Nicholas Courtney
William Nicholas Stone Courtney ( born December 16, 1929 in Cairo, Egypt, † February 22, 2011 in London, England ) was a British actor who was best known for his portrayal of Brigadier Lethbridge - Stewart in the British television series Doctor Who.
Life
Courtney was born the son of a British diplomat in Cairo and grew up in Egypt, France and Kenya. After he had completed his military service in the British Army, he attended two years, the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art After that he played theater in Northampton and London. In 1957 he made his first television appearance in a minor role of a TV series, but only from the mid-1960s, he received frequent film and television roles. Among other things, he guest starred in the British series The Avengers and melon, Simon Templar and Task Force Police. In 1965, he starred opposite William Hartnell as Doctor Who first appeared in the eponymous series. In four episodes, he played the character of the agent Bret Vyon. In four episodes of Doctor Who miniseries The Web of Fear, he joined in 1968 for the first time in his role as an officer Alastair Gordon Lethbridge - Stewart, initially as a Colonel. From the miniseries The Invasion of the same year he had been promoted to brigadier. In this role, he stepped 1968-1989 on in 103 episodes of the series, in which his character was created only as a recurring guest role from 1975. In the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, he was again seen in two episodes in his long-time role in 2008. Much rarer were his movies engagements, mostly in smaller supporting roles. These included the horror film The thirteen slaves of Fu Man Chu alongside Christopher Lee, the science- fiction movie accident in space and the thriller Incendiary by Sharon Maguire. In addition to his film and television career, he continued to work in the theater and had several engagements in London's West End.
Courtney was married to his second wife and had two children from his first marriage.