Nicholas Courtney was born in Egypt, the son of a British diplomat. His
early years were spent in Kenya and France and he was called up for
National Service at the age of 18. After 18 months of duty in the
British forces, Courtney joined the Webber Douglas drama school. He
spent two years there and then did repertory theatre in Northampton.
His next move was to London.
During the 1960s, he played some roles in popular TV series. In 1965,
he made an appearance on
Doctor Who (1963), during the
tenure of William Hartnell. The
director, Douglas Camfield, remembered
him and, in 1967, cast him as "Captain Knight" in "Doctor Who" episode
"The Web of Fear". He took the part of "Lethbridge-Stewart", which was
to become his most famous role, when the actor originally cast in the
part had to drop out. At this time,
Patrick Troughton was the star of the
series.
Shortly after this, Courtney was offered the chance to play the role
regularly and accepted. This guaranteed him work until 1975, when the
character was written out of the series. He became a good friend of
Jon Pertwee during his time on the
programme, and returned in 1983, 1988 and 1989. His other television
work has included a comedy with
Frankie Howerd. Courtney has maintained a
close association with "Doctor Who", narrating the documentary
Doctor Who: 30 Years in the Tardis (1993)
and attending conventions and appearing in spin-offs.
