William Hartnell
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
Sergeant Grimshawe
Carry On Sergeant
Will Buckley
The Mouse That Roared
Dallow
Brighton Rock
Sgt. Ned Fletcher
The Way Ahead
Inspector Harris
Escape
Charlie Durham
Double Confession
The Doctor (voice)
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
Fencie - the barman
Odd Man Out
Leading Seaman Leslie Frank
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst
Cartley, Hawlett Manager
Hell Drivers
Sergeant Grimshawe
That's Carry On!
'Dad' Johnson
This Sporting Life
Recruiting Sergeant
The Magic Box
Sgt. Sutton
Private's Progress
Leo Martin
Appointment with Crime
Jim Brown
Temptation Harbour
Tracey
Date with Disaster
Dell
Headline
Dick
Murder Will Out
Warder Jackson
Now Barabbas
Jim Towers (as Bill Hartnell)
The Dark Tower
Walter 'Wally' Burton
And the Same to You
Colonel
Piccadilly Third Stop
Detective Inspector Martin
Will Any Gentleman...?
Sgt. Bright
The Night We Dropped a Clanger
Stubbs
Midnight at Madame Tussaud's
Vickers
The Perfect Flaw
Brookes
The Bells Go Down
Barnes
The Lost People
Major Fowler
Heavens Above!
Dad
The World Ten Times Over
Self / The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Talking Doctor Who
Sam Hackett
The Ringer
The Doctor (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour
The Doctor (voice)
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
Herbert Whiteway
Doublecross
Smith
The Desperate Man
Sergeant Jenkins
Shake Hands with the Devil
Grimshaw
Strictly Confidential
Insp. Roberts
To Have and to Hold
Inspector Ross
The Hypnotist
Peter Pettinger (as Billy Hartnell)
The Agitator
The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Aztecs
The Crimson Circle
Mike Martindale
Follow the Lady
Detective Saunders
Suspected Person
Superintendent of Police
The Dark Man
Supt. Frawley
Jackpot
Scotty
They Flew Alone
Minor Role
Farewell Again
Dr. Who
Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction
The Doctor
Doctor Who: Marco Polo
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Sensorites
Car Salesman
The Guv'nor
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror
The Doctor
Doctor Who: Planet of Giants
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Romans
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Rescue
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Crusade
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Web Planet
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Space Museum
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan
The Doctor
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Time Meddler
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Myth Makers
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Chase
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The War Machines
The Doctor / Abbot of Amboise
Doctor Who: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Savages
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Ark
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Gunfighters
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Smugglers
The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Three Doctors
Bert
Tons of Trouble
Radio Location Aerial Operator (uncredited)
Freedom Radio
Undetermined Role
They Came by Night
Chris Lowe
Strawberry Roan
The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time
Herbert Moresby
Footsteps in the Fog
Company Sergeant Major
The Holly and the Ivy
Freddie Maddox
Tomorrow at Ten
German Officer at Station
The Goose Steps Out
The Doctor (1)
Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet
Dr. Who
Doctor Who: The Daleks
Dr. Who
Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child
The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors
Tom Masterick
Murder in Reverse?
Bus Conductor
They Drive by Night
The Doctor (archive footage)
Creation of the Daleks
Detective Sgt. Parsons
Josephine and Men
Irate Cabman
The Pickwick Papers
Joseph (as Bill Hartnell)
The Peterville Diamond
The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: Earthshock
Jacob Digby
Sabotage at Sea
The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
An Adventure in Space and Time
The Doctor (archive footage)
Masters of Sound
The Doctor (archive footage)
Inside the Spaceship: The Story of the TARDIS
The Doctor (archive footage)
The Sets of Marinus
The Doctor (archive footage)
Remembering 'The Aztecs'
The Doctor (archive footage)
Vision On
The Doctor (archive footage)
Don't Lose Your Head
Billy
The Lure
Parisian Life
The Doctor (voice)
Doctor Who: The Savages
The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who at the Proms
The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song
The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: Mawdryn Undead
The Doctor in the mirror (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks
The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks
The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius
The Doctor (1) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks
The First Doctor (archive footage)
The Ties That Bind Us
Dr. Who (archive footage) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War
The Doctor
Tales of The TARDIS: The Three Doctors
The Doctor (archive footage)
Doctor Who: Origins
The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Future Memories: Making 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'
The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Mounting the Rescue
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
122
Gender
Male
Birthday
1908-01-08
Place of Birth
Saint Pancras, London, England, UK
Also Known As
Billy Hartnell