Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2011 14:05:15 GMT 1
www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12549622
Doctor Who 'Brigadier' Nicholas Courtney dies aged 81
Source: bbc.co.uk
Veteran Doctor Who actor Nicholas Courtney, best known for playing Brigadier Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart, has died in London at the age of 81.
The series regular passed away after a short illness, his agent told the BBC.
The actor appeared on screen opposite five different Doctors and worked with two more - David Tennant and Paul McGann - on Doctor Who audio stories.
In 2008 he reprised his Brigadier role in Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Courtney had already appeared in such series as Escape and The Saint before making his first Doctor Who appearance in 1965, playing a character named Bret Vyon.
He returned to the show in 1968 to make his first appearance as the Brigadier opposite the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton.
The stalwart of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) would periodically return over the next two decades before his final appearance in 1989.
In 2008 he appeared in an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures Courtney continued to work on other shows during that time, including The Avengers, The Champions, Callan and Minder.
After Doctor Who he had parts in such popular dramas as The Bill, Casualty and Doctors.
In 1997 he became honorary president of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society in recognition of the 107 episodes in which he appeared.
League of Gentlemen star and Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss remembered the actor as "a childhood hero and the sweetest of gentlemen".
Impressionist Jon Culsaw said Courtney was "a brilliant actor and warm, charming man", while Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright paid tribute to "a true gent".
Doctor Who 'Brigadier' Nicholas Courtney dies aged 81
Source: bbc.co.uk
Veteran Doctor Who actor Nicholas Courtney, best known for playing Brigadier Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart, has died in London at the age of 81.
The series regular passed away after a short illness, his agent told the BBC.
The actor appeared on screen opposite five different Doctors and worked with two more - David Tennant and Paul McGann - on Doctor Who audio stories.
In 2008 he reprised his Brigadier role in Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Courtney had already appeared in such series as Escape and The Saint before making his first Doctor Who appearance in 1965, playing a character named Bret Vyon.
He returned to the show in 1968 to make his first appearance as the Brigadier opposite the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton.
The stalwart of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) would periodically return over the next two decades before his final appearance in 1989.
In 2008 he appeared in an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures Courtney continued to work on other shows during that time, including The Avengers, The Champions, Callan and Minder.
After Doctor Who he had parts in such popular dramas as The Bill, Casualty and Doctors.
In 1997 he became honorary president of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society in recognition of the 107 episodes in which he appeared.
League of Gentlemen star and Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss remembered the actor as "a childhood hero and the sweetest of gentlemen".
Impressionist Jon Culsaw said Courtney was "a brilliant actor and warm, charming man", while Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright paid tribute to "a true gent".
