John Scott Martin
Encyclopedia
John Scott Martin was an English
actor born in Toxteth, Liverpool
. He made many film, stage and television appearances, but one of his most famous, though unseen, roles was as a Dalek
operator in the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who
.
Martin operated Daleks from 1965's The Chase
through to 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks
making him the longest-running Dalek operator. He worked with eight different actors in the title role of Doctor Who from William Hartnell
to Sylvester McCoy
, and also Richard Hurndall
, who took on the role of the First Doctor in The Five Doctors
. Typically, Martin would operate the first Dalek when a group of three entered a scene, due largely to his long tenure on the programme. He also operated other Doctor Who monster costumes including the insectoid Zarbi in The Web Planet
, and the robotic Mechanoids in The Chase
. In the episode Robot
Martin made his first on screen appearance, he appeared as a guard in the first episode. Martin also had a cameo in the BBC series The Tripods
.
Some of his other television appearances include I, Claudius
, Z-Cars
, Quatermass and the Pit
, Softly, Softly
and the comedy Mine All Mine
, written by Russell T Davies.
His film credits include a dancing instructor in a brief scene in Alan Parker's
film of Pink Floyd's
The Wall
, and small roles in Ali G Indahouse
, Little Shop of Horrors and the Monty Python films Erik the Viking
and The Meaning of Life.
He appeared on the West End stage in shows like Kismet
, Oliver!
and The Streets of London
. In the Manchester Opera House production of Fiddler on the Roof
featuring Topol
in the starring role, he played the Rabbi.
Martin also appeared in the music video for the Catatonia
single "Dead from the Waist Down". His daughter, Catriona Martin is also an actress.
Martin suffered from Parkinson's disease
in later life. When Doctor Who was revived in 2005, he said he would have been happy to play a Dalek again if asked. He died on 6 January 2009. He was survived by his wife and daughter.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor born in Toxteth, Liverpool
Toxteth
Toxteth is an inner city area of Liverpool, England. Located to the south of the city, Toxteth is bordered by Liverpool City Centre, Dingle, Edge Hill, Wavertree and Aigburth.-Description:...
. He made many film, stage and television appearances, but one of his most famous, though unseen, roles was as a Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
operator in the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
.
Martin operated Daleks from 1965's The Chase
The Chase (Doctor Who)
The Chase is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. The story is set on multiple locations including the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building, and the planet Aridius...
through to 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1988....
making him the longest-running Dalek operator. He worked with eight different actors in the title role of Doctor Who from William Hartnell
William Hartnell
William Henry Hartnell was an English actor. During 1963-66, he was the first actor to play the Doctor in the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Early life:...
to Sylvester McCoy
Sylvester McCoy
Sylvester McCoy is a Scottish actor. As a comic act and busker he appeared regularly on stage and on BBC Children's television in the 1970s and 80s, but is best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1987 to...
, and also Richard Hurndall
Richard Hurndall
Richard Gibbon Hurndall was an English actor.-BBC radio:Hurndall was born in Darlington and he attended Claremont Preparatory School, Darlington and Scarborough College, before training as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He then appeared in several plays at Stratford-upon-Avon...
, who took on the role of the First Doctor in The Five Doctors
The Five Doctors
The Five Doctors is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced in celebration of the programme's twentieth anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago PBS station WTTW and various other PBS member stations...
. Typically, Martin would operate the first Dalek when a group of three entered a scene, due largely to his long tenure on the programme. He also operated other Doctor Who monster costumes including the insectoid Zarbi in The Web Planet
The Web Planet
The Web Planet is the fifth serial in the second season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 13 February 1965 to 20 March 1965...
, and the robotic Mechanoids in The Chase
The Chase (Doctor Who)
The Chase is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. The story is set on multiple locations including the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building, and the planet Aridius...
. In the episode Robot
Robot (Doctor Who)
Robot is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 28 December 1974 to 18 January 1975...
Martin made his first on screen appearance, he appeared as a guard in the first episode. Martin also had a cameo in the BBC series The Tripods
The Tripods
The Tripods is a series of young adult novels written by John Christopher, beginning in 1967. The first two were the basis of a science fiction TV-series, produced in the United Kingdom in the 1980s....
.
Some of his other television appearances include I, Claudius
I, Claudius (TV series)
I, Claudius is a 1976 BBC Television adaptation of Robert Graves' I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Written by Jack Pulman, it proved one of the corporation's most successful drama serials of all time...
, Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
, Quatermass and the Pit
Quatermass and the Pit
Quatermass and the Pit is a British television science-fiction serial, originally transmitted live by BBC Television in December 1958 and January 1959. It was the third and last of the BBC's Quatermass serials, although the character would reappear in a 1979 ITV production simply entitled Quatermass...
, Softly, Softly
Softly, Softly (TV series)
Softly, Softly is a British television drama series, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC 1 from January 1966. It centred around the work of regional crime squads, plain-clothes CID officers based in the fictional region of Wyvern - supposedly in the Bristol and Chepstow area of the UK...
and the comedy Mine All Mine
Mine All Mine
Mine All Mine is a British television series produced by Red Production Company for ITV. It was written by Russell T Davies and starred Griff Rhys Jones...
, written by Russell T Davies.
His film credits include a dancing instructor in a brief scene in Alan Parker's
Alan Parker
Sir Alan William Parker, CBE is an English film director, producer, writer and actor. He has been active in both the British cinema and American cinema and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain.-Life and career:...
film of Pink Floyd's
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
The Wall
Pink Floyd The Wall (film)
Pink Floyd—The Wall is a 1982 British live-action/animated musical film directed by Alan Parker based on the 1979 Pink Floyd album The Wall. The screenplay was written by Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roger Waters. The film is highly metaphorical and is rich in symbolic imagery and sound...
, and small roles in Ali G Indahouse
Ali G Indahouse
Ali G Indahouse is a British comedy film directed by Mark Mylod and starring the fictional character Ali G, who is performed by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen...
, Little Shop of Horrors and the Monty Python films Erik the Viking
Erik the Viking
Erik the Viking is a 1989 feature film written and directed by Terry Jones. The film was inspired by Jones's children's book The Saga of Erik the Viking , but the plot is completely different. Jones also appears in the film as King Arnulf....
and The Meaning of Life.
He appeared on the West End stage in shows like Kismet
Kismet
Kismet may refer to:* Fate or Destiny in Turkish and Hindi-Urdu, a predetermined course of events, from Persian qesmat, from Arabic qisma, lot, from qasama, to divide, allot...
, Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
and The Streets of London
The Streets of London
The Streets of London is a crime film released in 1929, directed by Norman Lee, featuring David Dunbar, Jack Rutherford, Charles Lincoln, Beatrice Duffy, and Wera Engels....
. In the Manchester Opera House production of Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
featuring Topol
Chaim Topol
Chaim Topol , often billed simply as Topol, is an Israeli theatrical and film performer, actor, writer and producer. He has been nominated for an Oscar and Tony Award, and has won two Golden Globes.-Early life:...
in the starring role, he played the Rabbi.
Martin also appeared in the music video for the Catatonia
Catatonia (band)
Catatonia were an alternative rock band from Wales who gained a national following in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 1990s. The band consisted of Cerys Matthews on vocals, Mark Roberts on guitar, Paul Jones on bass , Owen Powell on...
single "Dead from the Waist Down". His daughter, Catriona Martin is also an actress.
Martin suffered from Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
in later life. When Doctor Who was revived in 2005, he said he would have been happy to play a Dalek again if asked. He died on 6 January 2009. He was survived by his wife and daughter.
External links
- 77 year old Dalek veteran offers to appear in new series BBC News story
- Lasting Tribute Online tribute to John Scott Martin