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William Hartnell, the only child of a dairy farmer, was born on January 8, 1908 in the village of Seaton in Devon, England .  In 1924, at the age of 16 he left for the high life of London. 

After an early career that included a brief stint as an apprentice jockey to trainer Stanley Wooton and a period as a flyweight boxer, his love of the theatre and his role model Charlie Chaplin led Hartnell to the stage. 

At age 16, he was adopted by Hugh Blaker, a well-known art connoiseeur, who helped him to get a job with with Sir Frank Benson's Shakespearean Company. He started as a general dogsboy - call-boy, assistant stage manager, property master and assistant lighting director - but was occasionally allowed to play small walk-on parts.

Two years later at the age of 18, he left Sir Frank Benson's group and and for the next six years he toured the country playing in comedies and song-and-dance shows, working for a number of different companies about Britain. He became known as an actor of farce and understudied renowned performers such as Lawrence Grossmith, Ernest Truex, Bud Flanagan and Charles Heslop.

He eventually had a role in Charley's Aunt during the London tour, but left after a short tour in America. After he returned home, he landed the lead role in the comedy short I'm An Explosive.  After a few bit parts he was cast as a villain in the movie Sabotage at Sea. 

Then came World War II.  Bill was drafted into the Tank Corps where he suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be invalided out after 15 months. After leaving the Army he began to rebuild his career.  Ironically, he landed the role of a tough Army Sergeant by the name of Fletcher in the movie The Way Ahead! 

This part led to a succession of similar army roles and  other parts as tough guys, criminals and the occasional detective in over sixty movies including such movies as Brighton Rock - 1947 as Dallow, The Pickwick Papers - 1954, Privates Progress - 1955, Hell Drivers - 1958 as Cartley, Carry on Sergeant - 1958 as Sergeant Grimshaw, and The Mouse That Roared - 1959 as Will Buckley.  During this period Bill also played the part of Sergeant Major Bullimore in the long-running TV series The Army Game. 

At the age of 55, Bill landed the role of tough Rugby League football scout Johnson in Lindsay Anderson's 1963 movie Sporting Life.  It was this role that drew the attention of Verity Lambert, producer of the new series Doctor Who, and that led her to offer Bill the lead role. 

He played the part of The Doctor for 3 years and would have liked to continue for as long as the series ran.  However, ill health in the form of multiple sclerosis forced him to retire in 1966.  He moved first to the countryside of Mayfield, Sussex, and later to Marden in Kent, with his wife, former actress Heather McIntyre and daughter Ann. 

He made one final brief appearance as the Doctor in 1973 in the 10th Anniversary episode "The Three Doctors".  Although his medical condition prevented him from appearing live with Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee,  his role was pre-recorded  and linked into the story through a television console. 

William Hartnell died on April 24, 1975, aged sixty-seven.

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