Patrick Troughton

When Peter Davison was announced as the Fifth Doctor in 1980, Troughton advised the 29-year-old actor to limit his time on the series to three years, as he had done himself, in order to avoid being typecast. Davison followed this advice. In March 1987, only weeks before Troughton's death, Davison gave the same advice to Sylvester McCoy, who had been announced that month as the Seventh Doctor.

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He was an excellent swordsman.

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Though he is now fondly remembered for his role as the Second Doctor in Doctor Who (1963), a performance praised or cited as an influence by nearly all of his successors, including Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi, the period when Troughton starred in the series was also the one worst affected by the BBC's wiping policies. Of the 21 serials Troughton appeared in as the Doctor between 1966 and 1969, only seven are known to survive complete. As of 2023, six of Troughton's serials have been partially or fully reconstructed using CGI animation with the existing soundtrack recordings.

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He was the first actor to play the legendary folk hero Robin Hood on television, in Robin Hood (1953). The series aired as six episodes in March and April 1953 and was broadcast live. Coincidentally, his grandson Sam Troughton plays Much, the character's trusted friend and ally, in Robin Hood (2006).

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He received the 1939-45 Star, the Atlantic Star, the Defence Medal, the 1939-45 War Medal and a mention in dispatches for his service during the Second World War.

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Over the course of his life, he worked with every other actor who played the Doctor except Tom Baker.

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The Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, once said he thought Troughton did more to define the Doctor's character than his predecessor William Hartnell.

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He was one of the select few classically trained actors to appear in Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948). The young Troughton also appeared in another acclaimed Olivier production, Richard III (1955).

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He enjoyed reading philosophy and comparative religion.

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In 1948 he made his feature film debut as a shepherd in Escape (1948). One of the film's stars was William Hartnell, his predecessor in the role of the Doctor in Doctor Who (1963). The two had previously appeared together in several plays, one of which had Troughton playing Hartnell's understudy.

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Troughton once claimed that his favourite television role was Daniel Quilp in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic story The Old Curiosity Shop (1962). Like much television of the era, not a single episode survives today.

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From William Hartnell's death on 23 April 1975 until his own death on 28 March 1987, he was the oldest living Doctor. Because he died before Jon Pertwee, who was nine months his senior, he was never the oldest living Doctor.

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He died at the age of 67; his Doctor Who (1963) predecessor William Hartnell was the same age when he died.

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He appeared in two different adaptations of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel "Treasure Island": Treasure Island (1950) and Treasure Island (1977). He played Roach in the first and Israel Hands in the second.

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He appeared alongside Roger Moore in episodes of three different series: Ivanhoe (1958), The Saint (1962) and The Persuaders! (1971).

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He was the father of David Troughton and Michael Troughton and the grandfather of Sam Troughton and Harry Melling. He was also the grandfather of Warwickshire and England cricketer Jim Troughton.

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Despite the fame that came with playing the Doctor, Patrick Troughton always insisted that he was a working actor.

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According to his son Michael Troughton, Troughton was the first English "method" actor to adopt Konstantin Stanislavski's approach in his work.

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He played British Prime Ministers in two separate ITV historical drama series: Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) in Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (1974) and Clement Attlee (1883-1967) in Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978).

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Along with Nicholas Courtney, he is one of two actors who played the same character (the Second Doctor) in Doctor Who (1963) in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

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He had six children: Joanna, Jane, David, Michael, Peter and Mark. His stepchildren were Jill and Graham. His grandchildren included Tierney and Florence Troughton.

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He played Alan Breck in two different adaptations of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novel "Kidnapped": Kidnapped (1952) and Kidnapped (1956).

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While he played Sir James Tyrrell in Richard III (1955), his grandson Sam Troughton played George, Duke of Clarence, in Richard III, Part 1 (2016).

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During the filming of The Viking Queen (1967) in Ireland, in which he played Tristram, he was offered the role of the Second Doctor in Doctor Who (1963).

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Before the Second World War, he trained as an actor at the Embassy School of Acting in London, England, and at the Leighton Rallius Studio for Actors at the John Drew Memorial Theatre in Long Island, New York, in the United States.

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Over the years he appeared in two adaptations of "Hamlet": Hamlet Part 1 (1947) and Hamlet (1948). In the first he played Horatio, and in the second the Player King.

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He once supported the idea that a woman could play the role of the Doctor.

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He was considered for the roles of Dr. Armstrong and Sir Percy Heseltine in Lifeforce (1985). However, Patrick Stewart and Aubrey Morris were cast, respectively.

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His surname, which sometimes causes confusion, is to be pronounced "Trowton".

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When he was offered the role of the Second Doctor, he was filming The Viking Queen (1967) in Ireland.

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