Patrick Troughton

Birthday: 25 March 1920, Mill Hill, London, England, UK

Birth Name: Patrick George Troughton

Height: 173 cm

Patrick Troughton was born in Mill Hill, London and was educated at Mill Hill School. He trained as an actor at the Embassy School of Acting in the UK and at Leighton Rollin's Studio for for Actors at Long Island, New York in the USA. During World War II he served in the Royal Navy and after the war ended he joined the Old Vic and became a Shakespearean actor. He won his most famous role as the second Doctor in Doctor Who (1963), in 1966 and played the role for three years. His hobbies included golf, sailing and fishing. He was a father of six (David, Jane, Joanna, Mark, Michael and Peter), a stepfather to Gill and Graham and a grandfather to Harry Melling, Jamie and Sam Troughton. Show less «

I'm ready to play anything.

If I had not been an actor I would quite like to have been a teacher. Children keep one young.

I've played so many different parts in the last 40 years.

[on Doctor Who (1963)] I believed totally in the possibilities implied in the series. I never though...Show more »

[on Doctor Who (1963)] I believed totally in the possibilities implied in the series. I never thought of it as fantasy. Far from it. Show less «

[on playing the Doctor] It was the happiest time of my professional life.

I've done a lot of swashbuckling in my time - ever since Joy Harington gave me my first real televis...Show more »

I've done a lot of swashbuckling in my time - ever since Joy Harington gave me my first real television chance in Kidnapped (1956). Show less «

How did I feel about taking on the role? To begin with, I thought it would last about six weeks afte...Show more »

How did I feel about taking on the role? To begin with, I thought it would last about six weeks after Billy Hartnell [William Hartnell] had finished. My children and I had been fans of the programme and I loved the way he had played the Doctor. But I knew I couldn't possibly do it like that. Show less «

[on his versatile reputation] I just take what part comes along. It's like a great big lucky dip, it...Show more »

[on his versatile reputation] I just take what part comes along. It's like a great big lucky dip, it's lovely. Different people see me as different things. Show less «

I have been asked what impact the part of the Doctor had on my career and I can honestly say none. F...Show more »

I have been asked what impact the part of the Doctor had on my career and I can honestly say none. For luckily I got out in time before I was too typecast. Show less «

It seems so long ago that I played the part of the Doctor.

I think space will be conquered through the mind rather than the clumsy medium of space travel.

[on playing the Doctor] I had a Whale of a time!

If, as a character actor, you go around promoting your own personality, you're defeating the very th...Show more »

If, as a character actor, you go around promoting your own personality, you're defeating the very thing you're trying to achieve as an actor, which is to be anonymous as a person and only emerge as somebody else on screen. That's the main reason I've stayed away from interviews. It's like a conjurer telling you how he does his tricks all the time. Show less «

I think acting is magic. If I tell you all about myself it will spoil it

When I finished in the role I was fairly young and I had to get back to the variety of roles which I...Show more »

When I finished in the role I was fairly young and I had to get back to the variety of roles which I had been doing. Otherwise, if you stay too long you come into a play and everyone says, 'Oh, it's Doctor Who!' And that's no good. You must try and get them to forget -- hoodwink them into forgetting. Show less «

Doctor Who (1963) gave me a chance to indulge my passion for dressing up and being able to have some...Show more »

Doctor Who (1963) gave me a chance to indulge my passion for dressing up and being able to have some sly fun as well as a bit of clowning. Show less «