Jon Pertwee
Jon Pertwee | |
|---|---|
| File:Pertweejon.jpg Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor | |
| Born | John Devon Roland Pertwee |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
John Devon Roland Pertwee (7 July, 1919 – 20 May, 1996), better known as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, where he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge. He also hosted the murder mystery quiz programme Whodunnit! between 1974 and 1978 for Thames Television. Pertwee also voiced the character of "Spotty" in the 1980s cartoon series SuperTed.
Biography
Early life
Born in Chelsea, London, the son of Roland Pertwee, a noted screenwriter and actor of the 1910s-1950s, Pertwee was educated at Frensham Heights School, an independent school in Rowledge, near Farnham in Surrey, and at some other schools from which he was expelled. After school, he went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), from which he was also expelled after he refused to play the small part of a wind in a Greek play.
Pertwee was an officer in the Royal Navy, spending some time working in naval intelligence during the Second World War. He was a crew member of HMS Hood and was transferred off the ship shortly before it was sunk, losing all but three men. He was married twice, first to Jean Marsh (1955–1960), whom he divorced, and then, on August 13, 1960, to Ingeborg Rhoesa, by whom he had two children, Sean and Dariel. He was a cousin of actor Bill Pertwee who played Chief Warden Hodges in the comedy Dad's Army.
Doctor Who (1970-1974)
Pertwee was also a comic actor, with roles such as the conniving Chief Petty Officer Pertwee in The Navy Lark on BBC Radio and in another radio comedy series Waterlogged Spa. He also played the part of Lycus in the 1963 London stage production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Frankie Howerd and appeared in the smaller role of Crassus in the 1966 film version. He appeared in four Carry On films: Carry On Cleo (1964), Carry On Screaming (1966), Carry On Cowboy (1965) and Carry On Columbus (1992). He also guest starred as a Vicar in The Goodies' episode "Wacky Wales".
In 1969 he was selected by producer Peter Bryant to take over as the Doctor from Patrick Troughton in the cult series Doctor Who. In a departure from the Doctor's first two incarnations, Pertwee played the character as an interplanetary crusader with a penchant for action. He played the Doctor for five seasons from 1970 to 1974, at the time the longest stint of any of the actors who played the part (surpassing predecessors William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton's three years in the role; his successor, Tom Baker would play the Doctor for 7 years from 1974-1981, making him the longest-serving actor in the part on-screen, surpassing Pertwee's five year stint). In early 1974, Pertwee announced he would step down as the Doctor in order to resume his stage career in ‘The Breadwinner.' His final appearance in the series was in the story The Planet of the Spiders in June 1974.
On 14 April 1971, Pertwee was the subject of Thames Television's This Is Your Life which featured the first television appearance of his son Sean Pertwee, who went on to become an actor.
In 1972, he released a vocal version of the Doctor Who theme music entitled "Who is the Doctor", [1] and in 1980 he released a single based on Worzel Gummidge entitled "Worzel's Song" from the album "Worzel Gummidge Sings" [2].
Later life
He returned to the role of the Doctor in the 1983 20th-Anniversary television movie The Five Doctors and in the 1993 charity special Dimensions in Time. During the 1990s, he made a guest appearance in the "Lords and Ladies" episode of the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Harry Hill's Fruit Corner, playing a Time Lord and also spoofed the role in the Radio 4 comedy The Skivers.
Pertwee would continue to act in films and television as well as make appearances world-wide in support of Doctor Who. Eventually, he became more aggressive in boosting projects that he favoured. [citation needed]
Ultimately, Pertwee was successful in seeing the Third Doctor return to the airwaves with two audio productions for BBC Radio, The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts of N-Space. Following its British cancellation, Worzel Gummidge was eventually picked up for production on New Zealand television in the late 1980s after much campaigning by Pertwee.
Death and Legacy
Pertwee continued on the convention circuit and with his voice and television acting until his death, aged 76, from a heart attack whilst on holiday in Connecticut on 20 May, 1996 (some reports, however, place the location of his death in New York).
He died only days after the American broadcast of the Doctor Who television movie which used in its opening credits a logo based on the one from his era of the television series. The BBC broadcast of the television movie featured a dedication to Pertwee at its end.
His last association with the series was posthumous. With the approval of his widow, Ingeborg, his voice was utilised as part of the plot of the Big Finish Productions 40th-Anniversary Doctor Who audio drama, Zagreus. Pertwee's voice was culled from a fan-produced Doctor Who film Devious, portions of which were recorded prior to his death.
Pertwee wrote two autobiographies: Moon Boots and Dinner Suits (published in 1984), which primarily covers his life and career prior to Doctor Who and the posthumously published Doctor Who: I Am the Doctor - Jon Pertwee’s Final Memoir (published in 1996 by Virgin Publishing Ltd and co-written with David J. Howe) which covered his life during and after the series. In 2000, a biography about Pertwee's life was written. Jon Pertwee: The Biography (ISBN 0-233-99831-4) was published by Andre Deutsch Ltd and written by Bernard Bale. This biography was done with approval from Jon's widow, Ingeborg, who herself also wrote a few chapters of her past with Jon in the book.