Stephen Dartnell

Stephen Thomas Dartnell (died 1994[1]) was a British actor,[2] who appeared in several television programmes.[3] He is best known for his two 1964 appearances in the first season of Doctor Who. He portrayed Yartek, leader of the Voord, in The Keys of Marinus[4] and John, a mineralogist who has been driven to mania, in The Sensorites.[5][6] Dartnell also made appearances in the 1960 feature films Circle of Deception and Oscar Wilde.[7] He was also a theatre director and was active with the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow.[3][8]

Stephen Dartnell
Dartnell in Doctor Who: The Sensorites (1964)
Died1994
OccupationActor
Years active1955-1966

Personal life

As a gay young man during the early 1950s, Dartnell found himself the victim of homophobic abuse when a youth threw paint over him. The youth went home and told his father that the actor had propositioned him. The father went to the police and when it came to court, the judge threw it out for being indefensible and the father and son were fined for wasting police time and perjury. As a result, Dartnell was kicked out of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop (as was Harry Greene for sticking up for him) but was supported throughout this ordeal by Harry H. Corbett.[9]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1960 Oscar Wilde Cobble
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Clubhouse worker uncredited
Circle of Deception Brunner uncredited

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1955 BBC Sunday Night Theatre Military recruit Season 6, episode 44: "The Makepeace Story #3: Family Business"
Othello Sailor TV movie
1960 ITV Television Playhouse Jack Palmer Season 5, episode 30: "Incident"
1964 Doctor Who Yartek

John

 Season 1: (7 episodes)
1965 A Tale of Two Cities Jacques One Series 1 (4 episodes)
1966 Theatre 625 Barman Season 3, episode 21: "A Man Like That"

References
  1. "Beyond the TARDIS: Obituary", Doctor Who Magazine, No. 220, 21 December 1994, pg.2 (I have had confirmation from a family tree owner for Stephen Thomas Dartnell 1931-1995 who informed that he was not an actor)
  2. "Stephen Dartnell | Movies and Filmography". AllMovie. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  3. "Stephen Dartnell". IMDb. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  4. "BBC One - Doctor Who".
  5. "Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - The Sensorites". BBC.
  6. "Doctor Who Guide: Stephen Dartnell". Doctor Who Guide. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  7. "Stephen Dartnell | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  8. Everett, Rupert (18 January 2007). Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins: The Autobiography. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 9780759571396.
  9. Corbett, Susannah (2011). Harry H. Corbett: The Front Legs of the Cow. History Press. ISBN 9780752480473.


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