William Hartnell
(1908-1975) - the first Doctor Who
2013 will see the
fiftieth anniversary of the popular television series, Doctor Who.
Although the Timelord is believed to be somewhere between 900 and
1,200 years old, he was introduced to the British public fifty years
ago, on 23 November 1963. The first Dr Who was William Hartnell, who
died in 1978 and is found in the database amongst the records of the
Kent and Sussex Crematorium.
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| William Hartnell playing his most famous role of Doctor Who | (c) Wikimedia Commons |
Deceased Online holds
around 95,000 cremation records for the crematorium, most of which
are scans of the registers dating from 1958 to 1995. More recent
records are available fully computerised. Other Kent records on the
database include the burial registers of Tunbridge Wells and
Southborough cemeteries.
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| The gardens at Kent and Sussex Crematorium (c) www2.tunbridgewells.gov.uk |
William Henry Hartnell
was born in the Bloomsbury area of London on 8 January 1908. His
mother, Lucy Hartnell, was unmarried and worked as a commercial
clerk, often sending the young 'Billy' to rural Devon to stay with
her family. Hartnell disliked school, but after leaving joined a
boxing club where he met Hugh Blaker, an art collector. A passionate
theatregoer, Blaker helped Hartnell to gain a place at the Italia
Conti Stage School, where the young Billy trained to be an actor.
Originally a theatre
actor under the name of 'Billy Hartnell', he appeared in his first
film, School for Scandal, in
1930. He became a leading actor in 1944 (Carol Reed's The
Way Ahead) after serving in the
tanks corps during the Second World War. Hartnell's film career
developed over the next twenty years, culminating in one of his most
celebrated roles, that of of Johnson, an old rugby league talent
scout, in This Sporting Life (1963).
Verity
Lambert, a BBC producer, spotted Hartnell in this film and offered
him the title role of a new children's television series - Doctor
Who. Initially reluctant to
accept the role, Hartnell grew to love the character, and the respect
it brought him from his grandchildren. In 1966, ill health and
conflicts with a new producer led Hartnell to leave the programme,
where he was replaced by Patrick Troughton.
Hartnell
continued to act in theatre, film and television despite declining
health. In 1973 he filmed a tenth anniversary episode, 'The Three
Doctors', for Doctor Who,
but was admitted to hospital the following year. William Henry
Hartnell died on 23 April 1975 at Coxheath, near Maidstone. He was
cremated five days later in Tunbridge Wells.
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| Entry for William Henry Hartnell in the register of the Kent and Sussex Crematorium as digitized on Deceased Online |
Sources:
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
(OUP, 2004-13): "Hartnell, William Henry (1908-1975), actor"
by Robert Sharp
RIP Mr Hartnell, you were a fine actor. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what his family did with his ashes.
DeleteHave you seen his grave do you have a picture?
ReplyDeleteNo one knows. His ashes were either
DeleteA. Interred in the gardens without a marker,
B. Ashes scattered either in the gardens or elsewhere,
C. Ashes given to family for private holding.