Tom Baker

**Thomas Stewart Baker MBE** (born 20 January 1934), who is known professionally by his credited stage name as **Tom Baker**, is an English character actor and writer. He is perhaps best known for his work by playing the Fourth Doctor in the long-running BBC science fiction television programme, _Doctor Who_.

## Early life

Baker was born in Liverpool. His father was a sailor, and was Jewish. His mother was Roman Catholic. Baker was not very academic and struggled at school. He failed the eleven plus exam. Baker became a monk when he was 15. When he decided to change his life, he first worked in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and then as a construction worker.  He took up acting first as a hobby, then professionally.

## Career

His first big part was as Grigori Rasputin in the 1971 movie, _Nicholas and Alexandra_. Baker is best known for playing the Fourth Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series _Doctor Who_. He played this role from 1974 to 1981. When he got the job, he was working on a building site, because it was hard to find work as an actor.

He is famous for playing the Doctor longer than any other actor. His version of the character is probably the best remembered by many people. As he thought of himself as a role model for children, he would always pretend to be the Doctor in real life, and sign autographs for them. He did not like to see too much violence in Doctor Who. He once changed the script so the Doctor threatened a character with a jelly baby instead of a knife.

He was a narrator for the comedy sketch show _Little Britain._

Baker has had many jobs as a voiceover artist.  He is very recognized for his voice. In a 2005 survey of British adults, Baker's voice was the fourth most recognisable after the Queen, Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher.

### Movies

|Year|Title|Role|class="unsortable"|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1968|_The Winter's Tale_|The bear|||
|1971|_Nicholas and Alexandra_|Rasputin|||
|1972|_The Canterbury Tales_|Jenkin|||
|1973|_Cari Genitori_|Karl|||
|1973|_The Vault of Horror_|Moore|||
|1973|_Luther_|Pope Leo X|Doesn't appear in some versions of the film||
|1973|_Frankenstein: The True Story_|Sea captain|||
|1973|_The Golden Voyage of Sinbad_|Koura|||
|1974|_The Mutations_|Lynch|||
|1980|_The Curse of King Tut's Tomb_|Hasan|||
|1984|_The Passionate Pilgrim_|Sir Tom|Short film||
|1984|_The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood_|Sir Guy de Gisbourne|||
|1998|_Backtime_|Sarge|||
|2000|_Dungeons & Dragons_|Halvarth|||
|2005|_The Magic Roundabout_|Zeebad|||
|2010|_The Genie in the Bottle_|Narrator|Short film||
|2011|_Jacqueline Hill: A Life in Pictures_|The Doctor|||
|2012|_Saving Santa_|Santa Claus|Voice||

### Television

|Year|Title|Role|class="unsortable"|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1968|_Dixon of Dock Green_|The man|Episode: "The Attack"||
|1968|_Market in Honey Lane_|Doorman|Episode: "The Matchmakers"||
|1968|_George and the Dragon_|Porter|Episode: "The 10:15 Train"||
|1968|_Z-Cars_|Harry Russell|Episode: "Hudson's Way"||
|1968|_Dixon of Dock Green_|Foreman|Episode: "Number 13"||
|1969|_Thirty-Minute Theatre_|Corporal Schabe|Episode: "The Victims: Frontier"||
|1970|_Softly, Softly_|Site foreman|Episode: "Like Any Other Friday"||
|1972|_Play of the Month_|Dr. Ahmed el Kabir|Episode: "The Millionairess"||
|1973|_Arthur of the Britons_|Brandreth / Gavron|Episode: "Go Warily"||
|1974–1981|_Doctor Who_|The Doctor|172 episodes||
|1975|_Jim'll Fix It_|The Doctor|1 episode||
|1976|_Piccadilly Circus_|Mark Ambient|||
|1977|_Nouvelles de Henry James_|Mark Ambient|||
|1978|_Late Night Story_|Host|4 episodes||
|1979|_The Book Tower_|Presenter|22 episodes||
|1982|_The Hound of the Baskervilles_|Sherlock Holmes|||
|1983|_Jemima Shore Investigates_|Dr. Norman Ziegler|Episode: "Dr. Ziegler's Casebook"||
|1983|_Doctor Who_|The Doctor|Episode: "The Five Doctors"||
|1984|_Remington Steele_|Anatole Blaylock|Episode: "Hounded Steele"||
|1985|_Jackanory_|Storyteller|Episode: "The Iron Man"||
|1986|_The Life and Loves of a She-Devil_|Father Ferguson|||
|1986|_Blackadder II_|Captain Redbeard Rum|Episode: "Potato"||
|1986|_The Kenny Everett Television Show_|Patient John Thompson Blu-Tac Tom || Season 1, Episode 2|||
|1986|_Roland Rat: The Series_|BBC Three presenter The Doctor || Season 4, Episode 1|||
|1990|_The Silver Chair_|Puddleglum|||
|1990|_Tales of Aesop_|Narrator|||
|1990|_Hyperland_|Software agent|||
|1990|_Boom_|Co-presenter|||
|1991|_Selling Hitler_|Manfred Fischer|4 episodes||
|1992|_Cluedo_|Professor Plum|6 episodes||
|1992|_Screen Two_|Sir Lionel Sweeting|Episode: "The Law Lord"||
|1992–1995|_Medics_|Professor Geoffrey Hoyt|||
|1993|_Doctor Who_|The Doctor|Episode: "Dimensions in Time"||
|1994|_The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show_|Actor in supermarket|Cameo||
|1998|_Have I Got News For You_|Himself|||
|2000|_This Is Your Life_|Himself|||
|2000|_The Canterbury Tales_|Simpkin|Voice Episode: "The Journey Back"||
|2000|_Max Bear_|Max Bear|Voice||
|2000–2001|_Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)_|Professor Wyvern|10 episodes||
|2001|_Fun at the Funeral Parlour_|Quimby|Episode: "The Jaws of Doom"||
|2003|_Swiss Toni_|Derek Asquith|Episode: "Cars Don't Make You Fat"||
|2003|_2DTV_|The Doctor|Voice Series 4, Episode 1||
|2003|_Strange_|Father Bernard|Episode: "Asmoth"||
|2003|_Fort Boyard_|Captain Baker|||
|2003–2006|_Little Britain_|Narrator|36 episodes||
|2004|_The Little Reindeer_|Santa Claus|Voice||
|2004–2005|_Monarch of the Glen_|Donald MacDonald|12 episodes||
|2006|_The Secret Show_|Robert Baron|Voice Episode: "The Secret Room"||
|2007|_Marple_|Frederick Treves|Episode: "Towards Zero"||
|2007–2008|_The Beeps_|Narrator|45 episodes||
|2008|_Little Britain USA_|Narrator|6 episodes||
|2008|_Have I Got News For You_|Himself|||
|2010|_Tom Baker: In Confidence_|Himself|Interviewed by Professor Laurie Taylor||

### Video games

|Year|Title|Role|class="unsortable"|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1997|_Destiny of the Doctors_|The Doctor|Voice and likeness||
|2000|_Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future_|Narrator|Voice||
|2001|_Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising_|Narrator|Voice||
|2003|_Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior_|Narrator|Voice||
|2004|_Sudeki_|Narrator|Voice||
|2005|_Heretic Kingdoms: The Inquisition_|Narrator|Voice||
|2005|_MediEvil: Resurrection_|Death|Voice||
|2006|_Cold Winter_|John Gray|Voice||
|2006|_Little Britain: The Game_|Narrator|Voice||
|2007|_Little Britain: The Video Game_|Narrator|Voice||

### Radio

|Year|Title|Role|
| --- | --- | --- |
|1994|_The Russia House_|Barley Blair|
|1998|_Hard Times_|Josiah Bounderby|
|1999|_Nicholas Nickleby_|Vincent Crummles|
|2009|_Hornets' Nest_|The Doctor|
|2010|_Demon Quest_|The Doctor|
|2011|_Serpent Crest_|The Doctor|