PATRICK TROUGHTONRemembered by many for his sterling performance as the second Doctor in the popular television series Doctor Who , Patrick Troughton died on 28 March ,1987, aged 67.
Over a40-year career in film and television and on the stage, Mr Troughton enjoyed fame portraying a multitude of some of the most famous characters from classical literature, history and the world of popular television.
Acting on television in classical renditions of Richard III, Robin Hood, The Count of Monty Cristo and The Scarlet Pimpernel , Mr Troughton became one of the country's most recognisable and finest dramatic actors.
Mr Troughton also ventured into the world of comedy, acting in such popular TV shows as The Goodies and Only When I Laugh .
Patrick George Troughton was born on 25 March, 1920, in Mill Hill, London, England, where he attended Mill Hill Public School .
He trained as an actor at the Embassy School of Acting in Britain and earned a scholarship to go to Leighton Rollin's Studio for Actors at Long Island in New York.
During the Second World War he joined the Royal Navy in 1940 and rose through the ranks to become the captain of a motor gunboat patrolling the North Sea .
After the war, Mr Troughton returned to acting and joined the Old Vic to become a Shakespearean actor. This led to his first appearances on television in the late 1940s with supporting roles in Hamlet and King Lear .
His first leading role came in 1953 when he portrayed the heroic outlaw Robin Hood in the television series of the same name. His work on television, which was always his greatest passion, continued with work on some of the best known British programmes during the 1960s and 1970s such as The Saint (1964), Z Cars (1964), The Persuaders (1971), and The Goodies (1972).
Two of his most notable and memorable film performances came in the Ray Harryhausen special effects-laden Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977).
But of course his most unforgettable performance came in 1966 when he took over from William Hartnell and became the second Doctor Who, a role he played for three years, taking up the role for two final appearances in1972 and1985.
Whilst attending a Doctor Who Convention in Columbia, Georgia, USA in March, 1987, Mr. Troughton was in fine spirits and enjoying meeting his American fans. He did not appear to be ill. He died of a heart attack in his hotel room at 7:35 on the morning of 28 March, just before he was to meet a friend for breakfast. Paramedics who were summoned reported that he died instantly. He left behind his wife Shelagh, his six children, two step-children and two grandchildren.
Patrick “Pat” Troughton was an expert swordsman, and his leisure time was spent playing golf, sailing and fishing. He also enjoyed reading philosophy.
The actor died in an environment surrounded by images of his accomplishments and many fans of his work on Doctor Who.A shining testament to his acting career. Mr Troughton was once quoted as saying that he’d had “a whale of a time” playing the Doctor and that, "Doctor Who gave me a chance to indulge my passion for dressing up and being able to have some sly fun as well as a bit of clowning."
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