Tom Baker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tom Baker MBE
Baker in 2023
Born	Thomas Stewart Baker (1934-01-20) 20 January 1934 (age 91) Vauxhall, Liverpool, England
Alma mater	Rose Bruford College
Occupation	Actor writer
Years active	1956–present
Known for	Fourth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who
Spouse(s)	Anna Wheatcroft ​ ​ (m. 1961; div. 1966)​ Lalla Ward ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1982)​ Sue Jerrard ​ (m. 1986)​
Children	2
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Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is most famous for playing the Fourth Doctor in the science fiction TV show Doctor Who. He was the Doctor for the longest time, from 1974 to 1981.

Later in his career, Baker acted in TV shows like Medics (1992–1995) and Monarch of the Glen (2004–2005). He also narrated the comedy series Little Britain (2003–2006). His deep voice was very well-known, and in 2006, it was voted the fourth most recognizable voice in the UK.

Early Life and Acting Start

Growing Up in Liverpool

Thomas Stewart Baker was born in Vauxhall, Liverpool, England, on 20 January 1934. His mother, Mary Jane, worked as a cleaner. His father, John Stewart Baker, was a sailor and was often away at sea.

School and New Paths

Baker went to Cheswardine Hall Boarding School. When he was 15, he joined a group of religious brothers. He left six years later because he decided it wasn't the right path for him. He then served in the Royal Army Medical Corps from 1955 to 1957. After the army, he worked in the Merchant Navy.

Becoming an Actor

Around 1956, Baker started acting. He joined the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama. By the late 1960s, he became a professional actor. He began working in local theaters.

Acting Career Highlights

First Big Roles

Baker got his first big chance in 1968. He performed in a show that someone from the Royal National Theatre saw. This led to him joining the company, which was led by famous actor Laurence Olivier. From 1968 to 1971, Baker had small roles and was an understudy.

His stage work helped him get TV roles in shows like Dixon of Dock Green and Z-Cars. In 1971, he got his first major film role as Grigori Rasputin in Nicholas and Alexandra. He was even nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for this role. He also played the evil sorcerer Koura in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973).

Becoming the Doctor

Baker in 1986

In early 1974, Tom Baker was looking for acting work. The producer of Doctor Who, Barry Letts, was searching for a new actor to play the Doctor. Letts was very impressed by Baker and chose him for the role. At the time, Baker was working on a construction site because acting jobs were hard to find.

Baker quickly made the role his own. Viewership for Doctor Who went up a lot during his first few years. His unique style, like his long scarf and love for jelly babies, made him very popular. He also added many of his own ideas to the Doctor's personality. The long scarf was actually an accident! The costume designer had given too much wool to the knitter, who used it all.

During his time, Doctor Who had its highest viewing figures ever. Baker played the Doctor for seven seasons, making him the longest-serving actor in the role. Many people still consider him the most popular Doctor. Classic episodes from his era include Genesis of the Daleks (1975) and The Robots of Death (1977).

Baker loved playing the Doctor. He said it was "the realization of all my childhood fantasies." He returned briefly for the 30th anniversary special Dimensions in Time (1993). He also voiced the Doctor in the video game Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors (1997).

In 2013, Baker appeared in the 50th-anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor". He played a mysterious Curator who looked very much like the Fourth Doctor. In 2017, he returned to complete the unfinished Doctor Who story Shada, with new animation and a new scene.

Doctor Who Audio Adventures

For many years, Tom Baker did not want to voice the Doctor in audio dramas. However, in 2009, he agreed to return for a series of five audio stories called Hornets' Nest. He continued with more audio adventures, including Demon Quest and Serpent Crest.

He has also recorded many audio stories for Big Finish Productions. He has worked with actors who played his companions, like Louise Jameson (Leela) and Mary Tamm (Romana I). In 2020, he recorded an alternative version of the story Revenge of the Cybermen with Sadie Miller, the daughter of his former co-star Elisabeth Sladen.

As of 2025, Tom Baker is the oldest living actor to have played the Doctor.

Other Film and TV Roles

Baker in 2010

In 1982, Baker played Sherlock Holmes in a BBC miniseries called The Hound of the Baskervilles. He also appeared in Blackadder II as Captain Redbeard Rum. In 1990, he played Puddleglum in the BBC adaptation of C. S. Lewis' The Silver Chair.

Baker was a guest on the quiz show Have I Got News For You. The host, Angus Deayton, said Baker was the funniest guest ever on the show. Baker also hosted the children's book series The Book Tower.

He was considered for the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings films. However, he turned it down because it would mean spending many months away in New Zealand. He played Halvarth, an Elven healer, in the film Dungeons & Dragons (2000).

Narrating Little Britain

Baker became the narrator for the popular comedy series Little Britain on BBC Radio 4 and later on television. He believes he was chosen because the show's creators, Matt Lucas and David Walliams, grew up watching him as the Doctor. He said, "I am now being employed by the children who grew up watching me."

Voice Acting Work

Baker in 2012

Tom Baker has done a lot of voice acting for radio and animated shows. He voiced Max Bear in an animated series from 2000 to 2005. He also voiced the villain ZeeBad in the 2005 animated film The Magic Roundabout. In 2007, he was the voice of Robert Baron in The Secret Show.

He narrated the children's animated series The Beeps and Tales of Aesop. In the animated series Star Wars Rebels, Baker provided the voice of Bendu, a powerful being connected to the Force.

Video Games and Narration

Baker voiced the Fourth Doctor in the 1997 video game Destiny of the Doctors. His voice has also been in other video games like Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (2000) and Cold Winter (2005).

His voice is very famous in the UK. In 2006, it was voted the fourth most recognizable voice. He has narrated many documentaries and commercials. For a time, his voice was used by BT to read text messages over the phone. He recorded thousands of phrases for this service.

You can hear Baker's voice at the Natural History Museum in London. He narrates parts of the exhibits about Darwin's theory of natural selection. He also provides narration for the Nemesis roller coaster at Alton Towers and at the London Dungeon.

Books Written by Tom Baker

Tom Baker wrote his autobiography, Who on Earth is Tom Baker?, which was published in 1997. He also wrote a short fairytale-style novel called The Boy Who Kicked Pigs. In 1981, he put together a collection of poems for children.

In 2019, Baker released a Doctor Who novel called Scratchman. He co-wrote it with James Goss. The book is based on a film script Baker and Ian Marter wrote for a Doctor Who movie in the 1970s.

Personal Life

Tom Baker has been married three times. His first marriage was to Anna Wheatcroft in 1961. They had two sons, Daniel and Piers, before divorcing in 1966. He later reconnected with his son Piers.

In December 1980, he married Lalla Ward, who played his companion Romana in Doctor Who. They divorced in 1982.

Baker married Sue Jerrard on 1 April 1986. She had been an assistant editor on Doctor Who. They lived in Kent, England, and later moved to France. They now live in Rye, East Sussex.

Baker has said he is not religious. In 2025, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his contributions to television.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre Performances

Video Games

Radio and Audio Drama

Web

Discography

See also

In Spanish: Tom Baker para niños