Anthony Ainley

At 71 years old, Anthony Ainley has this physical status:

Anthony Ainley (1932 – May 4, 2004) was an English actor best known for his appearances on British television, as well as his role as the Master in Doctor Who.

He was the fourth actor to perform the role of the Master and the first actor to portray the Master as a recurring actor after Roger Delgado's death in 1973.

Early life

Ainley was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, the son of actor Henry Ainley, but his birth was not confirmed until January 1938, about the time he was admitted to the actors' orphanage. Anthony and his brother Timothy's birth certificates identify their mother as Clarice Holmes, and it is under this surname that they are registered in the Official Register. Although no father is identified on the birth certificates, Timothy Ainley's marriage certificate names Henry Ainley as his father.

Ainley attended Cranleigh School from 1947 to 1950, under the name Anthony Holmes. His first job was as an insurance clerk, followed by a time in RADA. When he was in RADA, he won the Fabia Drake Prize for Comedy. Richard Ainley, Richard Ainley, his half-brother, was also an actor.

Personal life

Ainley remained unmarried throughout his life. He joked on The Keeper of Traken's DVD commentary that was broadcast shortly before his death that he did not like the three rings of marriage: the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and bickering.

Ainley was a keen sportsman. He started playing at fly-half for the Old Cranleighans, Richmond, and Middlesex. He shifted his attentions to cricket later, naming Sophie Aldred (who played Ace) as his friend after he learned that she was familiar with the game. He appeared on many occasions for the Stage and London Theatres in C.C. I'm mainly known as a starting batsman.

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Career

Ainley's swarthy appearance tended to land him villains in serial roles, but Det had a early appearance on British television as Det. In the second series of It's Dark Outside in 1966, Sgt Hunter, a sidekick to William Mervyn's Chief Inspector Rose, appears. In the 1969 film version of Oh!, a subaltern was also notable. What a Lovely War, Dietz, The Land That Time Forgot In the Tigon film The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971), Henry Sidney, Clive Hawksworth in Spyder's Web (1972), Rev. Clive Hawksworth. Emilius in the BBC's adaptation of The Pallisers (1974), Johnson in the first episode of the BBC programme Secret Army (1977), and Sunley in The Avengers episode "Noon Doomsday" (1968). He was also one of the Hong Kong policemen who discovers James Bond's ostensible body in the opening sequence of You Only Live Twice (1967). In the LWT series Upstairs, Downstairs (1973), Ainley played the wealthy young peer Lord Charles Gilmour.

It was also his job as Rev. Jeremy, as Rev. Emilius (in The Pallisers) was a contributor to his brother's appointment as the Master by John Nathan-Turner, who had served on The Pallisers for seven years before becoming the producer of Doctor Who. Ainley first appeared in the 1981 serial The Keeper of Traken and appeared in almost every season up to the original series's cancellation in 1989, which included the final serial, Survival.

The Keeper of Traken (1981), Logopolis (1981), The Master of Fire (1984), The First Doctors (1981), The Keeper of Traken (1982), The Emperor's Demons (1982), Time Flight (1982), The Mark of Fire (1986), The Ultimate Foe (1989), Ainley's Doctor Who (1989).

He later reprised his role in the 1997 BBC computer game Destiny of the Doctors.

In documentaries and DVD commentaries, Ainley's deep love of the position is often cited. Eric Saward, a script editor, said he introduced himself over the phone by saying, "This is the Master" and then chuckled. Both Colin Baker and Kate O'Mara say, "he only ever wanted to play the Master." Baker said he could afford this luxury because he had accumulated a personal wealth by the mid-1980s and had inherit a substantial amount of money from his father. Sylvester McCoy says that all he ever wanted to be is the Master, and that even when not on schedule, he kept his role as active. "He was just as scary off camera as he was on it."

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