Nicholas Courtney (original) (raw)
Nicholas Courtney(1929-2011)
- Actor
Nicholas Courtney was born in Egypt, the son of a British diplomat. His early years were spent in Kenya and France and he was called up for National Service at the age of 18. After 18 months of duty in the British forces, Courtney joined the Webber Douglas drama school. He spent two years there and then did repertory theatre in Northampton. His next move was to London.
During the 1960s, he played some roles in popular TV series. In 1965, he made an appearance onDoctor Who (1963), during the tenure of William Hartnell. The director, Douglas Camfield, remembered him and, in 1967, cast him as "Captain Knight" in "Doctor Who" episode "The Web of Fear". He took the part of "Lethbridge-Stewart", which was to become his most famous role, when the actor originally cast in the part had to drop out. At this time,Patrick Troughton was the star of the series.
Shortly after this, Courtney was offered the chance to play the role regularly and accepted. This guaranteed him work until 1975, when the character was written out of the series. He became a good friend ofJon Pertwee during his time on the programme, and returned in 1983, 1988 and 1989. His other television work has included a comedy withFrankie Howerd. Courtney has maintained a close association with "Doctor Who", narrating the documentaryDoctor Who: Thirty Years in the TARDIS (1993)and attending conventions and appearing in spin-offs.