Undetermined Role
Murder Will Out
Movie · as Dick
They Drive by Night
Movie · as Bus Conductor
Farewell Again
Movie · as Minor Role
Midnight at Madame Tussaud's
Movie · as Stubbs
The Crimson Circle
Movie
Parisian Life
Movie
The Guv'nor
Movie · as Car Salesman
The Perfect Flaw
Movie · as Vickers
Follow the Lady
Movie · as Mike Martindale
The Lure
Movie · as Billy