PATRICK TROUGHTON, best known as the second Doctor Who in the long-running BBC television series, died suddenly on March 28 while attending a Doctor Who convention in the United States. He was 67.
Educated at Mill Hill School, he trained at the Embassy School of Acting before World War II and also won a scholarship to Leighton Rollins Studio for Actors in Long Island, New York. His career was interrupted by war service, but on release he joined the company at the then recently instituted Bristol Old Vic and by the fifties had established a reputation as a reliable stage actor who was particularly comfortable in costume roles.
But when television got into its stride, Troughton became especially at home in that medium, appearing in scores of live productions, and seldom returning to the theatre. In 1966 he succeeded William Hartnell as Doctor Who and brought an entirely new conception to the role, being considerably younger and imbuing it with his own brand of eccentricity.
After playing the part for three years, he found little difficulty in reverting to a more general run of roles, and also did a large amount of film work, being particularly memorable as the haunted priest in The Omen.
Married three times, he leaves a widow and six children of his own, and two stepchildren. A son, David, and a daughter, Joanna, have followed him into the profession.
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