William Hartnell was the first man to pilot the TARDIS, the tough Cockney actor who had fought his way through repertory theater with determination and physical presence before being cast as the original Doctor Who. Born on January 8, 1908, in St Pancras, London, he grew up in poverty, raised by a single mother and a foster family. He trained at the Italia Conti Academy and spent decades in British film and television playing soldiers, tough guys, and sergeant-majors. His most notable pre-Doctor role was as the brutal army sergeant in the 1963 film "This Sporting Life." When the BBC cast him as the Doctor in 1963, it was against type. The character was an elderly, irascible, mysterious alien traveling through time and space. Hartnell brought a brittle, unpredictable energy to the role, mixing cranky professorial authority with moments of genuine warmth and wonder. The show became a phenomenon. Children hid behind sofas when the Daleks appeared. Adults watched for the sheer strangeness of the concept. Hartnell played the role for three years, from 1963 to 1966, establishing the character's essential identity: brilliant, alien, capable of both coldness and compassion. His health deteriorated during the run. He suffered from arteriosclerosis, which affected his memory and caused him to stumble over lines. The production team developed the concept of "regeneration" partly to accommodate his departure, allowing a new actor to take over the role. This narrative device, invented out of practical necessity, became the foundation of the show's longevity. Hartnell died on April 23, 1975, in Maidstone, Kent. The show he launched has run, with interruptions, for over 60 years.