Tom Baker is an English actor with a prolific career across stage, film, television and radio. His professional acting debut was as the bear in The Winter’s Tale at Assembly Hall, Edinburgh, in 1966. His film debut came the following year in that play's film adaptation. Baker joined the National Theatre company in 1968, appearing in stage productions such as The Travails of Sancho Panza, The Merchant of Venice, The National Health and A Woman Killed with Kindness. His National Theatre contract ended in 1971.
His first major film role was as Grigori Rasputin in Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), for which he was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Newcomer. He appeared in the BBC’s 1972 Play of the Month production of The Millionairess. He continued to work in theatre, with a role in The Novelist at Hampstead and as the lead in Macbeth at the Shaw Theatre, London.
Baker took supporting parts in fantasy genre films, such as The Canterbury Tales (1972), The Vault of Horror (1973), Frankenstein: The True Story (1973), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) and The Mutations (1974). His film career stagnated when three film projects collapsed due to lack of funding, and he started working part-time on a building site. His performance in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad impressed producer Barry Letts, who cast Baker in February 1974 as the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who (1974–1981). Baker's performance is often considered the best of the many actors who played the character. He stayed with the series for seven consecutive seasons.
Baker withdrew to the theatre after leaving Doctor Who. He played Oscar Wilde on stage in Feasting with Panthers at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 1981, and the following year played Judge Brack in Hedda Gabler in the West End and Dr. Bryant in Educating Rita for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He returned to television, portraying Sherlock Holmes in the serial The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982) and Redbeard Rum in Blackadder II (1986). His first long-running role since playing the Doctor was as Dr. Hoyt in the medical drama series Medics (1992–1995). He later appeared in the series Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000–2001) and Monarch of the Glen (2004–2005).
Baker moved into voice acting in the early 2000s. He narrated the comedy series Little Britain (2003–2006, 2019) and Little Britain USA (2008). In 2006 he was voted the fourth-most recognisable voice in the United Kingdom. He had voice roles in animated programmes such as Tales of Aesop (1990), The Secret Show (2006), The Beeps (2007–2008) and Star Wars Rebels (2016). He has also provided vocals for musical artists such as alternative rock band Mansun (on the 1998 album Six) and progressive rock project Ayreon (on the 2020 album Transitus). Since 2011, Baker has regularly reprised his role as the Fourth Doctor in licensed audio dramas by Big Finish Productions.
Film
Television
Theatre
| Year
|
Title
|
Role
|
Notes
|
Ref(s)
|
| 1966
|
The Winter's Tale
|
The Bear, Rogero, Autolycus, a gentleman, two dancers
|
Assembly Hall, Edinburgh; Cambridge Theatre, London; Teatro La Fenice, Venice
|
[6]
|
| 1967
|
Shop in the High Street
|
|
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
|
| Stand Still and Retreat Onwards
|
|
| Apple a Day
|
|
| Dial M for Murder
|
|
Henley-on-Thames
|
| The Reluctant Debutante
|
|
| Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
|
T/O Extra
|
The Old Vic
|
|
| 1968
|
Hay Fever
|
|
The Library Theatre, Scarborough
|
|
| The Strongbox
|
|
|
| Arden of Faversham
|
|
|
| A Bout in the Backyard
|
|
|
| 1969–70
|
The National Health or Nurse Norton’s Affair
|
Extra
|
The Old Vic
|
|
| The Travails of Sancho Panza
|
Rozinante the horse
|
|
| 1970
|
The Merchant of Venice
|
Prince of Monaco
|
|
| 1969–70
|
The National Theatre
|
|
| 1970
|
The Idiot
|
Parfyon Rogozhin
|
[6]
|
| 1970–1
|
Mrs. Warren's Profession
|
|
|
| 1971
|
A Woman Killed With Kindness
|
Sir Francis Acton
|
The Old Vic
|
[6]
|
| The Rules of the Game
|
Filippo
|
New Theatre and Theatre Royal
|
|
| 1972
|
Troilus and Cressida
|
|
Bristol Old Vic
|
|
| Don Juan
|
|
|
| The White Devil
|
|
|
| 1973
|
Macbeth
|
Macbeth, King of Scotland
|
Shaw Theatre
|
[6]
|
| 1974
|
The Trials of Oscar Wilde
|
Oscar Wilde
|
Oxford Festival
|
[60]
|
| 1981
|
Treasure Island
|
Long John Silver
|
Mermaid Theatre
|
[6]
|
| Feasting with Panthers
|
Oscar Wilde
|
Chichester Festival Theatre
|
[61][6][62]
|
| 1982–3
|
Hedda Gabler
|
Judge Brack
|
Bristol Hippodrome and Cambridge Theatre, London
|
|
| Educating Rita
|
Frank
|
UK Tour
|
[63]
|
| 1984–5
|
She Stoops to Conquer
|
Mr Hardcastle
|
National Theatre – Lyttelton, National Theatre
|
|
| Theatre Royal
|
|
| 1985
|
The Mask of Moriarty
|
Sherlock Holmes/Professor Moriarty
|
Gate Theatre
|
|
| 1987
|
An Inspector Calls
|
Inspector Goole
|
Westminster Theatre, London
|
[64]
|
| 1988
|
The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
|
Ken de la Maize
|
Greenwich Theatre, London
|
|
| 1994
|
Arsenic and Old Lace
|
Jonathan Brewster
|
Theatre Royal, Alhambra Theatre and other locations
|
[6]
|
| 2024
|
A Christmas Carol
|
Jacob Marley (prerecorded segment)
|
Crime and Comedy Theatre Company
|
[65]
|
Video games
Audio drama
Key
| †
|
Denotes series that have not yet been released
|
Music
| Year
|
Artist
|
Album
|
Notes
|
Ref(s)
|
| 1982
|
The Conversation Foundation
|
Serafina - the Story of a Whale
|
Baker plays Adamus Plato; produced for EMI's Music for Pleasure
|
[95][96][97]
|
| 1995
|
Technocat
|
|
Spoken vocals on the track "Only Human"
|
|
| 1998
|
Mansun
|
Six
|
Narrator on track "Witness to a Murder (Part 2)"
|
[98][99][100]
|
| 2009
|
Stephen James
|
Andabrek
|
Recorded monologue for the track "Megamorphosis" in 2002
|
[101][102]
|
| 2020
|
Ayreon
|
Transitus
|
Baker plays the character "The Storyteller"
|
[103]
|
Web
| Year
|
Title
|
Role
|
Notes
|
|
| 2020
|
The Doctors Say Thank You
|
Himself
|
|
[104][105]
|
References
Citations
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Bibliography