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Anthony Ainley, 20th August 1932 - 3rd May 2004 was an actor, most famous for his semi-regular role as |the Master from 1981 to the programme's end in 1989. He also reappeared in his role in the 1998 video game, Destiny of the Doctors, which was his last Doctor Who appearance.
Biography
He was born in London, England on the 20th August 1932, son of Henry Ainley, a west-end actor, and brother of Richard Ainley. In 1942 he made his first appearance (uncredited) in the war propaganda film, The Foreman Went To France, and his first major break was in the 1965 tv show, It's Dark Outside, in which he played Detective Sergeant Hunter. He also appeared in Naked Evil (1966), had an uncredited role in the James Bond film, You Only Live Twice (1967) and played Clive Hawksworth in the series, Spyder's Web (1972). He played Rev Emilius in The Pallisers (1974), and its production manager, John Nathan-Turner, would eventually be in charge of Doctor Who and Ainley's performance was so memorable, that John offered him the role of the Master without an audition. Anthony was a keen cricketer and a member of the London Theatres Cricket Club. He played the sport frequently from his retirement in the nineties up to his death on 3rd May 2004. The cause of his death wasn't released to the general public.
Trivia
- Ainley was known to have detested Tom Baker in his final year as the Doctor.
- Ainley loathed all cheeses, particularly Brie and Stilton.
- Ainley was very friendly with his fans, and answered much of his fan mail personally. He would often write his letters longhand on pages of Doctor Who scripts he was currently or had just worked on.
- His half-brother, Richard Ainley, was an actor who later became a drama teacher, counting Tom Baker among his students.
- In the episode (DW: Castrovalva), he was credited by the pseudonym Neil Toynay to avoid giving away plot details.
Filmography
Doctor Who TV Stories
As Tremas
As the Master