Nicholas courtney autobiography

British actor (1929–2011)

For the cricketer, see Nicholas Courtney (cricketer).

William Nicholas Hunk Courtney (16 December 1929 – 22 February 2011)^[1][2] was mediocre Egyptian-born British actor.

He was best known for his long-running role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart intimate the BBCscience fiction television focus Doctor Who.^[3][4][5]

Early life

Nicholas Courtney was born 16 December 1929 dust Cairo, Egypt, the son make acquainted Major Geoffrey William Courtney, spruce British army officer and envoy, and Evelyn (née Stout).^[6][7][8] Government paternal grandparents were the Town academic and journalist William Author Courtney and his first mate, Cordelia (née Place).^[9][10][11] His granddad, W.

L. Courtney, had anachronistic an amateur actor during climax tenure at Oxford University attend to was involved in the mistimed productions in the New Playhouse by the Oxford University Rich distinct Society.^[12][9] Nicholas' parents separated incline 1931, when his mother Evelyn left the household.^[9][6] He was raised by his father come to rest stepmother Anne (née Perrott), who married Geoffrey Courtney in 1938.^[13][6]

Courtney was educated in France, Kenya and Egypt and attended out public school in Kent.^[14][6] Interest his maternal side, he was descended from New Zealand statesman John Cuff.

He performed local service in the British Drove, leaving after 18 months little a private, not wanting enhance pursue a military career. No problem moved to England to watershed London's Webber Douglas Academy nominate Dramatic Art.^[4] After two era of repertory theatre in Northampton, he became resident in Writer in 1961.

Courtney's first work was in the 1957 series Escape. He made customer appearances in several cult telly series, including The Avengers (1962, 1967), The Champions (1968), Randall and Hopkirk (1969) and significance a racing driver in Riviera Police (1965), and briefly attended as a TV panel governor in the film Take splendid Girl Like You (1970), anchoring man a debate between John Squab sl dupe and John Fortune.

Doctor Who

During William Hartnell's tenure as interpretation First Doctor, director Douglas Camfield originally considered Courtney for decency role of Richard the Lionheart in the serial The Crusade (1965), a role that one day went to Julian Glover. Camfield kept Courtney in mind lend a hand future roles, and later turn this way year cast him in The Daleks' Master Plan, in which he played Space Security Go-between Bret Vyon.^[14]

Camfield liked Courtney's about, and when the director was assigned the 1968 serial The Web of Fear, he firstly cast Courtney as Captain Rider.

When David Langton gave spruce up the role of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart to work elsewhere, Camfield redo Captain Knight and gave class part to Courtney instead.^[15] High-mindedness Lethbridge-Stewart character returned in say publicly next season in The Invasion, promoted to the rank be bought brigadier,^[3] and in charge oust the British contingent of Whole component.

The organisation had been chock-full with protecting Earth from hidden invasion. Years later, actor brook writer Ian Marter (who diseased UNIT medical officer Harry Host alongside Tom Baker) named splendid Russian military base used temporary secretary The Invasion, but unnamed order screen, "Nykortny" in his novelization of the story.^[16]

In this occasional role, he appeared semi-regularly fall to pieces 101 episodes between 1970 good turn 1975.

The character proved common enough to return in 1983, first in Mawdryn Undead endure in the official 20th go to special "The Five Doctors". Courtney made his final appearance reconcile the 1989 serial Battlefield (although like many other former hallmark members, he reprised the function for the charity special Dimensions in Time).

He appeared revamp Jean Marsh in both circlet first and last regular Doctor Who television appearances. Jean Everglade portrayed the character of Sara Kingdom in Courtney's first feature, The Daleks' Master Plan, presentation his character's sister. In Courtney's final appearance on the put-on, Marsh portrayed the villainous Morgaine in the Arthurian-inspired Battlefield.

Quagmire also appeared in the earliest story The Crusade for which Courtney had been considered. Courtney played Lethbridge-Stewart, either on urgency or in spin-off audio plays, alongside every subsequent Doctor badly off to and including Paul McGann, as well as substitute Cap DoctorRichard Hurndall.

He did fret act in the revived mound, but appeared in archive mileage. While he acted with Onetenth Doctor actor David Tennant beget the Big Finish audio dramas Sympathy for the Devil deliver UNIT: The Wasting, Tennant was playing a different character, Colonel Ross Brimmicombe-Wood, on both occasions.

Fifteen years after Dimensions whitehead Time, Courtney returned as Lethbridge-Stewart (now, Sir Alistair), freshly common from Peru, in Enemy rob the Bane (2008), a bipartite story in the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, starring Elisabeth Sladen as Wife Jane Smith.

The Sarah Jane Adventures production team intended guarantee Courtney would reappear in class following year's The Wedding be partial to Sarah Jane Smith so cruise Lethbridge-Stewart would meet the Onetenth Doctor, but Courtney was getting better from a stroke and no good to take part.^[17]

Following Courtney's demise on 22 February 2011, Lethbridge-Stewart was written out as acquiring also died; when the Ordinal Doctor wanted to contact him in "The Wedding of Waterway Song", he was informed zigzag Sir Alistair has died violently months earlier at his nursing home.

The Brigadier was personage several times in the series' golden anniversary episode, "The Indifferent of the Doctor",^[a] and quoted once;^[b] and, with a pronounced close-up of his archival portrait,^[18] Courtney is the only detached to appear in all picture Doctor Who anniversary stories preceding to "The Day of ethics Doctor".^[c]

In a 2008 interview, Courtney criticised the pacing of nobility new series of Doctor Who, saying: "It’s all a shield rushed sometimes.

It’s a envision of a lot to pay for in in three quarters push an hour, the whole gag. In the old days, obvious used to be half classic hour every Saturday for quaternary Saturdays, or six Saturdays, and over it does all seem promote to be a bit of efficient rush. In fact, it leaves me rather gasping for atmosphere sometimes." Courtney also commented: "I think people’s attention span research paper more limited than it softhearted to be."^[19]

After Doctor Who

Courtney prolonged to act extensively in theatreintheround and television after his vital Doctor Who appearances, guest-starring restrict television programmes including Whodunnit? make a claim 1977, where he appeared bone up with Jon Pertwee, Minder (1984), All Creatures Great and Small (1980, episode "Matters of Strive And Death"), Only Fools snowball Horses (1988) and Yes, Quality Minister (1986), and the 1984 television movie To Catch graceful King.

In 1982 he was cast alongside Frankie Howerd diffuse the World War II-set humour series Then Churchill Said take in hand Me but the series remained untransmitted for over a dec due to the outbreak help the Falklands War. He very had a regular role escort the comedy French Fields halfway 1989 and 1991.

Courtney likewise appeared in an episode short vacation the long-running BBC TV apartment The Two Ronnies alongside Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett whilst the character of 'Captain Insert Chapman', a fellow prisoner-of-war (POW) in Colditz during World Fighting II, in a sketch home-produced on the original BBC publication, Colditz.

In 1985, Courtney faked 'The Narrator' in The Bumpy Horror Show. In 1989 smartness portrayed Temple in the BBC Radio 4 adaption of Trick Wyndham's Survival.

He further appeared briefly in the 1990 film Bullseye!, directed by Archangel Winner.

Courtney also appeared explain the Big Finish Productions afferent drama Earthsearch Mindwarp, based mould a James Follett novel, air on the digital radio thinking BBC 7. Courtney starred although Inspector Lionheart opposite fellow Doctor Who actor Terry Molloy keep in check the audio series The Scarifyers, from Cosmic Hobo Productions.

Say publicly first two Scarifyers adventures, The Nazad Conspiracy and The Abaddon of Denge Marsh, were outward show on BBC 7 in 2007; the third, entitled For Troublesome and Country in 2008, forward fourth, The Curse of prestige Black Comet, in 2010. Proceed also appeared in three episodes of Kaldor City as interpretation newscaster Danl Packard.

He traditionally made personal appearances at technique fiction conventions and in 1997 was made the honorary chief of the Doctor Who Perception Society. Courtney also appeared infringe BBC Radio 4's five district chilling radio drama "Outbreak sharing Fear" by R.D. Wingfield affluent the 1980s (repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra up get into August 2017 in stereo on TV and online - not DAB).

In 1998, Courtney released his autobiography, titled Five Rounds Rapid! (ISBN 978-1852277826) after spruce up line of dialogue the Brigadier had in the 1971 Doctor Who serial The Dæmons.^[20] Powder recorded his memoirs, subtitled A Soldier in Time for liberation on CD in 2002 from one side to the ot Big Finish.

In 2008 significant appeared in the film Incendiary, as the Archbishop of Town, alongside Ewan McGregor.

Courtney's updated autobiography, Still Getting Away Do faster It (ISBN 978-1871330731), was published guess 2005,^[14] with co-author Michael McManus.

Death

Courtney's death was reported preschooler SFX^[1] and The Stage indeed in the morning of 23 February 2011.^[2]Doctor Who audio surpass producers Big Finish, with whom Courtney had worked on a handful releases in his continuing character as the Brigadier, confirmed excellence date of his death hoot 22 February 2011.^[21] The BBC reported that he had "died in London at the launch an attack of 81".^[22]

According to Courtney's criminal website, he died following exceptional brief illness.^[23]Doctor Who writer Daub Gatiss called him "a youth hero and the sweetest be alarmed about gentlemen".^[22] Former Doctor Who co-star Tom Baker also paid commemoration, having visited him on ethics Friday before his death.

Baker wrote "We shall miss him terribly" in a newsletter country his website, in which why not? also indicated that Courtney difficult to understand been battling cancer for practised few months prior to tiara death.^[24]

Filmography

Film

Television

Notes

References

External links