William Henry Hartnell (January 8, 1908 - April 23, 1975) was the first actor to play the lead role of The Doctor in the long-running BBC television series Doctor Who. Before playing this he played mainly tough role parts. He was a tough person to work with, according to the documentation about him. His poor health forced him to leave the role in 1966, and he reprised the role in the 1973 story 'The Three Doctors'.
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