Roger Delgado

Roger Delgado (March 1, 1918–June 18, 1973) British actor, best known for his role as the Master in Doctor Who.

Related Topics:
March 1 - 1918 - June 18 - 1973 - Actor - The Master - Doctor Who

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He was born Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto in Whitechapel, in the East End of London; his mother was Spanish and his father French. Delgado often remarked to Doctor Who actor Jon Pertwee, a close friend, that this made him a true cockney, as he was born within the sound of the Bow Bells.

Related Topics:
Whitechapel - East End - London - Jon Pertwee - Cockney - Bow Bells

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Delgado worked extensively on the British stage, and on TV, film and radio. He appeared in the 1955 BBC Television serial Quatermass II, had a role in the Powell and Pressburger wartime classic Battle of the River Plate, and came to wide popular attention in Britain when he played the duplicitous Spanish envoy Mendoza in the 1961 ITV series Sir Francis Drake, after which he was much in demand. His saturnine looks meant that he was frequently cast as a villain, and he appeared in many noted British action-adventure TV series of the 1960s, including The Avengers, The Champions, Danger Man, The Saint, The Power Game, Crossfire and Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased).

Related Topics:
1955 - BBC Television - Quatermass II - Powell and Pressburger - Battle of the River Plate - 1961 - ITV - Sir Francis Drake - The Avengers - The Champions - Danger Man - The Saint - Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)

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He made his first appearance in Doctor Who in the 1971 adventure Terror of the Autons. He subsequently reprised the role of the Master in many of the Third Doctor serials, including The Dæmons, The Claws of Axos, The Sea Devils, The Time Monster, The Mind of Evil and Frontier in Space, the last of which was completed shortly before his death. The Master's story arc was to have ended in The Final Game, which was planned as the final story to feature Pertwee's Third Doctor, but the story was scrapped following Delgado's sudden death. The role has since been played by several actors, most notably Anthony Ainley.

Related Topics:
Terror of the Autons - Third Doctor - The Dæmons - The Claws of Axos - The Sea Devils - The Time Monster - The Mind of Evil - Frontier in Space - Anthony Ainley

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Roger Delgado died on location in Turkey whilst shooting his first comedy role in the (never-completed) feature film Bell of Tibet. He was killed, along with two Turkish film technicians, when the chauffeur-driven car in which he was travelling came off the road and plunged into a ravine. Pertwee often remarked that Delgado's death at the age of 55 was one of the catalysts that led to his own departure from Doctor Who.

Related Topics:
Turkey - Bell of Tibet

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