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Tom Baker(I)

  • Actor
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
British actor Tom Baker in his best-known role as Dr Who, between two of his arch enemies, the Daleks at BBC TV Centre, London, 1974.
A parody celebrating over 50 years of Doctor Who, that pokes light-hearted fun at some of the most charming tropes in Doctor Who; with cameo appearances from over 25 Doctor Who actors representing every era of The Doctor from the First to Thirteenth Doctors.
Play trailer1:44
Surge of Power: Doctor Who Tribute (2020)
32 Videos
88 Photos
One of Britain's most recognizable (and most larger-than-life) character actors, Tom Baker is best known for his record-setting seven-year stint as the Fourth Doctor in Doctor Who (1963). He was born in 1934 in Liverpool, to Mary Jane (Fleming) and John Stewart Baker. His father was of English and Scottish descent, while his mother's family was originally from Ireland. Tom, along with his younger sister, Lulu, and younger brother, John, was raised in a poor Catholic community by his mother, a house-cleaner and barmaid, who was a devout Catholic, and his father, a sailor, who was rarely at home.

At age fifteen, Baker left school to become a monk with the Brothers of Ploermel on the island of Jersey. Six years later, he abandoned the monastic life and performed his National Service in the Royal Army Medical Corps., where he became interested in acting. Baker then served on the Queen Mary for seven months as a sailor in the Merchant Navy before attending Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in Kent, England, on scholarship.

Baker acted in repertory theaters around Britain until the late 1960s when he joined up with the National Theatre, where he performed with such respected actors as Maggie Smith, Anthony Hopkins and Laurence Olivier, who helped him get his first prominent film role as Rasputin in Nicholas and Alexandra (1971). His performance in this film earned him two Golden Globe Award nominations, one for best actor in a supporting role and another for best new star of the year. A couple of years earlier, Baker had made his theatrical film debut in The Winter's Tale (1967).

Despite appearances in a spate of films, including The Canterbury Tales (1972), The Vault of Horror (1973), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) and The Mutations (1974), Baker found himself in a career lull and working as a labourer at a building site. However, the BBC's Head of Serials, William Slater, who had directed Baker in BBC Play of the Month (1965), recommended him to producer Barry Letts, who was looking for a replacement for Jon Pertwee as the Fourth Doctor in Doctor Who (1963). Baker's performance in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) convinced Letts that he was right for it. It brought Baker international fame and popularity. He played the role for seven years, longer than any actor before or since.

After leaving Doctor Who (1963) in 1981, Baker returned to theatre and made occasional television and film appearances, playing Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982), Puddleglum in The Chronicles of Narnia story The Silver Chair (1990) and Hallvarth, Clan Leader of the Hunter Elves, in Dungeons & Dragons (2000).
BornJanuary 20, 1934
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    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJanuary 20, 1934
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations total

    Photos88

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    Known for

    Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)
    Doctor Who
    8.4
    TV Series
    • Doctor Who
    Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
    Nicholas and Alexandra
    7.2
    • Rasputin
    • 1971
    John Phillip Law and Caroline Munro in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
    The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
    6.8
    • Koura
    • 1973
    Doctor Who: Shada (1992)
    Doctor Who: Shada
    7.5
    Video
    • Doctor Who
    • Narrator
    • 1992

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actor



    • Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures
      • The Doctor (voice)
      • Released
      • Podcast Series
      • 2025
    • Blending In
      • Narrator
      • Post-production
      • Short



    • Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures (2012)
      Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures
      9.0
      Podcast Series
      • The Doctor (voice)
      • 2012–2025
    • Doctor Who: Classic Doctors New Monsters (2016)
      Doctor Who: Classic Doctors New Monsters
      8.1
      Podcast Series
      • The Doctor (voice)
      • 2017–2025
    • Dark Gallifrey (2024)
      Dark Gallifrey
      6.0
      Podcast Series
      • The Doctor (voice)
      • 2024
    • The Paternoster Gang (2019)
      The Paternoster Gang
      9.0
      Podcast Series
      • The Doctor (voice)
      • 2024
    • inVERSE (2021)
      inVERSE
      TV Mini Series
      • Narrator
      • 2023
    • Doctor Who: Once and Future (2023)
      Doctor Who: Once and Future
      6.7
      Podcast Series
      • The Doctor (voice)
      • 2023
    • Doctor Who: The Lost Stories (2009)
      Doctor Who: The Lost Stories
      7.9
      Podcast Series
      • The Doctor (voice)
      • 2011–2023
    • The Eighth of March (2019)
      The Eighth of March
      5.3
      Podcast Series
      • The Doctor (voice)
      • 2023
    • Doctor Who Unbound (2003)
      Doctor Who Unbound
      8.9
      TV Series
      • The Doctor (voice)
      • 2022
    • UNIT: The New Series (2015)
      UNIT: The New Series
      7.2
      Podcast Series
      • The Curator (voice)
      • 2021
    • Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents (2014)
      Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents
      Podcast Series
      • The Doctor (voice)
      • 2014–2021
    • Paul McGann and Hattie Morahan in Doctor Who: Stranded (2020)
      Doctor Who: Stranded
      6.7
      Podcast Series
      • The Curator (voice)
      • 2020–2021
    • Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious (2020)
      Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious
      Podcast Series
      • The Doctor (voice)
      • 2020
    • Surge of Power: Doctor Who Tribute (2020)
      Surge of Power: Doctor Who Tribute
      6.5
      • Omen
      • 2020
    • Ayreon: Transitus
      Video
      • The Storyteller (voice)
      • 2020

    Writer



    • Doctor Who: Target Novelisation Audiobooks (2005)
      Doctor Who: Target Novelisation Audiobooks
      Podcast Series
      • co-writer
      • 2019
    • Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)
      Doctor Who
      8.4
      TV Series
      • additional material (uncredited)
      • 1976

    Videos32

    Doctor Who: Season Seven
    Clip 1:27
    Doctor Who: Season Seven
    Dr. Who: Remembrance of the Daleks
    Clip 3:24
    Dr. Who: Remembrance of the Daleks
    Dr. Who: Remembrance of the Daleks
    Clip 3:24
    Dr. Who: Remembrance of the Daleks
    Trailer
    Trailer 1:44
    Trailer
    Trailer
    Trailer 1:51
    Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:18
    Official Trailer
    Lego Dimensions - Doctor Who
    Trailer 1:47
    Lego Dimensions - Doctor Who

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Official site
      • Official Site
    • Height
      • 6′ 3″ (1.91 m)
    • Born
      • January 20, 1934
      • Liverpool, England, UK
    • Spouses
        Sue Jerrard BakerApril 1, 1986 - present
    • Parents
        John Stewart Baker
    • Other works
      Voiced a trailer for Enemy Mine (1985).
    • Publicity listings
      • 2 Biographical Movies
      • 1 Print Biography
      • 2 Portrayals
      • 8 Interviews
      • 4 Articles
      • 5 Magazine Cover Photos

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      He is the longest-serving actor to have portrayed the Doctor in Doctor Who (1963), having played the role for seven seasons from 1974 to 1981, a total of 172 episodes. In second place is his immediate predecessor, Jon Pertwee, who played the Third Doctor for five seasons from 1970 to 1974.
    • Quotes
      I wasn't interested in novelty. I was looking for good drama.
    • Trademarks
        His curly hair

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