William Hartnell

William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975), also credited as Billy Hartnell or Bill Hartnell, was an English actor who originated the role of the Doctor in *Doctor Who* from 1963 to 1966. He also portrayed Sergeant Grimshaw, the title character in the first *Carry On* film, *Carry On Sergeant* (1958), and Company Sergeant Major Percy Bullimore in the sitcom *The Army Game* during its 1957–1958 run and again in 1960.

Hartnell began his theatre work in 1925 as a general stagehand for Frank Benson. He performed in several Shakespeare productions that year, including *The Merchant of Venice*, *Julius Caesar*, *As You Like It*, *Hamlet*, *The Tempest* and *Macbeth*. His repertoire also included *She Stoops to Conquer* and *School for Scandal* (1926) and *Good Morning, Bill* (1927), followed by *Miss Elizabeth's Prisoner* (1928), a play written by Robert Neilson Stephens and E. Lyall Swete that featured actress Heather McIntyre, whom he married the following year. His first film appearance was in *Say It With Music* (1932).

After continuing to play comic roles, Hartnell was cast as Sergeant Ned Fletcher in *The Way Ahead* (1944); thereafter his career focused on portraying policemen, soldiers and thugs.

Hartnell’s performance in *This Sporting Life* attracted the attention of Verity Lambert, then producer developing the BBC science‑fiction series *Doctor Who*, who offered him the title role largely on the basis of that work.