William Russell (actor)
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Its only attribution is to IMDb, which may not be a reliable source for biographical information. Please help by adding additional, reliable sources for verification. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2010) |
| William Russell | |
|---|---|
 William Russell celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Doctor Who, BAFTA London, 1998 |
|
| Born | William Russell Enoch 19 November 1924 Sunderland, County Durham, England |
| Spouse | Etheline Margareth Lewis Enoch (divorced) Balbina Gutierrez (divorced) |
| Children | 3 children; 1 son |
William Russell (born William Russell Enoch;[1] 19 November 1924) is an English actor, mainly known for his television work. He was born in Sunderland, County Durham.
Contents |
[edit] Doctor Who
His big break was the title role in The Adventures of Sir Lancelot on ITV in 1956, which for sale to the NBC network in the U.S. became the first UK television series to be shot in colour. Following this, he won a role in Doctor Who as one of the Doctor's companions, science teacher Ian Chesterton, appearing in most episodes of the first two seasons of the programme.
Russell was one of the four original cast members of Doctor Who in 1963, starring opposite William Hartnell as the Doctor, Jacqueline Hill as Barbara Wright, Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman and later Maureen O'Brien as Vicki. His first involvement in the series took the form of the untransmitted pilot episode, which was eventually reshot and aired as "An Unearthly Child". He eventually departed, alongside Hill, in the penultimate story of the second season, The Chase.
Four decades on from his first appearance, Russell continues his involvement with Doctor Who, having lent his voice as a narrator to several of the audio book releases of the 'lost' 1960s episodes. He has also appeared in The Game, one of the continuing Doctor Who audio stories produced by Big Finish. More recently, Russell has recorded readings of some of the Target Novelisations of Doctor Who episodes, also for CD release.
In the late 1990s Russell returned to the role of Ian for the VHS release of the story The Crusade, of which episodes two and four are currently lost. He recorded several in-character scenes to camera, which helped to bridge the gap between the existing episodes.
Russell has also contributed to the Doctor Who DVD range, having participated in several audio commentaries and on-screen interviews since 2002. In February 2012, he appeared at the Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles, his second-ever US event following one in Chicago in 1993.
[edit] Movies
Russell appeared in British films from 1950 onwards, appearing in well-known productions such as They Who Dare (1954), One Good Turn (1955), The Man Who Never Was (1956) and The Great Escape (1963). He also later had a minor role in Superman: The Movie (1978) and Death Watch with Harvey Keitel and Harry Dean Stanton (1979).
[edit] Theatre
He has played a number of roles in theatre with The Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre and the opening season of The Globe Theatre.
[edit] Television
On television he acted in many plays and series including Disraeli, Testament of Youth and the part of Ted Sullivan, the short-lived second husband of Rita Sullivan in Coronation Street. (Ted already had a terminal illness when he married Rita in 1992, and died peacefully while watching a bowls match). He also had a small part in an episode of the The Black Adder, as a late replacement for Wilfrid Brambell, who had become impatient with delays to his scene and left the set before shooting it.
In the 1980s, while being in the Actors Touring Company he used the name of Russell Enoch, professionally. However, when he left the Company he reverted to William Russell.
He continued to act in other roles on stage and television, the last being as the character of Lanscombe in an episode of the 2005 series of Agatha Christie's Poirot ("After the Funeral").
[edit] Family
From his first marriage to French actress Etheline Margareth Lewis Enoch, he has three children, Vanessa, Laetitia and Robert, and three grandchildren, Elise, Amy and James. Alfred Enoch, his son from his second marriage to Brazilian physician Balbina Gutierrez, played Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter films.
[edit] References
- ^ Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.; at ancestry.com
