Doctor Who Doctor's nature, somewhere between the twelfth and final incarnation. On rare occasions, other actors have stood in for the lead. In "The Five Doctors", Richard Hurndall played the First Doctor due to William Hartnell's death in 1975; 34 years later David Bradley similarly replaced Hartnell in "Twice Upon a Time". In "Time and the Rani", Sylvester McCoy briefly played the Sixth Doctor during the regeneration sequence, carrying on as the Seventh. For more information, see the list of actors who have played the Doctor. In other media, the Doctor has been played by various other actors, including Peter Cushing in
David Bradley (English actor) Thoughts Drama Group, which performs in and around Stratford-upon-Avon. On 17 July 2012, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Warwick. On 19 November 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from York St John University. He is an avid fan of football clubs Aston Villa and York City. On 22 November 2014, he took part in a video paying tribute to Aston Villa on the club's 140th birthday. David Bradley (English actor) David John Bradley (born 17 April 1942) is an English actor. He is known for playing Argus Filch in the "Harry Potter" film series,