1908-01-08 Saint Pancras, London, England, UK
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.
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Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War | Dr. Who (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2025-05-31 |
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Doctor Who: The Savages | The Doctor (voice) | 2025-03-24 |
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Doctor Who at the Proms | The Doctor (1) (archive footage) | 2024-12-24 |
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Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker | The Doctor (voice) | 2024-03-02 |
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Talking Doctor Who | Self / The Doctor (1) (archive footage) | 2023-11-01 |
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Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour | The Doctor (archive footage) | 2023-11-23 |
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Doctor Who: Galaxy 4 | The Doctor (voice) | 2021-11-15 |
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Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time | The Doctor (1) (archive footage) | 2017-12-25 |
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Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song | The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited) | 2015-12-25 |
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Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor | The Doctor (1) (archive footage) | 2013-11-23 |
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An Adventure in Space and Time | The Doctor (1) (archive footage) | 2013-11-21 |
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Don't Lose Your Head: The Making of 'The Reign of Terror' | The Doctor (archive footage) | 2012-01-28 |
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Vision On | The Doctor (archive footage) | 2012-01-23 |
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The Sets of Marinus | The Doctor (archive footage) | 2009-09-21 |
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Mounting the Rescue | The Doctor (1) (archive footage) | 2009-02-17 |
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Doctor Who: The Next Doctor | The Doctor (1) (archive footage) | 2008-12-25 |
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The Ties That Bind Us | The First Doctor (archive footage) | 2008-03-03 |
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Doctor Who: Origins | The Doctor (archive footage) | 2006-01-30 |
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Creation of the Daleks | The Doctor (archive footage) | 2006-01-31 |
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Inside the Spaceship: The Story of the TARDIS | The Doctor (archive footage) | 2006-01-30 |
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Masters of Sound | The Doctor (archive footage) | 2006-01-30 |
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Future Memories: Making 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth' | The Doctor (1) (archive footage) | 2003-06-09 |
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Remembering 'The Aztecs' | The Doctor (archive footage) | 2002-10-21 |
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What's a Carry On? | Sergeant Grimshawe (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1998-12-29 |
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Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks | The Doctor (1) (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1984-02-15 |
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Doctor Who: Mawdryn Undead | The Doctor (1) (archive footage) | 1983-02-09 |
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Doctor Who: The Five Doctors | The Doctor (1) (archive footage) | 1983-11-25 |
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Doctor Who: Earthshock | The Doctor (1) (archive footage) | 1982-03-16 |
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That's Carry On! | Sergeant Grimshawe (archive footage) | 1977-11-10 |
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Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius | The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited) | 1976-01-24 |
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Doctor Who: The Three Doctors | The Doctor | 1973-01-20 |
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Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks | The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited) | 1972-01-22 |
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Doctor Who: The Ark | The Doctor | 1966-03-26 |
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Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker | The Doctor | 1966-04-23 |
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Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan | The Doctor | 1966-01-29 |
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Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks | The Doctor in the mirror (uncredited) | 1966-11-05 |
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Doctor Who: The Gunfighters | The Doctor | 1966-05-21 |
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Doctor Who: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve | The Doctor / Abbot of Amboise | 1966-02-26 |
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Doctor Who: The Savages | The Doctor | 1966-06-18 |
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Doctor Who: The Smugglers | The Doctor | 1966-10-01 |
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Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet | The Doctor (1) | 1966-10-29 |
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Doctor Who: The War Machines | The Doctor | 1966-07-16 |
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Doctor Who: The Space Museum | The Doctor | 1965-05-15 |
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Doctor Who: The Crusade | The Doctor | 1965-04-17 |
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Doctor Who: The Chase | The Doctor | 1965-06-26 |
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Doctor Who: The Romans | The Doctor | 1965-02-06 |
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Doctor Who: The Myth Makers | The Doctor | 1965-11-06 |
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Doctor Who: The Rescue | The Doctor | 1965-01-09 |
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Doctor Who: Galaxy 4 | The Doctor | 1965-10-02 |
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Doctor Who: The Time Meddler | The Doctor | 1965-07-24 |
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Doctor Who: The Web Planet | The Doctor | 1965-03-20 |
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Doctor Who: The Aztecs | The Doctor | 1964-06-13 |
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Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth | The Doctor | 1964-12-26 |
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Doctor Who: The Daleks | Dr. Who | 1964-02-01 |
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Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction | Dr. Who | 1964-02-15 |
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Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror | The Doctor | 1964-09-12 |
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Doctor Who: Planet of Giants | The Doctor | 1964-11-14 |
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Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus | The Doctor | 1964-05-16 |
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Doctor Who: Marco Polo | The Doctor | 1964-04-04 |
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Doctor Who: The Sensorites | The Doctor | 1964-08-01 |
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To Have and to Hold | Insp. Roberts | 1963-07-01 |
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The World Ten Times Over | Dad | 1963-10-31 |
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Tomorrow at Ten | Freddie Maddox | 1963-06-23 |
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This Sporting Life | 'Dad' Johnson | 1963-02-07 |
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Heavens Above! | Major Fowler | 1963-05-20 |
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Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child | Dr. Who | 1963-11-23 |
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Jackpot | Supt. Frawley | 1960-01-01 |
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And the Same to You | Walter 'Wally' Burton | 1960-02-01 |
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Piccadilly Third Stop | Colonel | 1960-09-05 |
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The Desperate Man | Smith | 1959-12-01 |
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The Night We Dropped a Clanger | Sgt. Bright | 1959-10-10 |
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Shake Hands with the Devil | Sergeant Jenkins | 1959-06-24 |
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Strictly Confidential | Grimshaw | 1959-01-01 |
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The Mouse That Roared | Will Buckley | 1959-07-17 |
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On the Run | Tom Casey | 1958-06-30 |
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Carry On Sergeant | Sergeant Grimshawe | 1958-08-31 |
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Date with Disaster | Tracey | 1958-01-01 |
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Hell Drivers | Cartley, Hawlett Manager | 1957-07-23 |
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Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst | Leading Seaman Leslie Frank | 1957-04-02 |
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The Hypnotist | Inspector Ross | 1957-07-29 |
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Private's Progress | Sgt. Sutton | 1956-02-17 |
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Doublecross | Herbert Whiteway | 1956-02-01 |
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Tons of Trouble | Bert | 1956-04-09 |
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Josephine and Men | Detective Sgt. Parsons | 1955-11-09 |
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Footsteps in the Fog | Herbert Moresby | 1955-09-14 |
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Will Any Gentleman...? | Detective Inspector Martin | 1953-08-25 |
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The Magic Box | Recruiting Sergeant | 1952-01-01 |
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The Pickwick Papers | Irate Cabman | 1952-11-14 |
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The Ringer | Sam Hackett | 1952-11-24 |
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The Holly and the Ivy | Company Sergeant Major | 1952-12-03 |
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The Dark Man | Superintendent of Police | 1951-01-22 |
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Double Confession | Charlie Durham | 1950-04-30 |
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The Lost People | Barnes | 1949-08-22 |
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Now Barabbas | Warder Jackson | 1949-05-24 |
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Brighton Rock | Dallow | 1948-01-09 |
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Escape | Inspector Harris | 1948-03-01 |
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Temptation Harbour | Jim Brown | 1947-02-27 |
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Odd Man Out | Fencie - the barman | 1947-01-30 |
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Appointment with Crime | Leo Martin | 1946-05-13 |
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A Defeated People | Commentator (voice) | 1946-03-17 |
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The Agitator | Peter Pettinger (as Billy Hartnell) | 1945-01-24 |
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Murder in Reverse? | Tom Masterick | 1945-10-21 |
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The Way Ahead | Sgt. Ned Fletcher | 1944-06-09 |
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Strawberry Roan | Chris Lowe | 1944-12-31 |
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The Bells Go Down | Brookes | 1943-05-16 |
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Headline | Dell | 1943-11-16 |
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The Peterville Diamond | Joseph (as Bill Hartnell) | 1943-01-11 |
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The Dark Tower | Jim Towers (as Bill Hartnell) | 1943-10-18 |
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They Flew Alone | Scotty | 1942-06-29 |
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Suspected Person | Detective Saunders | 1942-06-01 |
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Sabotage at Sea | Jacob Digby | 1942-09-07 |
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The Goose Steps Out | German Officer at Station | 1942-08-01 |
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Freedom Radio | Radio Location Aerial Operator (uncredited) | 1941-02-04 |
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They Came by Night | Undetermined Role | 1940-03-07 |
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Murder Will Out | Dick | 1939-08-13 |
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They Drive by Night | Bus Conductor | 1938-12-01 |
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Farewell Again | Minor Role | 1937-01-05 |
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The Crimson Circle | 1936-08-10 | |
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Parisian Life | 1936-01-01 | |
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Midnight at Madame Tussaud's | Stubbs | 1936-12-03 |
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The Guv'nor | Car Salesman | 1935-10-01 |
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The Perfect Flaw | Vickers | 1934-05-31 |
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Follow the Lady | Mike Martindale | 1933-01-01 |
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The Lure | Billy | 1933-08-01 |
