Chosen to play Quatermass (the fourth different actor to play the role in four serials on television) was the distinguished actor John Mills, who had appeared in significant roles in many high-profile British films, including "The Way to the Stars" (1945), "Great Expectations" (1946) and "Ice Cold in Alex" (1958), and had won an Academy Award for his role in "Ryan's Daughter" (1970). Mills, whose only previous television credit at the time was "The Zoo Gang" (1974), was reluctant to take the part but was persuaded by his wife, who liked the script. Following "Quatermass" he appeared in "Gandhi" (1982), "Martin Chuzzlewit" (1994) and "Hamlet" (1996), working right up to his death in 2005.