Doctor Who: His 11 Faces

Doctor Who has been around in one form or another since 1963.  For those that are not familiar with the show, here is the basic premise.  The Doctor travels through time and space in his TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space), sometimes with a companion and sometimes without.  He is last of the race of Time Lords (Well, this isn’t exactly true, but that’s a different story altogether).  Part of being a time lord is the ability to regenerate his body (13 times) when its end comes near, in effect giving him a whole new body, and a newish personality to go with it.  This is about the actors that have played the Doctor over the years.

William Hartnell
The First Doctor
Played the Doctor from 1963 to 1966

William Hartnell was born in St Pancras, London, England. William was offered the title role in the new science fiction show called Doctor Who by Verity Lambert, a producer for the BBC. William, who was known for playing the more military type roles, enjoyed the attention that playing the Doctor had brought him from children. William suffered from arteriosclerosis, and would have to leave the show, which led the producers to the idea of regeneration. William picked the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, personally.

Patrick Troughton
The Second Doctor
Played the Doctor from 1966 to 1969

Patrick Troughton was born in Mill Hill, London, England. When Patrick took over, there was much discussion on how the role would be played, but it was finally decided on a Charlie Chaplin style “hobo”. Because the role was so popular with children, he tended to shy away from interviews during his time as the Doctor, and was quoted saying "I think acting is magic. If I tell you all about myself it will spoil it". Due to the grueling schedule that Doctor Who maintained, and the fear of typecasting, Patrick left after only 3 years.

Jon Pertwee
The Third Doctor
Played the Doctor from 1970 to 1974

Jon was born in Chelsea, London.  As every actor has, Jon put his own twist on the Doctor’s personality, this time choosing to play the role as an active crusader type.  Up until his time, Jon played the character the longest.  He was the Doctor for 5 seasons.  In 1974, Jon announced that he would be leaving the role in favor of a stage career, but did cite that typecasting was also a factor.

Tom Baker
The Fourth Doctor
Played the Doctor from 1974 to 1981

Tom was born in Scotland Road, Liverpool.  Tom Baker, is without a doubt, one of the most popular actors to portray the Doctor, even to this day.  Some of the trademarks that Tom was famous for was the incredibly long, multi-colored scarf, and his love for jelly babies.  Currently, Tom holds the record for being the Doctor the longest.  He actively played the Doctor for 7 years, and to the day, is still very active in the franchise, by appearing on such shows and documentaries like “Doctor Who Confidential” and “The Story of Doctor Who”.   Tom is currently also enjoying success as an actor on “Little Britain” and doing voice over work.

Peter Davison
The Fifth Doctor
Played the Doctor from 1981 to 1984

Peter was born in Streatham, London. Peter was the second youngest person to play the Doctor, at age 29. He signed a 3 year contract, and considering advice from Patrick Troughton, did not renew after the contract was up. During his tenure as the Doctor, Peter faced the typical horde of enemies that the Doctor had, but his time was fairly uneventful.

Colin Baker
The Sixth Doctor
Played the Doctor from 1984 to 1986

Colin Baker was born in London.  Colin is the only actor to portray two characters in the Doctor Who franchise.  Before taking on the role of the Doctor, he played Commander Maxil during Peter Davison’s time as the Doctor.  Colin’s time as the Doctor was filled with problems, including an 18 month hiatus, because the controller of the BBC felt that Doctor Who had become overly violent.  The hiatus lasted from 1985 to 1986, and after the completion of his second season, Colin was publicly terminated because they wanted a fresh face in the role.  Although his time as the Doctor is the shortest, he still actively promotes and enhances the role when he can by going to conventions and doing voice work for the franchise.

Sylvester McCoy
The Seventh Doctor
Played the Doctor from 1987 to 1989

Sylvester McCoy was born in Dunoon, on the Cowal peninsula.  Sylvester had made his name as a comedic performer, so when he took the role of the Doctor, he portrayed him as such.  When complaints started coming in saying that the show was becoming “lightweight”, they writers changed the character to a darker version.  Sylvester held the role until it was cancelled in 1989, but he did make an appearance in 1993 as the Doctor for a charity special, and again in 1996, when he handed the reins over to Paul McGann.

Paul McGann
The Eighth Doctor
Played the Doctor in 1996

Paul McGann was born in Liverpool, England.  Paul appeared in a made for TV Doctor Who movie.  The movie was a joint venture between the BBC, Universal Studios and the Fox Broadcasting Network.  The movie was supposed to be a pilot of sorts for a new Doctor Who series, but due to poor US ratings, the series was not made.   The BBC restarted the series in 2005 when the rights reverted away from Fox and back to the BBC.  Although Paul holds the record as the shortest screen time of any Doctor, he does, technically, hole the record for the longest reign as the Doctor at 9 years. 

Christopher Eccleston
The Ninth Doctor
Played the Doctor in 2005

Christopher Eccleston was born in the Langworthy area of Pendleton, Salford, Lancashire.  Christopher took on the role of the Doctor for just one season.  Although he was praised for his portrayal of the Doctor, there is still a question as to why he only stayed for one season.

David Tennant
The Tenth Doctor
Played the Doctor from 2005 to 2010

David Tennant was born in Bathgate, West Lothian.  Most arguably the model for the Doctor of this generation, David shows a love for the character that proved that he was more fan than actor doing a job.  David has actually unseated Tom Baker as the favorite Doctor of a lot of viewers.  David not only did screen work, but also continues to do voice work for the franchise.  On a personal note, David is my favorite Doctor to date, followed by Tom Baker. 

Matt Smith
The Eleventh Doctor
Played the Doctor from 2010 to present

Matt Smith was born in Northampton, England.  Matt recently took over the role of the Doctor from David Tennant.  At 26, Matt is the youngest actor to ever play the Doctor.  Matt has just begun his time as the Doctor, so there isn’t much to report.  I wish Matt the best of luck, and keep an eye out for more about Matt’s time as the Doctor.