Actors who have appeared in both the classic and revived series of "Doctor Who"
by GusF | created - 10 Oct 2013 | updated - 23 Oct 2022 | PublicUp to and including the 1996 TV Movie.
Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, William Russell, Katy Manning, Elisabeth Sladen, John Leeson, Janet Fielding, Bonnie Langford, Sophie Aldred and Ysanne Churchman are the only actors to play the same character in both series.
1. Tom Baker
Actor | Doctor Who
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 ...
2. Peter Davison
Actor | Doctor Who
Peter Davison was born as Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett on 13 April 1951 in Streatham, London. A decade later, he and his family - his parents, Sheila and Claude (an electrical engineer who hailed from British Guiana), and his sisters, Barbara, Pamela and Shirley, moved to Knaphill, Woking, Surrey, ...
3. Colin Baker
Actor | Doctor Who
Colin Baker was born in 1943 in the Royal Waterloo Lying-In Hospital in London during an air raid. He spent his earliest years in London with his mother, while his father served in the armed forces. He narrowly avoided an early death during the wartime blitz when a piece of flying shrapnel just ...
4. Sylvester McCoy
Actor | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Sylvester McCoy was born Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith on 20 August 1943, the only child of Molly Sheridan and Percy James Kent-Smith, a couple living in Dunoon, Scotland. His mother was Irish. Percy James Kent-Smith was killed in the Second World War a couple of months before his son was born, ...
5. Paul McGann
Actor | The Three Musketeers
Paul McGann was born on November 14, 1959 in Kensington, Liverpool, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for The Three Musketeers (1993), Withnail & I (1987) and Alien 3 (1992). He has been married to Annie Milner since 1992. They have two children.
6. William Russell
Actor | The Great Escape
William Russell was born William Russell Enoch on 19 November 1924, in Sunderland, County Durham, England, to Eva Compston (Pile) and Alfred James Enoch. He became interested in acting at an early age. He was involved in organizing entertainments during his national service in the Royal Air Force ...
7. Katy Manning
Actress | When Darkness Falls
Katy Manning trained as an actress at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. In 1971, she became known to millions of British television viewers when she joined Doctor Who (1963) as the companion Jo Grant, which she played for three seasons opposite Jon Pertwee as the Doctor until 1973. ...
8. Elisabeth Sladen
Actress | Doctor Who
Elisabeth Sladen was born in Liverpool, England. She attended drama school for two years before joining the local repertory theatre in her home town of Liverpool. She met actor Brian Miller during her first production there and they were later married after meeting again in Manchester, three years ...
9. John Leeson
Actor | Doctor Who
After leaving school, John Leeson worked in a bookshop, and then as a porter in the Leicester Royal Infirmary Hospital. He joined the Leicester Dramatic Society and ultimately applied for and won a place at RADA. On leaving the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he worked in repertory and pantomimes, ...
10. Janet Fielding
Actress | Doctor Who
Janet Mahoney - now better known by her stage name of Janet Fielding - was born in Brisbane, Australia, in 1953. She gained A levels in Physics, Chemistry and Maths and joined Queensland University, where she first took up acting. After leaving university she worked with an English writer/director ...
11. Bonnie Langford
Actress | EastEnders
Bonita Melody Lysette Langford was born on 22 July 1964 in Hampton Court, Surrey. By the age of six she had won Hughie Green's Opportunity Knocks (1956) television talent contest and gained membership of Equity. Later she trained at the Arts Educational and Italia Conti stage schools in London. By ...
12. Sophie Aldred
Actress | Doctor Who
Sophie Aldred was born in Greenwich, London, and brought up in nearby Blackheath. After leaving school, she attended Manchester University, where she took a degree in drama. From university she sang in working men's clubs to obtain her Equity Card, then worked in a children's theatre, appearing in ...
13. Ysanne Churchman
Actress | Otello
Ysanne Churchman was born on May 14, 1925 in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Othello (1956), Doctor Who (1963) and Doctor Who (2005). She was previously married to Anthony Pilgrim.
14. William Thomas
Actor | Torchwood
William Thomas is known for Torchwood (2006), Twin Town (1997) and We Are Seven (1989).
He was the first actor to appear in both series. He is also the only actor to appear in both series as well as "Torchwood".
15. Geoffrey Palmer
Actor | Tomorrow Never Dies
Lugubrious-faced English actor Geoffrey Palmer was born in London, the son of a chartered accountant. After leaving school, he did his national service with the Royal Marines where he became a field training and small arms instructor. He then briefly tried his hand at accountancy before his ...
16. Pauline Collins
Actress | Shirley Valentine
Collins entered motion pictures as a stripper in the exploitation film, Secrets of a Windmill Girl (1966), and television, as a maid in the British drama series Upstairs, Downstairs (1971). In 1988, she starred in the one-woman play 'Shirley Valentine' in London, and soon after, brought the role to...
17. Christopher Benjamin
Actor | The Plague Dogs
Christopher Benjamin was born on December 27, 1934 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Plague Dogs (1982), The Legend of Tarzan (2016) and Treasure Island (1999). He has been married to Anna Fox since 1960. They have three children.
18. David Troughton
Actor | Crime and Punishment
David Troughton was born in London on 9 June 1950, the son of noted Shakespearean actor Patrick Troughton, who is now best remembered as the Second Doctor in Doctor Who (1963). He started his own acting career at the Unicorn Theatre for Children. His stage career has included repertory at Leeds, ...
19. Anne Reid
Actress | Hot Fuzz
Anne was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne but the family moved to Redcar when the WWII started. She was educated at White House School where she acted in a school play of Romeo and Juliet with June Laverick, who when older would also take to the stage. When Anne got older she was sent to a boarding ...
20. Christopher Ryan
Actor | Bottom
Born in Bayswater, London on January 25, 1950, Christopher Papazoglou, later known as Christopher Ryan, trained at East 15 Acting School for three years before going to perform at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre.
Even though he portrayed a few minor roles in various television shows, It wasn't until ...
21. Lynda Baron
Actress | Scoop
Lilian Ridgway, known professionally as Lynda Baron, was an English actress, best known for playing Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the BBC comedy series Open All Hours (1976-1985) and its sequel, Still Open All Hours (2013-2016).
From 1993 to 1997, she played Auntie Mabel in BBC children's programme Come ...
22. Margaret John
Actress | Run Fatboy Run
Margaret John was born on December 14, 1926 in Swansea, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for Run Fatboy Run (2007), Game of Thrones (2011) and High Hopes (2002). She was married to Ben Thomas. She died on February 2, 2011 in Swansea, Wales, UK.
23. Nisha Nayar
Actress | Unicorns
Nisha Nayar was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is an actress, known for Unicorns (2023), Cracker (2006) and The Buddha of Suburbia (1993).
24. Gabriel Woolf
Actor | Knights of the Round Table
Gabriel Woolf was born on October 2, 1932 in England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Knights of the Round Table (1953), Rob Roy (1961) and Look and Read (1967). He has been married to Felicity Lott since 1984. They have one child.
25. Trevor Laird
Actor | Quadrophenia
Trevor Laird was born on July 11, 1957 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Quadrophenia (1979), Cruella (2021) and Secrets & Lies (1996).
26. Colin Spaull
Actor | Great Expectations
Colin Spaull is among a small band of actors who have appeared in the Classic and the New series of Doctor Who. Apart from Colin Baker (Revelation of the Daleks) and David Tennant (Rise of the Cybermen and Age of Steel), Colin has worked with two other Doctors, Paul McGann in "Grand Theft Cosmos" ...
27. Bella Emberg
Actress | History of the World: Part I
Bella Emberg was born on September 16, 1937 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for History of the World: Part I (1981), Doctor Who (2005) and Pompidou (2015). She died on January 12, 2018 in Isle of Wight, England, UK.
28. Louis Mahoney
Actor | Captain Phillips
Gambian Louis Felix Danner Mahoney was born on Septenber 8, 1938 and came to England ostensibly to train as a doctor. However, he abandoned medicine for the stage, probably his original intention. He enrolled at acting school in the 1970s. He was a tireless campaigner for racial equality in his ...
29. Daphne Oxenford
Actress | Coronation Street
The phrase has now been enshrined in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. "The time is a quarter to two," the announcer would intone. "This is the BBC Light Programme for mothers and children at home. Are you ready for the music? When it stops, Daphne Oxenford will be here to speak to you." "The ...
30. David Warwick
Actor | Doctor Who
David Warwick is known for Doctor Who (1963), Smoking Shores and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976).
31. Arthur Cox
Actor | Sweeney 2
Arthur Cox was born on April 7, 1934 in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK. He was an actor, known for Sweeney 2 (1978), Poirot (1989) and A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery (1987). He died on April 9, 2021 in the UK.
32. Garrick Hagon
Actor | Star Wars
Garrick Hagon was born in London, England, UK. Garrick is an actor and director, known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Mission: Impossible (1996) and The Message (1976). Garrick has been married to Liza Ross since 1965. They have two children.
33. Jessica Martin
Actress | Doctor Who
Jessica Martin was born on August 25, 1962 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Doctor Who (2005), Metroid: Other M (2010) and Privateer 2: The Darkening (1996).
34. Mike Mungarvan
Actor | Doctor Who
Mike Mungarvan was born in England, UK. He is known for Doctor Who (1963), Charlie (2004) and Dempsey and Makepeace (1985).
35. Rocky Taylor
Actor | Titanic
Rocky Taylor was born on February 28, 1945 in Bermondsey, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Titanic (1997), Skyfall (2012) and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023). He has been married to Pamela Taylor since 1992.
36. Nick Hobbs
Stunts | Wonder Woman
Nick Hobbs is known for Wonder Woman (2017), Rush (2013) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).
37. Lee Sheward
Stunts | The Saint
Lee Sheward was born on July 2, 1967 in Ealing, London, England, UK. He is an assistant director and actor, known for The Saint (1997), The Fifth Element (1997) and Hot Fuzz (2007).
38. Sheila Reid
Actress | Brazil
Sheila Reid was born on December 21, 1937 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for Brazil (1985), Containment (2015) and The Touch (1971). She has been married to Terry Bullen since April 11, 2008. She was previously married to Julian Curry.
39. Trevor Cooper
Actor | Star Cops
Trevor Cooper was born on September 21, 1953 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Star Cops (1987), Crooked House (2017) and Happy-Go-Lucky (2008).
40. Tony Osoba
Actor | Dempsey and Makepeace
Tony Osoba was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and has become a familiar face to TV audiences in a career spanning more than 30 years. Tony joined the RSAMD at the age of 18 in Glasgow. His breakthrough role came in 1974 when he starred opposite Ronnie Barker in the popular BBC sitcom 'Porridge'. Tony ...
41. Janet Henfrey
Actress | Les Misérables
Janet Henfrey took English prelims at St Anne's, Oxford, after which she read history followed by a graduate year at Smith, from where she went to the RADA as part of their US intake. Since then she has had a varied career in the theatre and on film and television. The latter has included 'The ...
42. Christopher Villiers
Actor | Top Secret!
Christopher Villiers was born in Kensington, London, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Top Secret! (1984), First Knight (1995) and Snijeg za Vodu: Snow for Water (2018).
43. Brian Miller
Actor | Brazil
Brian Miller was born on April 17, 1941 in Birmingham, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Brazil (1985), Line of Duty (2012) and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984). He was previously married to Elisabeth Sladen.
44. Michael Troughton
Actor | Enigma
Michael Troughton was born on March 2, 1955 in Hampstead, London, England. His father was Patrick Troughton, best known for playing the Second Doctor in Doctor Who (1963). He is the younger brother of David Troughton and the uncle of Sam Troughton, Harry Melling and Warwickshire and England ...
45. Donald Sumpter
Actor | In the Heart of the Sea
Donald Sumpter was born on February 13, 1943 in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for In the Heart of the Sea (2015), The Constant Gardener (2005) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).
46. Anthony Calf
Actor | The Madness of King George
Anthony Calf was born on May 4, 1959 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Madness of King George (1994), Beau Geste (1982) and I Came By (2022). He is married to Caroline Harker. They have three children.
47. Morgan Deare
Actor | Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Morgan Deare was born on November 19, 1945 in New Iberia, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Mission: Impossible (1996) and United 93 (2006). He is married to Mary Healey. He was previously married to Sally Gosselin.
48. Nigel Lambert
Actor | UFO
Nigel Lambert was born on May 11, 1944 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, UK. He is an actor, known for UFO (1970), Shillingbury Tales (1980) and The Avengers (1961). He has been married to Rachel Gutsell since 1968. They have one child.
49. Clive Swift
Actor | Excalibur
Clive Swift was born on February 9, 1936 in Liverpool, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Excalibur (1981), Frenzy (1972) and Keeping Up Appearances (1990). He was married to Margaret Drabble. He died on February 1, 2019 in London, England, UK.
Tell Your Friends