The best guest actors on season 13 of "Doctor Who"
In order from greatest to least.
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- Actor
- Soundtrack
Philip Madoc was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, and attended Twyn School. He became interested in acting when he was a teenager. He studied at the University of Vienna and pursued a theatrical career by attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. During the 1960s, he became a familiar face on British television, often cast in sinister roles due to his dark looks and deep voice. He became particularly familiar to fans of fantasy television, playing five different roles on The Avengers (1961) and four different roles on Doctor Who (1963). Into the 1970s and the guest appearances kept coming, including comedies such as Dad's Army (1968) (as a U-Boat captain in one of the most famous scenes on British TV) and The Good Life (1975). Although widely respected as a versatile actor adept at accents, Madoc never really became a star until 1981, when he portrayed former British prime minister David Lloyd George on an acclaimed television series, The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (1981). Madoc has not been short of work for the last 40 years, a rare accomplishment for an actor, and has worked on films, radio and on the stage as well as his prolific television career. Madoc died of cancer in 2012.Doctor Solon
(The Brain of Morbius)- A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, Beckley appeared in BBC TV's "Romeo and Juliet", and later in "War and Peace" and "Julius Caesar." On stage, he appeared with Maggie Smith in "Snap" and Elaine Stritch in Tennessee Williams' "Small Craft Warnings." A veteran actor of over 1000 stage productions and television shows in England, Beckley's last film role was as the killer in When a Stranger Calls (1979).Harrison Chase
(The Seeds of Doom) - Gabriel Woolf was born on 2 October 1932 in England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Knights of the Round Table (1953), Rob Roy (1961) and Look and Read (1967). He has been married to Felicity Lott since 1984. They have one child.Sutekh
(Pyramids of Mars) - Michael Sheard was born on 18 June 1938 in Aberdeen, Grampian, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), The Outsider (1983) and Mind Your Language (1977). He was married to Rosalind Allaway. He died on 31 August 2005 in Newport, Isle of Wight, England, UK.Laurence Scarman
(Pyramids of Mars) - Michael Spice was born on 20 May 1931 in Croydon, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Hamlet (1961), Doctor Who (1963) and Six Days of Justice (1972). He was married to Polly Murch. He died on 2 November 1983 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, UK.Voice of Morbius
(The Brain of Morbius) - Ian Marter left university in 1969 and joined the Bristol Old Vic as an acting stage manager. In 1970, producer Barry Letts considered him for the role of Captain Mike Yates in Terror of the Autons: Episode One (1971), but it ultimately went to Richard Franklin. However, Letts remembered him and two years later cast him as John Andrews in Carnival of Monsters: Episode One (1973).
When Jon Pertwee decided to leave the series during the following year, Letts considered casting an older actor in the part of the Doctor. This meant that any physical action sequences might have to be performed by a younger actor (in the role of a companion to the Doctor) and Marter was thus cast as Surgeon Lieutenant Harry Sullivan. When 40-year-old Tom Baker landed the role of the Doctor, Marter became surplus to requirements and was written out in Baker's second season by the new production team of Philip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes, who felt the Doctor only needed one companion.
Marter spent much of the rest of his life novelising Doctor Who (1963) stories for Target Books. He died suddenly and prematurely in 1986.Harry Sullivan
(Terror of the Zygons/The Android Invasion) - Nicholas Courtney was born in Egypt, the son of a British diplomat. His early years were spent in Kenya and France and he was called up for National Service at the age of 18. After 18 months of duty in the British forces, Courtney joined the Webber Douglas drama school. He spent two years there and then did repertory theatre in Northampton. His next move was to London.
During the 1960s, he played some roles in popular TV series. In 1965, he made an appearance on Doctor Who (1963), during the tenure of William Hartnell. The director, Douglas Camfield, remembered him and, in 1967, cast him as "Captain Knight" in "Doctor Who" episode "The Web of Fear". He took the part of "Lethbridge-Stewart", which was to become his most famous role, when the actor originally cast in the part had to drop out. At this time, Patrick Troughton was the star of the series.
Shortly after this, Courtney was offered the chance to play the role regularly and accepted. This guaranteed him work until 1975, when the character was written out of the series. He became a good friend of Jon Pertwee during his time on the programme, and returned in 1983, 1988 and 1989. His other television work has included a comedy with Frankie Howerd. Courtney has maintained a close association with "Doctor Who", narrating the documentary Doctor Who: Thirty Years in the TARDIS (1993) and attending conventions and appearing in spin-offs.Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
(Terror of the Zygons) - John Levene (real name John Anthony Woods) left home at the age of 21 and travelled to London. He was working in a men's clothing store when he met Telly Savalas (who was making the film "The Dirty Dozen") and he was inspired to become an actor. He joined an agency which provided walk-on actors. He had to change his name because every variation on it was being used by a member of the British actor's union, Equity.
His physical stature at 6' 2" earned him the non-speaking role of a Cyberman in The Invasion: Episode One (1968), but director Douglas Camfield gave him the role of Corporal Benton when the actor originally cast in the part was sacked. This was to become his best-known role and he played the part of Benton regularly in the series until 1975, when he was written out. In 1977, Levene quit acting and in the 1980s he moved to the USA.RSM Benton
(Terror of the Zygons/The Android Invasion)) - John Woodnutt was a serious, gaunt-faced character actor with extensive stage experience. He made his professional acting debut at the Oxford Playhouse at the age of 18. He also performed Shakespearean roles at the Open Air Theatre at London's Regent's Park. He had a long string of television credits to his name, most often in coldly authoritarian, military or aristocratic roles. Early in his career, he appeared in adventure serials and swashbucklers for BBC television. A versatile actor who was willing to appear under monster makeup and rubber suits, he was later seen in four different installments of Doctor Who (1963) between 1970 and 1981 opposite Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.Duke of Forgill/Broton
(Terror of the Zygons) - Tall, incisive, aquiline-featured British character actor. Born in Fulham, London, Archard won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1938. The following year, he made his stage debut opposite Jessica Tandy in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, at the Regent's Park Theatre. A conscientious objector during the war, Archard made the rounds of repertory theatre for several years, with intermittent periods of unemployment. In 1959, he decided to emigrate to Canada for a fresh start. Having already booked his passage, he suddenly received several offers to appear in television dramas. The resulting body of work led to an audition with writer/producer Elwyn Jones for the central role in the projected BBC series Spy-Catcher (1959).
For four seasons (24 episodes), Archard played the role of the real life Lt.Col. Oreste Pinto, who used psychology and guile to unmask foreign spies entering Britain during the Second World War. With the part came recognition and a steady stream of work. Ironically, given his pacifist disposition, Archard was frequently cast as military men or police officers. He performed these to perfection, with his trademark authoritative bearing and icy delivery. He was equally effective as a vicar in Village of the Damned (1960), and a Soviet intelligence operative in The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966). On television, he had a recurring role in Z Cars (1962) and played the ill-fated Egyptologist Marcus Scarman in Doctor Who (1963), 'The Pyramids of Mars'. A frequent face in horror movies, he essayed the vampire hunter Van Helsing in the 'Dracula' instalment of the anthology series Mystery and Imagination (1966). He was also somewhat memorable as Major General Fullard in the film version of Dad's Army (1971), in which he contemptuously referred to Captain Mainwaring as "a damn bank clerk".
On stage he was seen in Terence Rattigan's 'Cause Celebre' at the West End (1977) and in Peter O'Tooles ill-received 'Macbeth' at the Old Vic in 1980. Bernard Archard retired to his home in Somerset after his character in Emmerdale Farm (1972) was killed off. He died in May 2008 at the ripe old age of 91.Marcus Scarman
(Pyramids of Mars) - Ewen Solon was born on 7 September 1917 in Auckland, New Zealand. He was an actor, known for The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), The Message (1976) and The Message (1976). He was married to Vicki Woolf. He died on 7 July 1985 in Addlestone, Surrey, England, UK.Vishinsky
(Planet of Evil) - Peter Mayock was born on 31 May 1940. He was an actor, known for Doctor Who (1963), Emmerdale Farm (1972) and The Face of Fu Manchu (1965). He died in December 1998.Namin
(Pyramids of Mars) - Actress
- Music Department
Gillian Brown is known for Doctor Who (1963), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1978) and ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969).Ohica
(The Brain of Morbius)- Michael Wisher was born on 19 May 1935 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Doctor Who (1963), The Airzone Solution (1993) and The Newcomers (1965). He died on 21 July 1995 in Dacorum, Hertfordshire, England, UK.Morelli
(Planet of Evil) - Graham Weston was born on 10 September 1944 in Birmingham, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Ivanhoe (1970), Doctor Who (1963) and United! (1965). He was previously married to Pamela Greenall.De Haan
(Planet of Evil) - Sylvia Coleridge was born on 10 December 1909 in Darjeeling, India. She was an actress, known for Tess (1979), Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House (1985) and Pride and Prejudice (1967). She was married to Albert George Fiddes Watt. She died on 31 May 1986 in London, England, UK.Amelia Ducat
(The Seeds of Doom) - Actor
- Soundtrack
Michael Barrington (3 July 1924 - 5 June 1988) was a British actor best known for his television work. His best-remembered role is as the ineffectual Governor Venables in the popular sitcom Porridge, which featured Ronnie Barker in the lead role.
Born in Middlesex, England, both his parents died when he was 16. His plans to train as a veterinarian were interrupted by Second World War service in a munitions factory and the Royal Engineers. After the war he decided to become an actor and trained at the Birmingham School of Drama. He then appeared in repertory theatres and at the Vaudeville Theatre in Salad Days.
In addition to Porridge Barrington also appeared in Z Cars (1962), The Avengers, Private Schulz, Adam Adamant Lives!, and in the Doctor Who story The Seeds of Doom, as Sir Colin Thackeray. He was cast as Sir Robert Peel in the 1975 English miniseries King Edward VII.
He was married to actress Barbara New until his death from a heart attack on 5 June 1988, aged 63 in London, following many years of ill health due to lung disease. He was buried in the East London Cemetery and Crematorium.Sir Colin Thackeray
(The Seeds of Doom)- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Challis is an accomplished character actor, personality and raconteur whose wide-ranging career has gone from classical roles on the stage to heavies in television drama, a multitude of policemen, sitcom stardom, pantomime performances and even a one-man show.
He wanted to act from a young age but was encouraged to get a "proper" job, so he worked as a trainee estate agent for a short time. He also had a job delivering groceries. He got into acting through a travelling children's theatre and never attended drama school. Performances in regional repertory theatre followed. He ended up in the Royal Shakespeare Company during the 1960s and made his television debut in The Newcomers (1965). His imposing physical stature helped him gain roles as police officers in Softly Softly (1966) and Crown Court (1972). He was also cast in a recurring role in the BBC's long-running police drama Z Cars (1962) as Sergeant Culshaw. He then played heavies in The Sweeney (1975) and Doctor Who (1963) (both for director Douglas Camfield, who would also later cast him in Beau Geste (1982)).
He worked with David Jason for the first time in the sitcom Open All Hours (1976). In 1980, he landed a guest role (as another policeman) in Citizen Smith (1977). His performance impressed the writer, John Sullivan, so much that he promised he would find another part for him. This led to him being cast as Boycie, the second-hand car salesman, in the first series of Only Fools and Horses (1981). It would go on to become one of the longest-running and most popular sitcoms of all time and Challis would be a regular in it. In 2005, Challis began starring in a spin-off, The Green Green Grass (2005). In 2011, he released his autobiography, "Being Boycie", which was followed by "Boycie & Beyond" in 2012. These led to Challis entertaining audiences by touring a one-man show, "Only Fools and Boycie".Scorby
(The Seeds of Doom)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Angus Lennie was born on 18 April 1930 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for The Great Escape (1963), Doctor Who (1963) and Para Handy - Master Mariner (1959). He died on 14 September 2014 in Acton, London, England, UK.Angus
(Terror of the Zygons)- Mark Jones was born on 22 April 1939 in the UK. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Under Milk Wood (1971) and Doctor Who (1963). He died on 14 January 2010 in Shropshire, England, UK.Arnold Keeler/Krynoid Voice
(The Seeds of Doom) - Cynthia Grenville was born on 7 April 1931 in Gower, Glamorgan, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for Ivanhoe (1997), Doctor Who (1963) and Within These Walls (1974). She died on 21 November 2021 in Surbiton, Greater London, England, UK.Maren
(The Brain of Morbius) - Actor
- Soundtrack
Michael Bilton (14 December 1919 - 5 November 1993) was an English actor best known for his roles in the British television sitcoms To the Manor Born (playing the gardener and sometime butler Ned) and Waiting for God (playing Basil, a septuagenarian satyr).
He attended Hymers College, Hull. In the Second World War he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and was wounded at the Battle of El Alamein. After his recovery he began his acting career in repertory theatre.
He had a strong comedic bent and featured in Keeping Up Appearances, One Foot in the Grave and Grace and Favour (1992). He also appeared in Pennies From Heaven, The Saint, The Avengers, The Prisoner, Quatermass II and The Champions, He also appeared as the doorman at a hotel in Terry and June. He also featured in the Doctor Who stories The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve, Pyramids of Mars and The Deadly Assassin. He also appeared as the butler Stevens in "The Adventure of Shoscombe Olde Place" episode of The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes; also notable in the cast was Jude Law as an aspiring jockey. Bilton's film appearances included A Taste of Honey (1961), The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) and The Fourth Protocol (1987), as Kim Philby.
But his most successful television work was as the woman-chasing Basil in three series of Waiting for God, the sitcom set in a retirement home, and as the gardener in a Yellow Pages commercial, going about his tasks with a battered lawn-mower and being called over by his employers to be told of its new replacement just when he thought he himself was about to be pensioned off.
Bilton died on 5 November 1993 in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, aged 73.Collins
(Pyramids of Mars)- Martin Friend was born in 1931 in Bethnal Green, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Doctor Who (1963), The Prince and the Pauper (1976) and Curtain of Fear (1964). He was married to Margaret Hunt. He died on 14 March 2014 in Golders Green, London, England, UK.Styggron
(The Android Invasion)