Patrick Troughton

Patrick Troughton (1920-1987) is best known for playing the second Doctor in the TV series Doctor Who. He was in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He was the first actor to play the folk hero Robin Hood on television.

Troughton was known largely for his comedic roles before playing the Doctor, and thus decided to play the character differently from his predecessor: the stern but caring grandfather was replaced by a clownish eccentric. This established a major factor to the show's popularity: the idea that regeneration not only changed the Doctor's appearance, but elements of his personality as well, allowing each actor who played him to put their own mark on the character. Hartnell fully endorsed Troughton's efforts, reportedly saying that "there is one man in Britain who can take over [the role of the Doctor] and that's Patrick Troughton." Troughton left the role after three years, but retained a life-long affiliation with the program, returning to play the Doctor three more times in various special episodes. Matt Smith, the Eleventh Doctor, cites Troughton as an inspiration for his version of the character, and it shows. He is also the actor who has reprised his role for multi-doctor specials the most (The Two Doctors, The Three Doctors, and The Five Doctors), beating fellow actors from that period Jon Pertwee (Dimensions in Time and The Five Doctors) and William Hartnell (The Three Doctors and The Other Darrin in The Five Doctors).

He died at the Magnum Opus Con II Science Fiction convention in America, after ignoring the advice of his doctors who had told him not to go. He had two daughters and four sons. Many of his sons and grandsons have followed in his footsteps and become actors.

Patrick Troughton has performed in the following roles:

Film

Chance Of A Lifetime (1950)
Hamlet (1948 version)
Jason and the Argonauts (1963 version)
Treasure Island (1950 version)
The Omen (1976 original)
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
The Box of Delights

Live Action TV

The Adventures Of The Scarlet Pimpernel (1956 TV series)
Doctor Finlays Casebook (1962 TV series, ran to 1971)
Doctor Who:(1963 TV series, hiatus 1989-2005, still ongoing.) In it from 1966-69, reprised role in 1972-1973 for The Three Doctors, 1983 for The Five Doctors and 1985 for The Two Doctors.
The Feathered Serpent (TV series, 2 seasons, 1976 and 1978)
The Old Curiosity Shop (1962 TV series)
Paul Of Tarsus (1960 TV series)
Robin Hood (1953 TV series)
The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970 TV series)

Radio

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1965 radio adaptation): He played The Protagonist Winston Smith.

Patrick Troughton provides examples of the following tropes:

Acting for Two: In the Doctor Who serial "The Enemy Of The World" he plays both the Doctor and Salamander.
And a Diet Coke: A tragic example
Fan Convention: He infamously died at one, in America.
Hobos: His characterization as the Second Doctor went through several changes, until they eventually decided on "Cosmic Hobo".
Missing Episode: As with all actors working on series on the BBC in the 60's, there are some episodes which have completely or almost completely vanished.
- It's particularly tragic in Troughton's case, especially in comparison to the first Doctor, William Hartnell. Most of Hartnell's serials form his first 2 years have survived completely intact. It's Seasons 3-5 that have the most missing episodes, which hits Troughton's work especially hard. Only one serial from Troughton's first 2 seasons has survived completely intact. Fortunately it was enough. It's The Tomb of the Cybermen, and it was watching that serial that made Troughton Matt Smith's favorite Doctor.
Not Named in Opening Credits: In the final episode of the Doctor Who serial "The Tenth Planet", he is not named, as this is the first regeneration of the Doctor on screen.
Wearing A Tea Cosy On Your Head: He did this in cold weather in the North Sea, when he was in the Royal Navy. It's recognisably as British as a Union Flag.