Person
William Hartnell
Born 8 January 1908 Died 23 April 1975, aged 67 Saint Pancras, London, England, UK TMDB ↗
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.
FR·01
The numbers
24age in their first credit on record (1933)
92years on screen and counting
11credits in 1965, their busiest year
131dated credits on record
FR·02
Movie credits
Age: 117 Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War
2025as Dr. Who (archive footage) (uncredited)
Age: 117 Doctor Who: The Savages
2025as The Doctor (voice)
Age: 116 Doctor Who at the Proms
2024as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Age: 116 Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
2024as The Doctor (voice)
Age: 115 Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour
2023as The Doctor (archive footage)
Age: 113 Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
2021as The Doctor (voice)
Age: 111 Mission to the Unknown
2019as Dr. Who
Age: 109 Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time
2017as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Age: 107 Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song
2015as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
Age: 105 Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor
2013as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Age: 105 An Adventure in Space and Time
2013as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Age: 104 Don't Lose Your Head: The Making of 'The Reign of Terror'
2012as The Doctor (archive footage)
Age: 104 Vision On
2012as The Doctor (archive footage)
Age: 101 The Sets of Marinus
2009as The Doctor (archive footage)
Age: 101 Mounting the Rescue
2009as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Age: 100 Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
2008as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Age: 100 The Ties That Bind Us
2008as The First Doctor (archive footage)
Age: 98 Creation of the Daleks
2006as The Doctor (archive footage)
Age: 98 Masters of Sound
2006as The Doctor (archive footage)
Age: 98 Inside the Spaceship: The Story of the TARDIS
2006as The Doctor (archive footage)
Age: 98 Doctor Who: Origins
2006as The Doctor (archive footage)
Age: 95 Future Memories: Making 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'
2003as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Age: 94 Remembering 'The Aztecs'
2002as The Doctor (archive footage)
Age: 90 What's a Carry On?
1998as Sergeant Grimshawe (archive footage) (uncredited)
Age: 76 Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks
1984as The Doctor (1) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Age: 75 Doctor Who: The Five Doctors
1983as The First Doctor (archive footage)
Age: 75 Doctor Who: Mawdryn Undead
1983as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Age: 74 Doctor Who: Earthshock
1982as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Age: 69 That's Carry On!
1977as Sergeant Grimshawe (archive footage)
Age: 68 Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius
1976as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
Age: 65 Doctor Who: The Three Doctors
1973as The Doctor
Age: 64 Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks
1972as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
Age: 58 Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks
1966as The Doctor in the mirror (uncredited)
Age: 58 Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet
1966as The Doctor (1)
Age: 58 Doctor Who: The Smugglers
1966as The Doctor
Age: 58 Doctor Who: The War Machines
1966as The Doctor
Age: 58 Doctor Who: The Savages
1966as The Doctor
Age: 58 Doctor Who: The Gunfighters
1966as The Doctor
Age: 58 Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
1966as The Doctor
Age: 58 Doctor Who: The Ark
1966as The Doctor
Age: 58 Doctor Who: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
1966as The Doctor / Abbot of Amboise
Age: 57 Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan
1965as The Doctor
Age: 57 Doctor Who: The Myth Makers
1965as The Doctor
Age: 57 Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
1965as The Doctor
Age: 57 Doctor Who: The Time Meddler
1965as The Doctor
Age: 57 Doctor Who: The Chase
1965as The Doctor
Age: 57 Doctor Who: The Space Museum
1965as The Doctor
Age: 57 Doctor Who: The Crusade
1965as The Doctor
Age: 57 Doctor Who: The Web Planet
1965as The Doctor
Age: 57 Doctor Who: The Romans
1965as The Doctor
Age: 57 Doctor Who: The Rescue
1965as The Doctor
Age: 56 Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth
1964as The Doctor
Age: 56 Doctor Who: Planet of Giants
1964as The Doctor
Age: 56 Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror
1964as The Doctor
Age: 56 Doctor Who: The Sensorites
1964as The Doctor
Age: 56 Doctor Who: The Aztecs
1964as The Doctor
Age: 56 Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus
1964as The Doctor
Age: 56 Doctor Who: Marco Polo
1964as The Doctor
Age: 56 Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction
1964as The Doctor
Age: 56 Doctor Who: The Daleks
1964as The Doctor
Age: 55 Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child
1963as The Doctor
Age: 55 The World Ten Times Over
1963as Dad
Age: 55 To Have and to Hold
1963as Insp. Roberts
Age: 55 Tomorrow at Ten
1963as Freddie Maddox
Age: 55 Heavens Above!
1963as Major Fowler
Age: 55 This Sporting Life
1963as 'Dad' Johnson
Age: 52 Piccadilly Third Stop
1960as Colonel
Age: 52 And the Same to You
1960as Walter 'Wally' Burton
Age: 51 Jackpot
1960as Supt. Frawley
Age: 51 The Desperate Man
1959as Smith
Age: 51 The Night We Dropped a Clanger
1959as Sgt. Bright
Age: 51 The Mouse That Roared
1959as Will Buckley
Age: 51 Shake Hands with the Devil
1959as Sergeant Jenkins
Age: 50 Strictly Confidential
1959as Grimshaw
Age: 50 Carry On Sergeant
1958as Sergeant Grimshawe
No poster
Age: 50 On the Run
1958as Tom Casey
Age: 49 Date with Disaster
1958as Tracey
Age: 49 The Hypnotist
1957as Inspector Ross
Age: 49 Hell Drivers
1957as Cartley, Hawlett Manager
Age: 49 Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst
1957as Leading Seaman Leslie Frank
Age: 48 Tons of Trouble
1956as Bert
Age: 48 Private's Progress
1956as Sgt. Sutton
No poster
Age: 48 Doublecross
1956as Herbert Whiteway
Age: 47 Josephine and Men
1955as Detective Sgt. Parsons
Age: 47 Footsteps in the Fog
1955as Herbert Moresby
Age: 45 Will Any Gentleman...?
1953as Detective Inspector Martin
Age: 44 The Holly and the Ivy
1952as Company Sergeant Major
Age: 44 The Ringer
1952as Sam Hackett
Age: 44 The Pickwick Papers
1952as Irate Cabman
Age: 43 The Magic Box
1952as Recruiting Sergeant
Age: 43 The Dark Man
1951as Superintendent of Police
Age: 42 Double Confession
1950as Charlie Durham
Age: 41 The Lost People
1949as Barnes
Age: 41 Now Barabbas
1949as Warder Jackson
Age: 40 Escape
1948as Inspector Harris
Age: 40 Brighton Rock
1948as Dallow
Age: 39 Temptation Harbour
1947as Jim Brown
Age: 39 Odd Man Out
1947as Fencie - the barman
Age: 38 Appointment with Crime
1946as Leo Martin
Age: 38 A Defeated People
1946as Commentator (voice)
Age: 37 Murder in Reverse?
1945as Tom Masterick
Age: 37 The Agitator
1945as Peter Pettinger (as Billy Hartnell)
Age: 36 Strawberry Roan
1944as Chris Lowe
Age: 36 The Way Ahead
1944as Sgt. Ned Fletcher
Age: 35 Headline
1943as Dell
Age: 35 The Dark Tower
1943as Jim Towers (as Bill Hartnell)
Age: 35 The Bells Go Down
1943as Brookes
Age: 35 The Peterville Diamond
1943as Joseph (as Bill Hartnell)
Age: 34 Sabotage at Sea
1942as Jacob Digby
Age: 34 The Goose Steps Out
1942as German Officer at Station
Age: 34 They Flew Alone
1942as Scotty
Age: 34 Suspected Person
1942as Detective Saunders
Age: 33 Freedom Radio
1941as Radio Location Aerial Operator (uncredited)
Age: 32 They Came by Night
1940as Undetermined Role
No poster
Age: 31 Murder Will Out
1939as Dick
Age: 30 They Drive by Night
1938as Bus Conductor
Age: 28 Farewell Again
1937as Minor Role
Age: 28 Midnight at Madame Tussaud's
1936as Stubbs
Age: 28 The Crimson Circle
1936No poster
Age: 27 Parisian Life
1936
Age: 27 The Guv'nor
1935as Car Salesman
No poster
Age: 26 The Perfect Flaw
1934as Vickers
No poster
Age: 25 The Lure
1933as Billy
No poster
Age: 24 Follow the Lady
1933as Mike Martindale
FR·03
TV credits
Age: 115 Tales of the Tardis
2023as The Doctor
Age: 113 Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
2021as Doctor Who
Age: 57 Doctor Who: Lost in Time
1965as The Doctor
Age: 55 Doctor Who
1963as The Doctor
Age: 53 Ghost Squad
1961
Age: 51 No Hiding Place
1959
Age: 49 The Army Game
1957as Sergeant Major Percy Bullimore