Of all the Doctors across all the years, it's probably fair to say, none is as fondly remembered by so many as Tom Baker. From his first appearance in 1974 to his last 173 episodes later, Tom was the Doctor. He still is. And although he's appeared in many a production since, his seven year stint on the series has cast a long shadow over any acting work he has done since leaving Doctor Who in 1981.
But what about the years before he was Who? Join us as we look back at Tom Baker's early acting career...
Born on January 20th 1934, Thomas Stewart Baker took up acting around 1956, joining the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in Sidcup, where he met his first wife. However, it wasn't until the late 1960s, after the marriage broke down, that he became a professional actor, eking out a living in provincial rep theatre.
1967 saw Tom get his first on-screen credit, a bit-part playing a Porter in an episode of the TV drama series Trapped. The following year an equally brief appearance as a Doorman came Tom's way in, what was, the EastEnders of its day, Honey Lane. Then came this...
It's Tom being... well... Tom. It's his unique persona shining through in, what was, a very small role as a Porter in the ITV sitcom George and the Dragon starring Sid James and Peggy Mount. No other actor would've delivered that one-liner quite the same, would they? The pause and consideration. Very much his style.
That same year, Tom had his first big break whilst performing in a late-night pub revue for the 1968 York Festival. His performance was seen by someone with the National Theatre who encouraged him to audition for the company, then headed by Laurence Olivier. Baker did so and was offered a contract. From then until 1971, he was given small parts and understudied, one of his bigger roles being the horse Rosinante in Don Quixote.
At the same time as his stage work he won many small parts in major series such as Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars, and Softly, Softly...
Tom had his first big film break with the role of Grigori Rasputin in the 1971 film Nicholas and Alexandra, after Laurence Olivier himself had recommended him for the part. He was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for his performance, one for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and another for Best Newcomer...
Many roles followed, including; Jenkin, the younger husband of the Wife of Bath in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Moore, an artist whose paintings are imbued with voodoo power, in The Vault of Horror, and as Koura, the villainous sorcerer, in Ray Harryhausen's The Golden Voyage of Sinbad...
1973 would also see Tom play the Sea Captain in the TV film Frankenstein: The True Story...
But then, in 1974, Tom donned a hat and scarf combo. Although probably not the one you were expecting...
That's Tom as the hideously disformed Lynch in the Donald Pleasence film The Mutations.
As Tom describes in his autobiography, there were frequent periods when he had no acting work and earned a living doing other things such as teaching English as a Foreign Language, and working as a labourer on a building site. During one such time, Tom remembered Bill Slater who had directed him a few years before in The Millionairess...
Fezzes are cool.
Tom wrote to Bill Slater desperate for work and it so happened that his letter arrived on the very day that Bill, about to become Head of Serials at the BBC, was due to attend a meeting with Barry Letts, the Producer of Doctor Who, to discuss the casting of the new Doctor because Jon Pertwee was leaving. They had a look at Tom in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, summoned him to a couple of meetings and quickly realised they’d found the next Doctor.
And it was Jelly Babies all round.
Happy Birthday Tom.
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