William Hartnell
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1908-01-08
Day of Death
1975-04-23 (67 years old)
Place of Birth
Saint Pancras, London, England, UK
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
Acting
(2025)
Doctor Who: The Savages
as The Doctor (voice)
(2024)
Doctor Who at the Proms
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
(2024)
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
as The Doctor (voice)
(2023)
Talking Doctor Who
as Self / The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
(2023)
Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour
as The Doctor (archive footage)
(2021)
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
as The Doctor (voice)
(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)
(2013)
An Adventure in Space and Time
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
(2012)
Don't Lose Your Head
as The Doctor (archive footage)
(2012)
Vision On
as The Doctor (archive footage)
(2009)
The Sets of Marinus
as The Doctor (archive footage)
(2008)
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
(2008)
The Ties That Bind Us
as The First Doctor (archive footage)
(2006)
Creation of the Daleks
as The Doctor (archive footage)
(2006)
Masters of Sound
as The Doctor (archive footage)
(2006)
Inside the Spaceship: The Story of the TARDIS
as The Doctor (archive footage)
(2002)
Remembering 'The Aztecs'
as The Doctor (archive footage)
(1984)
Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage) (uncredited)
(1983)
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
(1983)
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
(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 Smugglers
as The Doctor
(1966)
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan
as The Doctor
(1966)
Doctor Who: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
as The Doctor / Abbot of Amboise
(1966)
Doctor Who: The War Machines
as The Doctor
(1966)
Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks
as The Doctor in the mirror (uncredited)
(1966)
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
as The Doctor
(1966)
Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet
as The Doctor (1)
(1966)
Doctor Who: The Ark
as The Doctor
(1966)
Doctor Who: The Savages
as The Doctor
(1966)
Doctor Who: The Gunfighters
as The Doctor
(1965)
Doctor Who: The Time Meddler
as The Doctor
(1965)
Doctor Who: The Romans
as The Doctor
(1965)
Doctor Who: The Chase
as The Doctor
(1965)
Doctor Who: The Crusade
as The Doctor
(1965)
Doctor Who: The Myth Makers
as The Doctor
(1965)
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
as The Doctor
(1965)
Doctor Who: The Web Planet
as The Doctor
(1965)
Doctor Who: The Space Museum
as The Doctor
(1965)
Doctor Who: The Rescue
as The Doctor
(1964)
Doctor Who: Planet of Giants
as The Doctor
(1964)
Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth
as The Doctor
(1964)
Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror
as The Doctor
(1964)
Doctor Who: Marco Polo
as The Doctor
(1964)
Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus
as The Doctor
(1964)
Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction
as Dr. Who
(1964)
Doctor Who: The Sensorites
as The Doctor
(1964)
Doctor Who: The Aztecs
as The Doctor
(1964)
Doctor Who: The Daleks
as Dr. Who
(1963)
This Sporting Life
as 'Dad' Johnson
(1963)
Heavens Above!
as Major Fowler
(1963)
Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child
as Dr. Who
(1963)
Tomorrow at Ten
as Freddie Maddox
(1963)
The World Ten Times Over
as Dad
(1963)
To Have and to Hold
as Insp. Roberts
(1960)
And the Same to You
as Walter 'Wally' Burton
(1960)
Jackpot
as Supt. Frawley
(1960)
Piccadilly Third Stop
as Colonel
(1959)
The Mouse That Roared
as Will Buckley
(1959)
Shake Hands with the Devil
as Sergeant Jenkins
(1959)
The Night We Dropped a Clanger
as Sgt. Bright
(1959)
Strictly Confidential
as Grimshaw
(1959)
The Desperate Man
as Smith
(1958)
Carry On Sergeant
as Sergeant Grimshawe
(1958)
Date with Disaster
as Tracey
(1957)
Hell Drivers
as Cartley, Hawlett Manager
(1957)
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst
as Leading Seaman Leslie Frank
(1957)
The Hypnotist
as Inspector Ross
(1956)
Doublecross
as Herbert Whiteway
(1956)
Private's Progress
as Sgt. Sutton
(1956)
Tons of Trouble
as Bert
(1955)
Footsteps in the Fog
as Herbert Moresby
(1955)
Josephine and Men
as Detective Sgt. Parsons
(1953)
Will Any Gentleman...?
as Detective Inspector Martin
(1952)
The Pickwick Papers
as Irate Cabman
(1952)
The Magic Box
as Recruiting Sergeant
(1952)
The Holly and the Ivy
as Company Sergeant Major
(1952)
The Ringer
as Sam Hackett
(1951)
The Dark Man
as Superintendent of Police
(1950)
Double Confession
as Charlie Durham
(1949)
Now Barabbas
as Warder Jackson
(1949)
The Lost People
as Barnes
(1948)
Brighton Rock
as Dallow
(1948)
Escape
as Inspector Harris
(1947)
Odd Man Out
as Fencie - the barman
(1947)
Temptation Harbour
as Jim Brown
(1946)
Appointment with Crime
as Leo Martin
(1945)
Murder in Reverse?
as Tom Masterick
(1945)
The Agitator
as Peter Pettinger (as Billy Hartnell)
(1944)
The Way Ahead
as Sgt. Ned Fletcher
(1944)
Strawberry Roan
as Chris Lowe
(1943)
The Dark Tower
as Jim Towers (as Bill Hartnell)
(1943)
The Bells Go Down
as Brookes
(1943)
Headline
as Dell
(1943)
The Peterville Diamond
as Joseph (as Bill Hartnell)
(1942)
They Flew Alone
as Scotty
(1942)
Suspected Person
as Detective Saunders
(1942)
Sabotage at Sea
as Jacob Digby
(1942)
The Goose Steps Out
as German Officer at Station
(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)
(1936)
(1936)
Midnight at Madame Tussaud's
as Stubbs
(1935)
The Guv'nor
as Car Salesman
(1934)
The Perfect Flaw
as Vickers
(1933)
The Lure
as Billy
(1933)
Follow the Lady
as Mike Martindale