Anthony Ainley
| Anthony Ainley | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Born |
20 August 1932 Stanmore, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 3 May 2004 (aged 71) Harrow, London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1942-1997 |
| Known for |
The Master in Doctor Who (1981–1989) |
| Parent(s) | Henry Ainley, Clarice Holmes |
| Relatives | Richard Ainley (half-brother) |
Anthony Ainley (20 August 1932 – 3 May 2004) was an English actor best known for his work on British television and particularly for his role as the Master in Doctor Who. He was the fourth actor to play the role of the Master, and the first actor to portray the Master as a recurring role after the death of Roger Delgado in 1973.
Ainley was born in Stanmore, Middlesex the son of the actor Henry Ainley on 20 August 1932 although his birth was not registered until January 1938 at around the time that he was admitted to the actors' orphanage. The birth certificates of Anthony and his brother Timothy identify their mother as Clarice Holmes and it is under this surname that they are recorded in the Official Register. Although no father is named on the birth certificates Timothy's marriage certificate identifies Henry Ainley as his father.
Under the name of Anthony Holmes, Ainley attended Cranleigh School from 1947-50. His first job was as an insurance clerk which was followed by a period at RADA. His half-brother, Richard Ainley, was also an actor.
Ainley's swarthy appearance tended to get him parts as villains, though an early regular role on British television was as Det. Sgt Hunter, sidekick to William Mervyn's Chief Inspector Rose in the second series of It's Dark Outside in 1966. Other notable roles include a subaltern in the 1969 film version of Oh! What a Lovely War, Dietz in the 1975 film version of The Land That Time Forgot, Reverend Fallowfield in the Tigon film The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971),Henry Sidney in Elizabeth R (1971), Clive Hawksworth in Spyder's Web (1972), Rev. Emilius in the BBC's adaptation of The Pallisers (1974), Johnson in the first episode of the BBC programme Secret Army (1977), and Sunley in The Avengers episode "Noon Doomsday" (1968). He was also one of the Hong Kong policemen who discover James Bond's supposed corpse in the opening sequence of You Only Live Twice (1967). Ainley played the role of the wealthy young peer Lord Charles Gilmour in the ITV series Upstairs, Downstairs (1973).
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