Doctor Who has been a staple of pop culture since it debuted in 1963, and hundreds of actors have starred in the show since it began. Many of these actors were veterans of the stage and theater, while others cut their teeth on the show and went on to bigger and better things. Some managed to hit the big time, starring in an assortment of big budget blockbusters.
Many of these actors are well known for playing these large roles, yet less so for starring in Doctor Who. Looking back at their contributions towards Who lore over the last 6 decades can be rather fascinating, as it gives Whovians some insight as to where these popular thespians got their start.
Geoffrey Palmer (Tomorrow Never Dies)
Chisel-jawed actor Geoffrey Palmer had a knack for playing tough-as-nails characters in authoritative positions, which is why he was cast as Admiral Roebuck in the 1997 James Bond flick Tomorrow Never Dies. His character is best remembered for having a verbal punch-up with Judi Dench's character, M.
Palmer previously played an uncredited role in the 1970's "Doctor Who and the Silurians," opposite iconic third Doctor actor Jon Pertwee. He'd return to the series two years later for an appearance in 1972's "The Mutants," and again in "Voyage of the Damned," the 2007 Christmas special co-starring Kylie Minogue.
Donald Sumpter (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)
Donald Sumpter is best known to audiences as Maester Luwin in HBO's hit Game of Thrones, but he was an accomplished actor long before that. He's since gone on to star in everything from Black Mirror to the HBO docudrama series Chernobyl. In 2011, he co-starred alongside Daniel Craig in the adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, where he played Detective Morell.
The actor got his start in Doctor Who way back in the 1968 Cybermen story "The Wheel in Space," before returning in 1972 to star in "The Sea Devils." Sumpter would return to Doctor Who in 2015, where he played the Time Lord President Rassilon, opposite the twelfth Doctor.
Brian Blessed (Flash Gordon)
Over-the-top and larger-than-life actor Brian Blessed is best known for playing the bombastic Prince Vultan in the 1980 cult classic Flash Gordon, opposite Max von Sydow and future 007 actor Timothy Dalton. He'd later make a return to TV, eventually landing a role on Doctor Who in 1986.
There, he played King Yrcanos, a warrior king who fell in love and married the sixth Doctor's companion, Peri. This was revealed at the end of the multi-story epic "The Trial of a Time Lord," where the sixth Doctor faced execution by his own people for a series of grave and serious charges.
Julian Glover (Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back)
Accomplished actor Julian Glover had several run-ins with classic Doctor Who whilst bouncing back and forth between TV and feature films. He first portrayed Richard the Lionheart in the story "The Crusade" back in 1965. He also squared off against the fourth Doctor as Count Scarlioni in 1979's "City of Death."
Just one year later, Glover would nab a small part in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, where he played the ruthless General Veers. He'd then go on to star with veteran actors Harrison Ford and the late, great Sean Connery in Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, where he played the villainous Walter Donovan.
Patrick Troughton (The Omen)
Troughton played the scruffy and loveable second Doctor, following the departure of William Hartnell in 1966. He carried the role for three years, before exiting due to the exhausting shooting schedule and low ratings, allowing a new team to refresh Doctor Who and bring it into the era of color TV.
Seven years later, Troughton would star in the classic horror film The Omen, where he played the paranoid Father Brennan. His character tries to warn Robert Thorn that his son is the anti-Christ, only to meet his doom when supernatural forces cause him to be impaled by a church spire.
Sylvester McCoy (The Hobbit)
Sylvester McCoy was the final actor to play the Doctor in the classic series before it was mothballed by the BBC in 1989. He portrayed one of the quirkiest and most divisive Doctors, yet also one of the most interesting and potentially sinister.
He spent the next two decades in relatively low-key roles, before making a triumphant return as the eccentric, yet helpful supporting player Radagast the Brown in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, a prequel to his Oscar-sweeping Lord of the Rings films. Horror director Rob Zombie recently cast McCoy as Igor in his upcoming adaptation of The Munsters.
Brian Glover (Alien 3)
Brian Glover played the character Griffiths in the classic sixth Doctor story "Attack of the Cybermen," released in 1985. Griffiths was a career criminal roped into a fake bank heist at the behest of Lytton, a human who once worked for the Daleks. Later, Griffiths is executed by the Cybermen, along with several others.
Glover would eventually star in the divisive third chapter of the Alien franchise, opposite Sigourney Weaver. He played the stubborn and unrelenting Superintendent Andrews, the de facto warden of the intergalactic penal colony known as Fiorina "Fury" 161.
Clive Swift (Excalibur)
Funnyman Clive Swift is best known for playing Richard, the long-suffering husband of Hyacinth Bucket in the classic 1990 Britcom series Keeping Up Appearances. Long before that, he had already starred in the iconic 1981 fantasy film Excalibur, opposite actors Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson, and Patrick Stewart.
Swift played the grotesque Jobel, head of an intergalactic mortuary, in the 1985 sixth Doctor story "Revelation of the Daleks." In this tale, villainous Dalek creator Davros ordered one of Jobel's subordinates to murder him, as a test of her loyalty. He'd also star in the 2007 Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned," where he played the benevolent and likable Mr. Copper.
Louis Mahoney (Captain Phillips)
Louis Mahoney is known to Doctor Who fans for playing the elderly Billy Shipton in the horror-themed fan-favorite episode "Blink," but it wasn't his first run on the show. In 1973, Mahoney had a small part as a newscaster in the story "Frontier in Space," which also featured both the Daleks and the Master.
The actor later starred with Hollywood icon Tom Hanks in the 2013 film Captain Phillips, based on the true story of an American cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. It managed to gross $220 million dollars on its $55 million dollar budget.
Michael Gough (Batman)
Michael Gough played two roles in classic Who, beginning way back in 1966 with "The Celestial Toymaker," opposite first Doctor actor William Hartnell. He'd later make a return to the show in 1983, starring as a Time Lord opposite the fifth Doctor in "Arc of Infinity."
Just six years later, Gough would star in the mega-smash Hollywood hit Batman, directed by Tim Burton. He played the role of Alfred Pennyworth, loyal butler and confidante to Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne/Batman. He'd go on to star in several Batman sequels before the franchise was finally put out of its misery.