Editing Anthony Ainley

{{Short description|British actor (1932–2004)}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Anthony Ainley
| image              = Anthony Ainley, Baltimore 1987 1.jpg
| caption            = Ainley at a convention in [[Baltimore]], Maryland, in March 1987
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|df=y|1932|8|20}}
| birth_place        = [[Stanmore]], [[Middlesex]], England
| education = [[Cranleigh School]]
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|df=y|2004|5|3|1932|8|20}}
| death_place        = [[Harrow, London|Harrow]], [[London]], England
| occupation         = Actor
| father             = [[Henry Ainley]]
| relatives          = [[Richard Ainley]] (half-brother)
| known_for          = Playing [[The Master (Doctor Who)|The Master]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' (1981–1989)
| yearsactive        = 1942, 1965–1989, 1997
}}

'''Anthony Ainley''' (20 August 1932 – 3 May 2004) was a British actor. He was the fourth actor to portray [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ware |first=Peter |title=Fact File: Utopia |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/facts/fact_311.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108184048/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/facts/fact_311.shtml |archive-date=8 November 2012 |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

==Early life==
Ainley was born in [[Stanmore]], [[Middlesex]], the son of the actor [[Henry Ainley]], on 20 August 1932, although his birth was not registered until January 1938 at around the time that he was admitted to the actors' orphanage. The birth certificates of Anthony and his brother Timothy identify their mother as Clarice Holmes and it is under this surname that they are recorded in the Official Register. Although no father is named on the birth certificates, Timothy's marriage certificate identifies Henry Ainley as his father.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

Under the name of Anthony Holmes, Ainley attended [[Cranleigh School]] from 1947 to 1950. His first job was as an insurance clerk, which was followed by a period at [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art|RADA]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/anthony-ainley-38450.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/anthony-ainley-38450.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |first=Anthony |last=Hayward |title=Anthony Ainley |date=9 May 2004 |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |access-date=5 May 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He won the Fabia Drake Prize for Comedy whilst at RADA.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/obituaries/2004/anthony-ainley/ |title = Anthony Ainley &#124; Obituaries|date = 2004-05-17}}</ref> His half-brother, [[Richard Ainley]], was also an actor.

==Career==
Ainley's swarthy appearance tended to get him parts as villains, though an early regular role on British television was as Det. Sgt Hunter, sidekick to [[William Mervyn]]'s Chief Inspector Rose in the second series of ''[[The Odd Man|It's Dark Outside]]'' in 1966. Other notable roles include a [[Subaltern (military)|subaltern]] in the 1969 film version of ''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]'',<ref name="imdb.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0014677/ |title=Anthony Ainley |publisher=IMDb |access-date=5 May 2017}}</ref> Dietz in the 1974 film version of ''[[The Land That Time Forgot (1974 film)|The Land That Time Forgot]]'',<ref name="imdb.com"/> Reverend Fallowfield in the [[Tigon British Film Productions|Tigon]] film ''[[The Blood on Satan's Claw]]'' (1971),<ref name="imdb.com"/> [[Henry Sidney]] in ''[[Elizabeth R]]'' (1971),<ref name="imdb.com"/> Clive Hawksworth in ''[[Spyder's Web]]'' (1972),<ref name="imdb.com"/> Rev. Emilius in the [[BBC]]'s adaptation of ''[[The Pallisers]]'' (1974),<ref name="imdb.com"/> Johnson in the first episode of the [[BBC]] programme ''[[Secret Army (TV series)|Secret Army]]'' (1977), and Sunley in ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' episode "Noon Doomsday" (1968). He was also one of the [[British Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] policemen who discover James Bond's supposed corpse in the opening sequence of ''[[You Only Live Twice (film)|You Only Live Twice]]'' (1967). Ainley played the role of the wealthy young peer Lord Charles Gilmour in the [[London Weekend Television|LWT]] series ''[[Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series)|Upstairs, Downstairs]]'' (1973).<ref name="imdb.com"/>

===''Doctor Who''===
[[File:Master Ainley.jpg|thumb|right|Ainley as [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]] in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial ''[[Logopolis]]'' (1981)]]

Reportedly, it was his performance as Rev. Emilius (in ''The Pallisers'') that led to him being offered the role of the Master by [[John Nathan-Turner]], who had worked on ''The Pallisers'' seven years before becoming producer of ''Doctor Who''.<ref>{{cite news |first=Toby |last=Hadoke |url=https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,3604,1217308,00.html |title=Obituary: Anthony Ainley |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=15 May 2004}}</ref> Ainley first portrayed [[Nyssa (Doctor Who)|Nyssa]]'s father Tremas in the 1981 serial ''[[The Keeper of Traken]]'', which led to him becoming a new embodiment of The Master. From then on, he appeared in most seasons up until the cancellation of the original series in 1989, including its final serial, ''[[Survival (Doctor Who)|Survival]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/survival/detail.shtml |title=Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – Survival – Details |publisher=BBC |date=29 October 2014}}</ref>

Ainley's incarnation of The Master spanned four different incarnations of the Doctor. His appearances included the following serials:
''[[The Keeper of Traken]]'' (1981),
''[[Logopolis]]'' (1981),
''[[Castrovalva (Doctor Who)|Castrovalva]]'' (1982),
''[[Time Flight]]'' (1982),
''[[The King's Demons]]'' (1983),
''[[The Five Doctors]]'' (1983),
''[[Planet of Fire]]'' (1984),
''[[The Mark of the Rani]]'' (1985),
''[[The Ultimate Foe]]'' (1986)
and ''[[Survival (Doctor Who)|Survival]]'' (1989).

He later reprised the role for the 1997 BBC computer game ''[[Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors|Destiny of the Doctors]]''.

Ainley's great love of the role is often cited in documentaries and [[DVD-Video|DVD]] commentaries. Script editor [[Eric Saward]] claimed that he introduced himself over the phone by saying "This is the Master" and then would laugh. In the commentary and documentary for ''[[The Mark of the Rani]]'', both [[Colin Baker]] and [[Kate O'Mara]] say that "He only ever wanted to play the Master."{{cn|date=August 2024}} Baker remarked that he could afford this luxury because he had built up a private income by the mid-1980s and had inherited a considerable sum of money from his father. In "Cat Flap: Making of Survival", [[Sylvester McCoy]] confirms that all he ever wanted to be is the Master, and he kept his role active, even when not on set. "He was as scary off camera as he was on it."{{cn|date=August 2024}}

==Personal life==
Ainley remained unmarried throughout his life.<ref name="theguardian.com">{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/may/15/guardianobituaries.television |title = Obituary: Anthony Ainley|newspaper = The Guardian|date = 2004-05-14|last1 = Hadoke|first1 = Toby}}</ref> He joked on the DVD commentary for ''The Keeper of Traken'' (which was recorded shortly before his death) that he did not like the three rings of marriage: the engagement ring, the wedding ring and the bickering.

Ainley was a keen sportsman. Initially he was a [[Rugby union|rugby]] player, he played at [[Rugby union positions#Fly-half|fly-half]] for the Old Cranleighans, Richmond and Middlesex.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Donald |last=Stephen |title=Obituary: Anthony Ainley |journal=Old Cranleighans Magazine}}</ref> Later he turned his attentions to [[cricket]], citing [[Sophie Aldred]] (who played [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]]) as his friend once he learned that she played the game. He appeared on many occasions for the Stage and London Theatres C.C. mainly as an opening [[Batting (cricket)|batsman]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Peter The Lord's Cat and Other Unexpected Obituaries From Wisden |editor-first=Gideon |editor-last=Haigh |publisher=John Wisden + Co. |location=London |year=2006 |page=3}}</ref>

==Death==
Ainley died in [[Harrow, London|Harrow]], [[London]], on 3 May 2004, at the age of 71. He was known to be reclusive, remaining out of the public eye for most of his life after ''Doctor Who'' was put on hiatus in 1989.

==Biography==
In 2015, Fantom Publishing published the biography of Anthony Ainley - The Man Behind the Master by Karen Louise Hollis. This came out in hardback, followed by paperback and audiobook.<ref>{{cite web |title=Anthony Ainley - The Man Behind the Master |url=https://www.fantompublishing.co.uk/product/man-behind-master/ |website=Fantom Publishing |access-date=2 June 2024}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1942||''[[The Foreman Went to France]]''||Boy||Uncredited<ref name="theguardian.com"/>
|-
|1966||''[[Naked Evil]]''||Dick Alderson||
|-
|1967||''[[You Only Live Twice (film)|You Only Live Twice]]''||Hong Kong Policeman #2||Uncredited
|-
|rowspan=2|1968||''[[Inspector Clouseau (film)|Inspector Clouseau]]''||Bomber LeBec||
|-
|''[[Joanna (1968 film)|Joanna]]''||Bruce||
|-
|1969||''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]''||3rd Aide||
|-
|rowspan=2|1971||''[[Assault (film)|Assault]]''||Mr. Bartell||
|-
|''[[The Blood on Satan's Claw]]''||Reverend Fallowfield||
|-
|1974||''[[The Land That Time Forgot (1974 film)|The Land That Time Forgot]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/918239/death-becomes-him|title = Death becomes him}}</ref>||Dietz||
|-
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
||1965||''[[It's Dark Outside]]''||Det. Sgt. Hunter||5 Episodes
|-
|rowspan=2|1967||''[[The Golden Age (1967 TV series)|The Golden Age]]''||Uncredited||1 Episode: A Divided Country
|-
|''[[Champion House]]''||Leslie Molesworth||1 Episode: The Second Freedom
|-
|rowspan=2|1968||''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]''||Edward Sunley||1 Episode: Noon-Doomsday
|-
|''[[The Champions]]''||Landing party lookout #1||1 Episode: The Dark Island
|-
|1969||''Who-Dun-It''||Paul Verrier||1 Episode: The Fall of a Goddess
|-
|rowspan=2|1970||''[[Department S (TV series)|Department S]]''||Supervisor||1 Episode: A Ticket to Nowhere
|-
|''Biography''||Trelawny||1 Episode: Byron
|-
|rowspan=6|1971||''[[Doomwatch]]''||Senior House Officer||1 Episode: No Room for Error
|-
|''[[Play for Today]]''||Surgeon||1 Episode: The Rainbirds
|-
|''[[Elizabeth R]]''||Henry Sidney||1 Episode: The Marriage Game
|-
|''[[Out of the Unknown]]''||Frank Bowers-One||1 Episode: Welcome Home
|-
|[[Brett (1971 TV series)|''Brett'']]||Gerard Delamore||2 Episodes
|-
|''[[Hassan (film)|Hassan]]''||Ishak||TV movie
|-
|rowspan=5|1972||''[[The Adventurer (TV series)|The Adventurer]]''||Kerston||1 Episode: The Bradley Way
|-
|''[[The Shadow of the Tower]]''||Sir William Courtney||1 Episode: The Man Who Never Was
|-
|''[[Clouds of Witness#TV adaptation|Clouds of Witness]]''||Dennis Cathcart||1 Episode
|-
|''[[Spyder's Web]]''||Clive Hawksworth||13 Episodes
|-
|''[[BBC Play of the Month]]''||Ferdinand Gadd||1 Episode: Trelawny of the Wells
|-
|rowspan=3|1973||''[[Warship (1973 TV series)|Warship]]''||Phillip Tashing||1 Episode: A Standing and Jumping War
|-
|''[[Orson Welles Great Mysteries]]''||Lafarge||1 Episode: The Ingenious Reporter
|-
|''[[Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series)|Upstairs, Downstairs]]''||Lord Charles Gilmour||3 Episodes
|-
|1974||''[[The Pallisers]]''||Rev. Emilius||7 Episodes
|-
|1975||''[[Anne of Avonlea (1975 film)|Anne of Avonlea]]''||Stephen Irving||1 Episode
|-
|rowspan=3|1976||''[[The Flight of the Heron]]''||Lord George Murray||1 Episode
|-
|''[[The Fortune Hunters (film)|The Fortune Hunters]]''||Leslie Symington||TV movie
|-
|''[[Within These Walls]]''||James Buckingham||1 Episode: Visitors
|-
|rowspan=3|1977||''[[Nicholas Nickleby (1977 TV series)|Nicholas Nickleby]]''||Sir Mulberry Hawk||4 Episodes
|-
|''[[Secret Army (TV series)|Secret Army]]''||Johnson||1 Episode: Lisa – Codename Yvette
|-
|''[[Target (British TV series)|Target]]''||Alexander Trist||1 Episode: Carve Up
|-
|rowspan=2|1978||''[[The Devil's Crown]]''||Pope Innocent III||1 Episode: Tainted King
|-
|''[[Lillie (TV series)|Lillie]]''||Lord Carrington||2 Episodes
|-
|1980||''[[Mackenzie (1980 TV series)|Mackenzie]]''||Richard Wilcox||3 Episodes
|-
|1981
| rowspan="5" |''[[Doctor Who]]''
|Tremas
|4 Episodes; serial ''[[The Keeper of Traken]]''
|-
|1981–1986, 1989||[[The Master (Doctor Who)|The Master]]||27 Episodes; serials ''[[The Keeper of Traken]], [[Logopolis]], [[Castrovalva (Doctor Who)|Castrovalva]], [[Time-Flight]], [[The King's Demons]], [[The Five Doctors]], [[Planet of Fire]], [[The Caves of Androzani]], [[The Mark of the Rani]], [[The Ultimate Foe]], and [[Survival (Doctor Who)|Survival]]''
|-
| rowspan="2" |1982
|Portreeve
|2 Episodes; serial [[Castrovalva (Doctor Who)|''Castrovalva'']]
|-
|Kalid (as Leon Ny Taiy)
|1 Episode; serial ''[[Time-Flight]]''
|-
| rowspan="2" |1983
|Sir Gilles Estram
|1 Episode; serial ''[[The King's Demons]]''
|-
|''[[The Boy Who Won the Pools]]''||Mr. Simmons||2 Episodes
|-
|1997||''[[Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors|Destiny of the Doctors]]'' ||The Master || Video game; Final role
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0014677|name=Anthony Ainley}}
* [https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,3604,1217308,00.html Obituary] in ''[[The Guardian]]''
* {{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/anthony-ainley-549892.html |title=Obituary |website=[[Independent.co.uk]] |access-date=15 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619085451/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/anthony-ainley-549892.html |archive-date=19 June 2008 |url-status=dead }} in ''[[The Independent]]''

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ainley, Anthony}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at Cranleigh School]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Harrow]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:People from Stanmore]]