William Hartnell, 1908-1975, was the first, and some may argue, the best incarnation of Doctor Who. Hartnell played the role of The Doctor for a total of 134 episodes from 1963-66.
After considering several other British actors to play the role, Verity Lambert, the producer of the new show, settled on actor William Hartnell for the role. Lambert saw in Hartenll's extensive body of work his ability to play the gruff, hard-hearted military man. But it was Hartnell's portrayal of the character 'Dad' in the film This Sporting Life, which caught Lambert's attention. In this character Lambert saw Hartnell's dramatic range and on-screen vulnerability, and immediately envisaged him as the Doctor. It took both herself and Waris Hussein, the director of the first Doctor Who story, to convince Hartnell to play the role. In later years, Hartnell stated that he took this role to get away from the typecast gruff, military man roles.
