Editing William Hartnell

{{real world}}
:''For other uses of [[William]], see separate article.''
{{Infobox Actor
|image        = [[File:Hartnw13.jpg|250px]]
|actor name   = William Hartnell
|role         = [[First Doctor]]
|birth date   = [[8 January]] [[1908]] <br /> St Pancras, [[London]], [[England]]
|death date   = [[23 April]] [[1975]] (aged 67) <br /> Marden, Kent, [[England]]
|alias        =
|acting       = ''[[Doctor Who]]'' <br /> The Bells go Down <br /> Way Ahead <br /> Hell Drivers <br /> Carry on Sergant <br /> Heavens above <br /> Tommorow at Ten <br />
|imdb_id      = nm0367156 
}}
'''William Henry "Bill" Hartnell''' portrayed the [[First Doctor|first incarnation]] of [[the Doctor]]. For many, he remains the definitive portrayal of the character. Elements of his portrayal are evident in the performances of all his successors on [[Doctor Who|the television series]] and beyond.

== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
Hartnell was born in [[Wikipedia:St Pancras, London|St Pancras]], [[London]], [[England]] in [[1908]], the only child of an unmarried mother, and raised primarily by his aunt Bessie (Wood, 208). Hartnell never discovered the identity of his father (whose particulars are left blank on the birth certificate) and, despite efforts made by Hartnell in later years, his absent parent was never traced. Hartnell was apparently so ashamed of his illegitimate background that he deliberately concealed it &ndash; claiming instead to come from a farming family in Seaton, Devon, where he had spent many happy holidays when he was a boy.

Often known as Billy, he was educated at home and at Imperial Service College. After training as a jockey (having learned to ride during his childhood holidays in Seaton), and then as a boxer, he studied acting at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and entered the theatre in [[1924]] working under [[Wikipedia:Frank Benson|Frank Benson]]. The first of more than sixty film appearances was ''Say It With Music'' in [[1932]]. He was invalided out of the Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army during the Second World War, after suffering a nervous breakdown.

Until [[1944]], Hartnell usually played comic characters. Then he was cast in the robust role of sergeant Ned Fletcher in ''[[Wikipedia:The Way Ahead|The Way Ahead]]''. From then on his career was defined by playing mainly [[policemen]], soldiers, and thugs — although he was noted for his ability to bring complexity to such roles, for example in his widely praised performance as Dallow in ''[[Wikipedia:Brighton Rock|Brighton Rock]]''. In [[1958]] he topped the bill in the first [[Wikipedia:Carry On films|Carry On]] film, ''[[Wikipedia:Carry On Sergeant|Carry On Sergeant]]'' playing Sergeant Grimshaw, and in [[1963]] he appeared as a town councillor in the [[Wikipedia:Roy Boulting|Boulting Brothers]]' film ''[[Wikipedia:Heavens Above!|Heavens Above!]]'' with [[Wikipedia:Peter Sellers|Peter Sellers]]. William Hartnell also appeared as Will Buckley in the film ''[[Wikipedia:The Mouse That Roared|The Mouse That Roared]]'' in [[1959]] (with Peter Sellers).
[[File:William Hartnell.jpg|thumb|200px|left|A pre-doctor Hartnell]]

Hartnell's first regular role on [[television]] was in ''[[Wikipedia:The Army Game|The Army Game]]'' from [[1957]]–[[1961]]. In [[1963]], he appeared in a supporting role in the film version of ''[[Wikipedia:This Sporting Life|This Sporting Life]]'' giving a sensitive performance as an ageing [[Wikipedia:Rugby League|Rugby League]] talent scout known as 'Dad'.

=== Doctor Who ===
His performance as a tough yet sympathetic character in ''This Sporting Life'' was noted by [[Verity Lambert]], a young [[Producer]] who was setting up her first television series for the [[BBC]], namely ''Doctor Who'', who then offered him the title role. Although Hartnell was initially uncertain of whether he wanted to take on the part, Lambert and [[director]] [[Waris Hussein]] convinced him to play the character for which he gained the highest profile and for which he is now most widely remembered. Hartnell came to relish, particularly, the attention and affection from children that playing the character brought him, and he became very fond of the role. By [[1966]], when [[Season 4]], his final season, aired, the role also earned Hartnell a regular salary of £315 per episode. (In comparison, his co-stars [[Anneke Wills]] and [[Michael Craze]] earned £68 and £52, respectively, per episode.)

[[File:Hartnell opens hospital.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Hartnell opens a hospital fete in Pembury, in full Doctor regalia.]]
According to some colleagues on ''Doctor Who'', he could be a difficult person to work with, although others, notably actors [[Peter Purves]] and [[William Russell]], and producer Verity Lambert, speak glowingly of him after more than forty years. His poor health ([[Wikipedia:atherosclerosis|arteriosclerosis]]) as well as poor relations with the new production team on the series following the departure of Lambert mid-way during the first half of [[Season 3]] ultimately led him to leave ''Doctor Who'' in [[1966]] when his contract expired.<ref name="sixties">Howe, David; Stammers, Mark; Walker, Stephen James (1992) ''[[Doctor Who: The Sixties]]'', [[Doctor Who Books]], London, pp 67-68</ref>

Some commentators now contend that reports of Hartnell's illness were subsequently exaggerated by Lambert's successors in the role of producer, [[John Wiles]] and [[Innes Lloyd]], to justify a desire (ultimately successful) to remove him from the series because of the expense of his salary. (John Wiles had considered this as early as the pre-production plans for ''[[The Celestial Toymaker (TV story)|The Celestial Toymaker]]''.) Others suggest that it was a mutual decision between Hartnell and the production team that he should leave the programme. Innes Lloyd has been quoted that Hartnell even approved of his the choice of actor saying (according to Innes Lloyd) ''"There's only one man in England who can take over, and that's [[Patrick Troughton]]"''<ref name="sixties"/> However Hartnell claimed in later life that he did not want to leave the series, writing, in an oft-quoted letter, "I didn't willingly give up the part". Suggestions that Hartnell's health was failing him are seemingly contradicted by his returning to demanding theatre work almost immediately upon leaving ''Doctor Who'' and he also made television guest appearances during the late [[1960s]], which include ''[[Wikipedia:No Hiding Place|No Hiding Place]]''.

Hartnell was 55 years old at the time he made his first appearance as the Doctor. As of 2010 he remains the oldest actor to be cast as the Doctor. He suffered a number of injuries while in the role, most notably during filming for ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'' when the ramp of the Dalek spaceship collapsed and he was temporarily paralysed. He returned to work after just a week's bed-rest. During recording of ''[[The Myth Makers]]'', Hartnell not only suffered another injury, namely a bruised shoulder when he was accidentally struck from behind by a camera, but also a bereavement &ndash; his Aunt Bessie passed away. Unfortunately, Hartnell found himself unable to take time off to attend her funeral due to the tight production schedules.

=== Life after the Doctor ===
[[File:The Three Doctors.jpg|thumb|BBC Publicity photo for ''[[The Three Doctors]]'', Hartnell pictured with [[Patrick Troughton]] and [[Jon Pertwee]]]]
Hartnell reprised the role in the 10th anniversary story ''[[The Three Doctors]]'' (made in [[1972]], broadcast 1972-[[1973]]) with the help of cue cards but appeared only in pre-filmed inserts seen on video screens. Hartnell's health had grown progressively worse in the early [[1970s]] and in [[December]] [[1974]] he was admitted to hospital permanently. In early [[1975]] he suffered a series of [[Wikipedia:stroke|strokes]] brought on by [[Wikipedia:cerebrovascular disease|cerebrovascular disease]] and died in his sleep of [[Wikipedia:congestive heart failure|heart failure]] on [[23 April]] 1975 at the age of 67. His death was reported on the [[BBC News]] and a clip of the Doctor in the [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] from the end of ''The OK Corral'', the final episode of ''[[The Gunfighters]]'', was shown. Hartnell has the distinction of being the first major actor of the ''Doctor Who'' franchise to pass away; the next wouldn't be until companion actor [[Ian Marter]]'s death 11 years later.

=== Legacy ===
A clip of his scene from the end of the serial ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'' ([[1964]]) was used as a pre-credits sequence for the 20th anniversary story ''[[The Five Doctors]]'' ([[1983]]), although another actor, [[Richard Hurndall]], played the role of the [[First Doctor]] for the remainder of the story. Both Hartnell and Hurndall were included in the story's on-screen credits for the role of the Doctor.

Biographical information about William Hartnell is hard to substantiate because of conflicting information from various sources. Hartnell himself gave accounts of his birth and upbringing which seem to differ from verifiable facts, and the only published biography of him is by his granddaughter, [[Jessica Carney]]. Although criticised by some as a [[Wikipedia:Hagiography#Secular usage|hagiography]], Carney's ''[[Who's There?]]'' does refer to these difficulties and makes it clear that a great deal of research has been done, drawing from primary sources, as well as Hartnell's family's own extensive archive. Notwithstanding an often negative view of its subject, the family link with the author makes some critics view this work as biased.

A reference to Hartnell exists within the [[Doctor Who universe|''Doctor Who'' universe]]. [[BFA]]: ''[[Pier Pressure]]'' contains the character [[Billy (Pier Pressure)|Billy]], a young actor in [[1936]] [[Brighton]] who had appeared in the films ''I'm an Explosive'' and ''While Parents Sleep.'' Both titles are real-world films in which young Hartnell appeared, credited as "Billy Hartnell."

=== Hartnellisms ===
Hartnell's occasional mistakes over his lines while in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' have been named "Hartnellisms" (or "Billy-fluffs") by ''Doctor Who'' fans. It should however be noted that the methods of television production at the time — effectively recording long takes "as live" with retakes only being undertaken in extreme circumstances — led to the inclusion of far more of these small errors than would have been apparent in any more modern production. It is also worth noting that sudden, short-term memory loss or a momentary loss of concentration are recognised symptoms of arteriosclerosis, which Hartnell was suffering from, undiagnosed. In light of this, overt mocking of this small tendency has increasingly been considered to be in poor taste, especially when it draws attention away from Hartnell's other achievements with a consequent effect on his reputation.

Additionally, some so-called Hartnellisms can be looked at in the context of the character and were scripted (other characters draw attention to this tendency in dialogue). For example, the Doctor frequently misspoke companion [[Ian Chesterton]]'s name (calling him "Chesterfield" in one episode, "Chatterton" in another). In Episode 5 of ''[[The Keys of Marinus]]'', Hartnell appears to repeat a line of dialogue when he mixes up the words "improve" and "prove", but according to the DVD text commentary for the episode this error was actually scripted.

==== Examples ====
* The TARDIS crew was looking over some anti-radiation '''drugs'''. The Doctor told the group that they were anti-radiation '''gloves''', then quickly corrected himself by saying drugs. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Daleks]]'') ''In-story, this was likely caused by the radiation poisoning, which was affecting the Doctor far more than it affected the others. In [[BFA]]: ''[[Flip-Flop]]'', the [[Seventh Doctor]] states his first incarnation invented anti-radiation gloves.''

* A Hartnellism that occurred during rehearsals of [[DW]]: ''[[The Edge of Destruction]]'': the Doctor was to tell Susan to check the fault-locator. Instead, he told her to check the fornicator. All indications are, however, that this was done as a joke.

* [[Barbara Wright|Barbara]] worries about the sea surrounding the island of Marinus being frozen. The Doctor tells her it would be impossible to be frozen in this temperature, plus it was too warm. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Keys of Marinus]]'')

* The Doctor scolds Ian for not wearing his shoes, because he could have lent Susan '''hers''' (not '''his'''). This, too, appears to have been intended as a humourous add-in. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Keys of Marinus]]'')

* The Doctor intends to tell a character named Maitland to stabilise his spaceship, but instead says "Stabilise us, matron!" ([[DW]]: ''[[The Sensorites]]'')

* Perhaps the most famous of Hartnell's fluffs was when the Doctor warned Ian and Barbara that they could wind up as two "cinders floating around in '''[[Spain]]'''", rather than '''[[space]]'''. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Chase]]'')

* He also stumbled upon certain words as Hartnell struggled to remember his lines, often saying something strange. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Romans]]''; [[DW]]: ''[[The Space Museum]]''

It has been said that as time went on, and Hartnell's health ostensibly failed, the number of Hartnellisms increased, sometimes to the detriment of the plot. However, listening to surviving copies of his later serials, such as ''[[The Savages]]'' and ''[[The Smugglers]]'', shows this assertion to be demonstrably false.

Additionally, when Hartnell played the [[Abbot of Amboise]] in ''[[The Massacre]]'' (identical to the Doctor physically, the Abbot has more screen time than the Doctor himself), he managed to say all his lines without a hitch.

In Hartnell's final full story, ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'', the Doctor is given far fewer lines than normal. It has been speculated that this was done to deliberately prevent such problems, but there is no evidence from either production office records or surviving members of the production team to suggest that this was the case.

== Trivia ==
* He always claimed he was born in Seaton, Devon, England, but was actually born in St. Pancras, London, England.

* At one time he shared the same agent as [[Nicholas Courtney]], who later played [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]]. Courtney appeared alongside Hartnell as [[Bret Vyon]] in the ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan]]''. (''Masterplan'' director [[Douglas Camfield]] also directed the Brigadier's premiere story, ''[[The Web of Fear]]''.)

== External links ==
* {{imdb name|id=0367156|name=William Hartnell}}
* [http://www.williamhartnell.com/ William Hartnell Dot Com]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/doctors/doctor1.shtml BBC Online — William Hartnell]
* [http://www.kasterborous.com/articles.asp?id=335 Citizen Of The Universe - William Hartnell article at kasterborous.com]
* [http://www.carryonline.com/carry/hartnell.html William Hartnell biography @ Carry On...]

== Footnotes and Bibliography ==
{{reflist}}
* [[Tat Wood]] & [[Lawrence Miles]] (2006). ''[[About Time 1]]''. Illinois: [[Mad Norwegian Press]]. ISBN 0-9759446-0-6.

{{Wikipedia|William_Hartnell}}
{{NameSort}}
[[es:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Articles that were originally Wikipedia forks]]
[[Category:Doctor Who regular cast]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed the Doctor]]