Tom Baker

Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934), who is known professionally by his credited stage name as Tom Baker, is an English character actor and writer. He is perhaps best known for his work by playing the Fourth Doctor in the long-running BBC science fiction television programme, Doctor Who.

Early life

Baker was born in Liverpool. His father was a sailor, and was Jewish. His mother was Roman Catholic. Baker was not very academic and struggled at school. He failed the eleven plus exam. Baker became a monk when he was 15.^[1] When he decided to change his life, he first worked in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and then as a construction worker. He took up acting first as a hobby, then professionally.

Career

His first big part was as Grigori Rasputin in the 1971 movie, Nicholas and Alexandra. Baker is best known for playing the Fourth Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who. He played this role from 1974 to 1981. When he got the job, he was working on a building site, because it was hard to find work as an actor.^[2]

He is famous for playing the Doctor longer than any other actor. His version of the character is probably the best remembered by many people. As he thought of himself as a role model for children, he would always pretend to be the Doctor in real life, and sign autographs for them. He did not like to see too much violence in Doctor Who. He once changed the script so the Doctor threatened a character with a jelly baby instead of a knife.^[3]

He was a narrator for the comedy sketch show Little Britain.

Baker has had many jobs as a voiceover artist. He is very recognized for his voice. In a 2005 survey of British adults, Baker's voice was the fourth most recognisable after the Queen, Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher.^[4]

Works

Movies

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1968	The Winter's Tale	The bear
1971	Nicholas and Alexandra	Rasputin
1972	The Canterbury Tales	Jenkin
1973	Cari Genitori	Karl
1973	The Vault of Horror	Moore
1973	Luther	Pope Leo X	Doesn't appear in some versions of the film
1973	Frankenstein: The True Story	Sea captain
1973	The Golden Voyage of Sinbad	Koura
1974	The Mutations	Lynch
1980	The Curse of King Tut's Tomb	Hasan
1984	The Passionate Pilgrim	Sir Tom	Short film
1984	The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood	Sir Guy de Gisbourne
1998	Backtime	Sarge
2000	Dungeons & Dragons	Halvarth
2005	The Magic Roundabout	Zeebad
2010	The Genie in the Bottle	Narrator	Short film
2011	Jacqueline Hill: A Life in Pictures	The Doctor
2012	Saving Santa	Santa Claus	Voice

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1968	Dixon of Dock Green	The man	Episode: "The Attack"
1968	Market in Honey Lane	Doorman	Episode: "The Matchmakers"
1968	George and the Dragon	Porter	Episode: "The 10:15 Train"
1968	Z-Cars	Harry Russell	Episode: "Hudson's Way"
1968	Dixon of Dock Green	Foreman	Episode: "Number 13"
1969	Thirty-Minute Theatre	Corporal Schabe	Episode: "The Victims: Frontier"
1970	Softly, Softly	Site foreman	Episode: "Like Any Other Friday"
1972	Play of the Month	Dr. Ahmed el Kabir	Episode: "The Millionairess"
1973	Arthur of the Britons	Brandreth / Gavron	Episode: "Go Warily"
1974–1981	Doctor Who	The Doctor	172 episodes
1975	Jim'll Fix It	The Doctor	1 episode
1976	Piccadilly Circus	Mark Ambient
1977	Nouvelles de Henry James	Mark Ambient
1978	Late Night Story	Host	4 episodes^[5]
1979	The Book Tower	Presenter	22 episodes
1982	The Hound of the Baskervilles	Sherlock Holmes
1983	Jemima Shore Investigates	Dr. Norman Ziegler	Episode: "Dr. Ziegler's Casebook"
1983	Doctor Who	The Doctor	Episode: "The Five Doctors"
1984	Remington Steele	Anatole Blaylock	Episode: "Hounded Steele"
1985	Jackanory	Storyteller	Episode: "The Iron Man"
1986	The Life and Loves of a She-Devil	Father Ferguson
1986	Blackadder II	Captain Redbeard Rum	Episode: "Potato"
1986	The Kenny Everett Television Show	Patient John Thompson Blu-Tac Tom	Season 1, Episode 2
1986	Roland Rat: The Series	BBC Three presenter The Doctor	Season 4, Episode 1
1990	The Silver Chair	Puddleglum
1990	Tales of Aesop	Narrator
1990	Hyperland	Software agent
1990	Boom	Co-presenter
1991	Selling Hitler	Manfred Fischer	4 episodes
1992	Cluedo	Professor Plum	6 episodes
1992	Screen Two	Sir Lionel Sweeting	Episode: "The Law Lord"
1992–1995	Medics	Professor Geoffrey Hoyt
1993	Doctor Who	The Doctor	Episode: "Dimensions in Time"
1994	The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show	Actor in supermarket	Cameo
1998	Have I Got News For You	Himself
2000	This Is Your Life	Himself
2000	The Canterbury Tales	Simpkin	Voice Episode: "The Journey Back"
2000	Max Bear	Max Bear	Voice
2000–2001	Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)	Professor Wyvern	10 episodes
2001	Fun at the Funeral Parlour	Quimby	Episode: "The Jaws of Doom"
2003	Swiss Toni	Derek Asquith	Episode: "Cars Don't Make You Fat"
2003	2DTV	The Doctor	Voice Series 4, Episode 1
2003	Strange	Father Bernard	Episode: "Asmoth"
2003	Fort Boyard	Captain Baker
2003–2006	Little Britain	Narrator	36 episodes
2004	The Little Reindeer	Santa Claus	Voice
2004–2005	Monarch of the Glen	Donald MacDonald	12 episodes
2006	The Secret Show	Robert Baron	Voice Episode: "The Secret Room"
2007	Marple	Frederick Treves	Episode: "Towards Zero"
2007–2008	The Beeps	Narrator	45 episodes
2008	Little Britain USA	Narrator	6 episodes
2008	Have I Got News For You	Himself
2010	Tom Baker: In Confidence	Himself	Interviewed by Professor Laurie Taylor

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Destiny of the Doctors	The Doctor	Voice and likeness
2000	Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future	Narrator	Voice
2001	Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising	Narrator	Voice
2003	Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior	Narrator	Voice
2004	Sudeki	Narrator	Voice
2005	Heretic Kingdoms: The Inquisition	Narrator	Voice
2005	MediEvil: Resurrection	Death	Voice
2006	Cold Winter	John Gray	Voice
2006	Little Britain: The Game	Narrator	Voice
2007	Little Britain: The Video Game	Narrator	Voice

Radio

Year	Title	Role
1994	The Russia House	Barley Blair^[6]
1998	Hard Times	Josiah Bounderby
1999	Nicholas Nickleby	Vincent Crummles
2009	Hornets' Nest	The Doctor
2010	Demon Quest	The Doctor
2011	Serpent Crest	The Doctor