Burgess Meredith

**Oliver Burgess Meredith** (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker, whose career encompassed theater, film, and television.

Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "one of the most accomplished actors of the century". A lifetime member of the Actors Studio, he won several Emmys, was the first male actor to win the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor twice, and was nominated for two Academy Awards. He played The First Doctor from 1963 to 1966. yet later coming back to portray him in The Three Doctors

He established himself as a leading man in Hollywood with critically acclaimed performances as Mio Romagna in Winterset (1936), George Milton in Of Mice and Men (1939), and Ernie Pyle in The Story of G.I. Joe (1945).

Meredith was known later in his career for his appearances on The Twilight Zone and for portraying both arch-villain the Penguin in the 1960s TV series Batman and boxing trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky film series. For his performances in The Day of the Locust (1975) and Rocky (1976), he received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He later appeared in the comedy Foul Play (1978) and the fantasy film Clash of the Titans (1981). He narrated numerous films and documentaries during his long career.

"Although those performances renewed his popularity," observed Mel Gussow in The New York Times, "they represented only a small part of a richly varied career in which he played many of the more demanding roles in classical and contemporary theater—in plays by Shakespeare, O'Neill, Beckett and others."

### Roles in Doctor Who

He played The First Doctor from 1963 to 1966 eventually returning for The Three Doctors.

## After Doctor Who

He was cast as The Penguin in the 1966 ABC Series Batman He was also in *Madame X* (with Lana Turner, 1966) and *Stay Away Joe* (1968), appearing as the father of Elvis Presley's character. He was acclaimed by critics for his performance as Harry Greener in *The Day of the Locust* (1975) and received nominations for the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Academy Award for best supporting actor. Meredith then played Rocky Balboa's trainer Mickey Goldmill in the first three *Rocky* films (1976, 1979, and 1982). Though his character died in the third *Rocky* film, he returned briefly in a flashback in the fifth film, *Rocky V* (1990). His portrayal in the first film earned him his second consecutive nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Meredith played an old Korean War veteran Captain J. G. Williams in *The Last Chase* (1981) with Lee Majors. He appeared in Ray Harryhausen's last stop-motion feature *Clash of the Titans* (also 1981) in a supporting role. Meredith appeared in *Santa Claus: The Movie* (1985) and was a voice actor in *G.I. Joe: The Movie* (1989). In his last years, he played Jack Lemmon's character's sex-crazed 95-year-old father in *Grumpy Old Men* (1993) and its sequel, *Grumpier Old Men* (1995)

Stories

Season 1

1. An Unearthly Child
2. The Daleks
3. The Edge of Destruction
4. Marco Polo
5. The Keys of Marinus
6. The Aztecs
7. The Sensorites
8. The Reign of Terror

Season 2

1. *Planet of Giants*
2. *The Dalek Invasion of Earth*
3. *The Rescue*
4. *The Romans*
5. *The Web Planet*
6. *The Crusade*
7. *The Space Museum*
8. *The Chase*
9. *The Time Meddler*

Season 3

1. *Galaxy 4*
2. *The Myth Makers*
3. *The Daleks' Master Plan*
4. *The Massacre*
5. *The Ark*
6. *The Celestial Toymaker*
7. *The Gunfighters*
8. *The Savages*
9. *The War Machines*

Season 4

* *The Smugglers*
* *The Tenth Planet*
* *The Power of the Daleks*

Season 10

* *The Three Doctors*

20th anniversary special

* *The Five Doctors*

After