---
name: "Jon Pertwee"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jon-pertwee"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "7 July 1919"
died: "20 May 1996"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T15:43:38.726825+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jon Pertwee

Actor. Born 7 July 1919 in Chelsea, London, England, UK. Died 20 May 1996.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 7 July 1919, Chelsea, London, England, UK
- **Died:** 20 May 1996
- **Also known as:** John Devon Roland Pertwee

## Fi1m on Jon Pertwee

> Jon Pertwee makes taking charge entertaining: the clothes are flamboyant, but the certainty is played straight. We rate his Doctor for making unlikely dangers matter, with a confidence that can sometimes leave too little room for doubt.

Jon Pertwee's velvet jackets, capes and ruffled shirts make no attempt at modesty. In *Doctor Who* (1963), he wears the finery while playing someone who expects to be listened to and is prepared to do something himself. We found his readiness to take charge reassuring: the physical commitment to the action makes the Doctor's confidence feel earned. He gives us good reason to stay with an adventure even when the programme takes its time getting anywhere.

The move into that leading role in 1970 came after radio comedy, including *The Navy Lark* (1959), and supporting work in the *Carry On* films. His Doctor, played until 1974, belongs to the programme's first colour seasons, often working with UNIT in Earth-bound stories. Gadgets, fast vehicles and Venusian aikido make this an active version of a character who can spend a considerable time explaining things. The comic timing remains useful, but Pertwee does not treat the adventure as an elaborate excuse for a joke.

Alongside Roger Delgado's Master and Nicholas Courtney's Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Pertwee makes the Doctor's right to take charge seem beyond question. With Barry Letts producing and Terrance Dicks as script editor, the Earth-bound adventures give him plenty to do with that assurance. There is a limitation in his certainty, though: it can narrow our sense of what might go wrong. Patrick Troughton's watchfulness and Peter Davison's vulnerability leave more room for unease; Pertwee is more likely to reassure us.

*Worzel Gummidge* (1979) makes a useful companion to the Doctor, giving his comic skills more room in slapstick and sentimental scenes. It also helps explain why reducing Pertwee to an authoritative manner and a wardrobe misses much of the work. His willingness to commit physically serves the comedy as well as the action, without making the two performances interchangeable. Start with his *Doctor Who* years if a capable adventurer sounds more inviting than an anxious one, and allow the stories time to talk.

## Biography

Jon Pertwee was an English actor. Born John Devon Roland Pertwee on 7 July 1919 in London, he came from a theatrical family; his father Roland Pertwee was a playwright and actor, and his brother Michael was a writer.

Pertwee trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in repertory theatre and cabaret before the Second World War, during which he served in the Royal Navy and Naval Intelligence. After the war he became known as a comedy performer on BBC radio, notably in The Navy Lark (1959–1977), and appeared in several Carry On films.

He is best known for playing the Third Doctor in the BBC series Doctor Who from 1970 to 1974. He later starred as the title character in the children's television series Worzel Gummidge (1979–1981 and 1987–1989). Pertwee died on 20 May 1996.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, screenonline.org.uk, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Doctor Who* (1963), Fi1m 81, as The Doctor — [page](https://film.one/tv/doctor-who.md)

## Also known for

- *Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor* (2013), The Doctor (3) (archive footage)
- *Doctor Who: The Next Doctor* (2008), The Doctor (3) (archive footage)
- *The House That Dripped Blood* (1971), Paul Henderson (segment 4 "The Cloak")
- *Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song* (2015), The Doctor (3) (picture) (uncredited)
- *The Avengers* (1961), Brigadier Whitehead
- *A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum* (1966), Crassus
- *Carry On Screaming!* (1966), Dr. Fettle
- *Carry On Cleo* (1964), Soothsayer

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jon-pertwee