Countdown! Just William Hartnell Days Left Until 'The Day of The Doctor'

Hartnell as the First Doctor had to wear a wig to
 get this signature long hair 

William Hartnell, of St. Pancras, London, was born January 8, 1908. Born to Lucy Hartnell, he never knew his father and was partly raised by his aunt, but spent a lot of time with his mother's family in Devon, where he learned to ride horses on their farm. After leaving school, young Billy flirted with petty crime.

Upon joining a boxing club for young boys, he met art collector, Hugh Blaker, who eventually became Hartnell's unofficial guardian. Blaker initially wanted young Hartnell to train as a jockey, but having a personal love for the theater, he helped the young man get into the Italia Conti Academy of Theater Arts. Blaker also paid for Hartnell to receive some "polishing" at the Imperial Service College, but he ran away due to the strict rules set before him.

In 1925, Hartnell started working under Frank Benson as a stagehand, and soon he began taking parts in numerous Shakespearian plays. In 1928 he performed in the play "Miss Elizabeth's Prisoner" alongside actress Heather McIntyre, whom he married in 1929. His first film role was in 1932, which lead to over 60 film performances throughout his career. In 1942, he was cast in Noel Coward's "In Which We Serve," but he arrived late to set, which caused Coward to berate him in front of the entire cast and crew. He was forced to apologize to everyone, though Coward fired him anyway.