Actor / Director Profile

Anthony Ainley was a notable British actor and a member of a distinguished British acting family. His brother was Richard Ainley (1910-1967) and his father Henry Ainley (1879-1945). He worked in the theatre for many years and eventually found work in various historical film dramas in the 1970s. However, his claim to fame is in the casting in the role of the Master in the long running science fiction series, "Doctor Who" (1963). He joined the team in 1980, appearing in at least one of every six episodes per year until 1986 - when his contract expired. However, he did reprise the role for the final Doctor Who episode entitled 'Survival' - where the Master was supposedly killed off. He retired from acting professionally in the late nineties and played cricket up until the time of his death in May 2004.