William Hartnell

WILLIAM HARTNELL d1975. English actor who appeared in over seventy British films but who will be forever remembered as the first actor to play Doctor Who in the cult BBC TV series between 1963-1966. Doctor Who earned Hartnell a regular salary of £315 per episode by 1966 (equivalent to £4,050 a week in modern terms). Throughout his tenure as the Doctor, he wore a wig when playing the part as his character had long hair ; whereas in private life he himself favoured the traditional short-back-and-sides. Very few photographs exist of him dressed as the Doctor without the wig. Hartnell's deteriorating health (he suffered from arteriosclerosis) began to affect his ability to say his lines and additional poor relations with the production team on the series (after the departure of Verity Lambert) ultimately led him to leave his role in 1966. He died of heart failure aged 67 in 1975.