William Hartnell
Born: 1908-01-08 in Saint Pancras, London, England, UK
Died: 1975-04-23
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
2025
- Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War as Dr. Who (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Doctor Who: The Savages as The Doctor (voice)
2024
- Doctor Who at the Proms as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
- Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker as The Doctor (voice)
2023
- Tales of the Tardis as The Doctor
- Talking Doctor Who as Self / The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
- Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour as The Doctor (archive footage)
2021
- Doctor Who: Galaxy 4 as Doctor Who
- Doctor Who: Galaxy 4 as The Doctor (voice)
2019
- Mission to the Unknown as Dr. Who
2017
- Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
2015
- Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
2013
- Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
- Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited as Self
- An Adventure in Space and Time as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
2012
- Don't Lose Your Head: The Making of 'The Reign of Terror' as The Doctor (archive footage)
- Vision On as The Doctor (archive footage)
2009
- The Sets of Marinus as The Doctor (archive footage)
- Mounting the Rescue as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
2008
- Doctor Who: The Next Doctor as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
- The Ties That Bind Us as The First Doctor (archive footage)
2006
- Inside the Spaceship: The Story of the TARDIS as The Doctor (archive footage)
- Creation of the Daleks as The Doctor (archive footage)
- Masters of Sound as The Doctor (archive footage)
- Doctor Who: Origins as The Doctor (archive footage)
2003
- Future Memories: Making 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth' as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
2002
- Remembering 'The Aztecs' as The Doctor (archive footage)
1998
- What's a Carry On? as Sergeant Grimshawe (archive footage) (uncredited)
1984
- Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks as The Doctor (1) (archive footage) (uncredited)
1983
- Doctor Who: The Five Doctors as The First Doctor (archive footage)
- Doctor Who: Mawdryn Undead as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
1982
- Doctor Who: Earthshock as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
1977
- That's Carry On! as Sergeant Grimshawe (archive footage)
1976
- Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
1973
- Doctor Who: The Three Doctors as The Doctor
1972
- Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
1966
- Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet as The Doctor (1)
- Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Gunfighters as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The War Machines as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Ark as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks as The Doctor in the mirror (uncredited)
- Doctor Who: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve as The Doctor / Abbot of Amboise
- Doctor Who: The Savages as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Smugglers as The Doctor
1965
- Doctor Who: The Chase as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: Lost in Time as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Crusade as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Time Meddler as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Myth Makers as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Romans as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Space Museum as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Rescue as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Web Planet as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: Galaxy 4 as The Doctor
1964
- Doctor Who: Marco Polo as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Daleks as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: Planet of Giants as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Aztecs as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Sensorites as The Doctor
- Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction as The Doctor
1963
- Doctor Who as The Doctor
- This Sporting Life as 'Dad' Johnson
- Heavens Above! as Major Fowler
- Tomorrow at Ten as Freddie Maddox
- Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child as The Doctor
- To Have and to Hold as Insp. Roberts
- The World Ten Times Over as Dad
1961
1960
- Piccadilly Third Stop as Colonel
- And the Same to You as Walter 'Wally' Burton
- Jackpot as Supt. Frawley
1959
- No Hiding Place
- The Mouse That Roared as Will Buckley
- Shake Hands with the Devil as Sergeant Jenkins
- The Night We Dropped a Clanger as Sgt. Bright
- Strictly Confidential as Grimshaw
- The Desperate Man as Smith
1958
- Carry On Sergeant as Sergeant Grimshawe
- Date with Disaster as Tracey
- On the Run as Tom Casey
1957
- The Army Game as Sergeant Major Percy Bullimore
- Hell Drivers as Cartley, Hawlett Manager
- Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst as Leading Seaman Leslie Frank
- The Hypnotist as Inspector Ross
1956
- Doublecross as Herbert Whiteway
- Private's Progress as Sgt. Sutton
- Tons of Trouble as Bert
1955
- Footsteps in the Fog as Herbert Moresby
- Josephine and Men as Detective Sgt. Parsons
1953
- Will Any Gentleman...? as Detective Inspector Martin
1952
- The Magic Box as Recruiting Sergeant
- The Pickwick Papers as Irate Cabman
- The Ringer as Sam Hackett
- The Holly and the Ivy as Company Sergeant Major
1951
- The Dark Man as Superintendent of Police
1950
- Double Confession as Charlie Durham
1949
- The Lost People as Barnes
- Now Barabbas as Warder Jackson
1948
- Brighton Rock as Dallow
- Escape as Inspector Harris
1947
- Odd Man Out as Fencie - the barman
- Temptation Harbour as Jim Brown
1946
- A Defeated People as Commentator (voice)
- Appointment with Crime as Leo Martin
1945
- The Agitator as Peter Pettinger (as Billy Hartnell)
- Murder in Reverse? as Tom Masterick
1944
- The Way Ahead as Sgt. Ned Fletcher
- Strawberry Roan as Chris Lowe
1943
- The Dark Tower as Jim Towers (as Bill Hartnell)
- The Peterville Diamond as Joseph (as Bill Hartnell)
- Headline as Dell
- The Bells Go Down as Brookes
1942
- They Flew Alone as Scotty
- The Goose Steps Out as German Officer at Station
- Sabotage at Sea as Jacob Digby
- Suspected Person as Detective Saunders
1941
- Freedom Radio as Radio Location Aerial Operator (uncredited)
1940
- They Came by Night as Undetermined Role
1939
- Murder Will Out as Dick
1938
- They Drive by Night as Bus Conductor
1937
- Farewell Again as Minor Role
1936
1935
- The Guv'nor as Car Salesman
1934
- The Perfect Flaw as Vickers
1933
- The Lure as Billy
- Follow the Lady as Mike Martindale