One actor played the eponimous Doctor in the BBC television series Doctor Who longer than any other. Today is Tom Baker’s birthday. He played the role as the fourth Doctor for seven years. This grand old timetraveller is 91 years old today.
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.
The famous scarf he wore as the Doctor was created by accident. Costume Designer James Acheson, the costume designer assigned to his first story, had provided far more wool than was necessary to the knitter, Begonia Pope; Pope knitted all the wool she was given. Baker decided to wear it anyway.
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).
Tom Baker as the Doctor
Tom Baker is the tallest actor, so far, to play the Doctor. He played the Doctor in 173 episodes, from 1974 to 1981. His curly hair and long scarf are what a great many fans think of when they think of Dr. Who.
After leaving Doctor Who in 1981, he was reluctant to reprise his role as the Fourth Doctor. He refused to appear in the anniversary special The Five Doctors (1983), so footage of him from the unfinished story Doctor Who: Shada (1992) was used instead, although he did appear briefly in the Comic Relief special Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (1993).
When Big Finish Productions started making new Doctor Who audio stories in 1999, he repeatedly turned down offers from them but eventually changed his mind and a series of stories starring him as the Fourth Doctor started being released from January 2012. According to Peter Davison in an interview in 2016, Baker doesn’t like appearing with the other actors to have played the Doctor and he claimed there was a genuine tension between Baker and his predecessor Jon Pertwee whenever they met.
Tom Baker in Other Science Fiction and Fantasy Roles.
- In the Star Wars cartoon SW: Rebels, he voiced the Bendu, the embodiment of the Gray Jedi.
- In The Golden Voyage of Sinbad(1973) Baker portrayed the maleovelent sorceror Koura, who traded magical power for years of his life each time he used it,
- In the popular British ghostly sitcom, Randall & Hopkirk *Deceased) he played Professor Wyvern in twelve episodes.
- In the Chronicles of Narnia, he was Puddleglum, a Marshwiggle who helped Eustace and Jill in The Silver Chair (1990).
- Baker appeared in Vault of Horror (1973) as Moore, the artist.
- In the supernatural TV show Strange, Baker played a blind priest with a deep knowlewdge of demonology.
- Baker played Halvsarth, an elf, in the well intentioned but ill-fated Dungeons & Dragons (2000)
- Baker provided the voice of Boomer in the 2019 animated feature Wonder Park.
Other Roles
- Tom Baker appeared in the BBC series Blackadder II as Captain Redbeard Rum.
- American audiences saw him on Remington Steele as Inspector Anatole Blaylock.
- On the Scottish TV show Monarch of the Glen, Baker played Ronald Ulysses MacDonald.
Tom Baker has been married three times ands divorced twice. He was married to Joanna Wheatvroft from 1971 to 1966. He was married to Lalla Ward (Romana in Dr. Who) from 1980 to 1982. He has been married to Sue Jerrard since 1986.
Happy 91st birthday, Mr. Baker. Time travel obviously agrees with you.
Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
I don’t have a favorite Doctor Who. But watching Tom Baker was what made me a fan.
Bob Dylan was known for having the curly hair, and wearing the hat and scarf, before The Doctor did so. And Dylan toured England about 9 years before Tom Baker assumed The Doctor roll. So I wonder if there’s a connection.
And just thought: “Tom” and “Bob” both have three letters, and “Baker” and “Dylan” both have five. Hmm….
In any case, Happy Birthday to Tom Baker!