William Hartnell
Known for Acting · 133 credits
- Born
- 1908-01-08
- Died
- 1975-04-23
- Place of birth
- Saint Pancras, London, England, UK
- Also known as
- Billy Hartnell · Bill Hartnell · Уильям Хартнелл · William Henry 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
TV Shows (8)
Movies (125)
Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor
2013
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song
2015
as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
The Mouse That Roared
1959
as Will Buckley
An Adventure in Space and Time
2013
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
The Way Ahead
1944
as Sgt. Ned Fletcher
Doctor Who at the Proms
2024
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Hell Drivers
1957
as Cartley, Hawlett Manager
Private's Progress
1956
as Sgt. Sutton
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors
1983
as The First Doctor (archive footage)
Odd Man Out
1947
as Fencie - the barman
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst
1957
as Leading Seaman Leslie Frank
Brighton Rock
1948
as Dallow
The Lure
1933
as Billy
The Magic Box
1952
as Recruiting Sergeant
Carry On Sergeant
1958
as Sergeant Grimshawe
Shake Hands with the Devil
1959
as Sergeant Jenkins
Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War
2025
as Dr. Who (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Agitator
1945
as Peter Pettinger (as Billy Hartnell)
This Sporting Life
1963
as 'Dad' Johnson
Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time
2017
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour
2023
as The Doctor (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
2008
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
That's Carry On!
1977
as Sergeant Grimshawe (archive footage)
The Ringer
1952
as Sam Hackett
Escape
1948
as Inspector Harris
Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks
1984
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Now Barabbas
1949
as Warder Jackson
Doctor Who: The Daleks' Master Plan
1965
as The Doctor
The Ties That Bind Us
2008
as The First Doctor (archive footage)
Footsteps in the Fog
1955
as Herbert Moresby
Doctor Who: Origins
2006
as The Doctor (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Three Doctors
1973
as The Doctor
The Holly and the Ivy
1952
as Company Sergeant Major
Doctor Who: The Crusade
1965
as The Doctor
What's a Carry On?
1998
as Sergeant Grimshawe (archive footage) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction
1964
as The Doctor
Tomorrow at Ten
1963
as Freddie Maddox
Murder in Reverse?
1945
as Tom Masterick
Doctor Who: The Romans
1965
as The Doctor
Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks
1972
as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
Josephine and Men
1955
as Detective Sgt. Parsons
Talking Doctor Who
2023
as Self / The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Temptation Harbour
1947
as Jim Brown
Parisian Life
1936
The Pickwick Papers
1952
as Irate Cabman
Suspected Person
1942
as Detective Saunders
The Goose Steps Out
1942
as German Officer at Station
Farewell Again
1937
as Minor Role
Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth
1964
as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Daleks
1964
as The Doctor
The Bells Go Down
1943
as Brookes
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
1965
as The Doctor
Doctor Who: Marco Polo
1964
as The Doctor
They Flew Alone
1942
as Scotty
Strawberry Roan
1944
as Chris Lowe
The Crimson Circle
1936
Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus
1964
as The Doctor
The Dark Tower
1943
as Jim Towers (as Bill Hartnell)
Date with Disaster
1958
as Tracey
Doctor Who: The Myth Makers
1965
as The Doctor
And the Same to You
1960
as Walter 'Wally' Burton
The Desperate Man
1959
as Smith
The Night We Dropped a Clanger
1959
as Sgt. Bright
Doctor Who: The Ark
1966
as The Doctor
The Hypnotist
1957
as Inspector Ross
Doctor Who: The Web Planet
1965
as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Savages
2025
as The Doctor (voice)
The Guv'nor
1935
as Car Salesman
Jackpot
1960
as Supt. Frawley
Doctor Who: Mawdryn Undead
1983
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Will Any Gentleman...?
1953
as Detective Inspector Martin
Doctor Who: The Smugglers
1966
as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius
1976
as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks
1966
as The Doctor in the mirror (uncredited)
The Lost People
1949
as Barnes
Freedom Radio
1941
as Radio Location Aerial Operator (uncredited)
Appointment with Crime
1946
as Leo Martin
The World Ten Times Over
1963
as Dad
Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child
1963
as The Doctor
Heavens Above!
1963
as Major Fowler
Doublecross
1956
as Herbert Whiteway
Piccadilly Third Stop
1960
as Colonel
Doctor Who: The Chase
1965
as The Doctor
To Have and to Hold
1963
as Insp. Roberts
Sabotage at Sea
1942
as Jacob Digby
Doctor Who: The War Machines
1966
as The Doctor
The Peterville Diamond
1943
as Joseph (as Bill Hartnell)
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
2024
as The Doctor (voice)
They Came by Night
1940
as Undetermined Role
Tons of Trouble
1956
as Bert
Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror
1964
as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Sensorites
1964
as The Doctor
Strictly Confidential
1959
as Grimshaw
They Drive by Night
1938
as Bus Conductor
Doctor Who: Earthshock
1982
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Rescue
1965
as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
1966
as The Doctor / Abbot of Amboise
Murder Will Out
1939
as Dick
Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet
1966
as The Doctor (1)
The Sets of Marinus
2009
as The Doctor (archive footage)
Doctor Who: Planet of Giants
1964
as The Doctor
Remembering 'The Aztecs'
2002
as The Doctor (archive footage)
Creation of the Daleks
2006
as The Doctor (archive footage)
Headline
1943
as Dell
Doctor Who: The Space Museum
1965
as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker
1966
as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Time Meddler
1965
as The Doctor
Don't Lose Your Head: The Making of 'The Reign of Terror'
2012
as The Doctor (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Aztecs
1964
as The Doctor
The Dark Man
1951
as Superintendent of Police
Inside the Spaceship: The Story of the TARDIS
2006
as The Doctor (archive footage)
Double Confession
1950
as Charlie Durham
Mounting the Rescue
2009
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Masters of Sound
2006
as The Doctor (archive footage)
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
2021
as The Doctor (voice)
Future Memories: Making 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'
2003
as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
Doctor Who: The Savages
1966
as The Doctor
Doctor Who: The Gunfighters
1966
as The Doctor
On the Run
1958
as Tom Casey
Midnight at Madame Tussaud's
1936
as Stubbs
About William Hartnell
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 appea… With 133 credits spanning from 1933 to 2025, William Hartnell has appeared in 125 films and 8 TV shows.
Fans searching for William Hartnell movies, William Hartnell filmography, or the latest projects starring William Hartnell can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular William Hartnell Movies
- Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (2013) — as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
- Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song (2015) — as The Doctor (1) (picture) (uncredited)
- The Mouse That Roared (1959) — as Will Buckley
- An Adventure in Space and Time (2013) — as The Doctor (1) (archive footage)
- The Way Ahead (1944) — as Sgt. Ned Fletcher
Where to Watch William Hartnell Films
Most William Hartnell movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring William Hartnell, check our movies catalogue and browse page.