John Scott Martin (1 April 1926 – 6 January 2009) was an English actor born in

Toxteth Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the county of Merseyside. Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Liverpool, Canning, Dingle, Liverpool, Dingle, and Edge Hill, Merseyside, Edge Hill ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. He made many film, stage and television appearances, but one of his most famous, though unseen, roles was as a Dalek operator in the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

''.

Career

Martin operated Daleks from 1965's '' The Chase'' through 1988's '' Remembrance of the Daleks'' making him the longest-running Dalek operator. He worked with eight different actors in the title role of the Doctor from William Hartnell to Sylvester McCoy, and also Richard Hurndall, who took on the role of the First Doctor in " The Five Doctors". Typically, Martin would operate the first Dalek when a group of three entered a scene, due largely to his long tenure on the programme.''Genesis of a Classic'' featurette, included on '' Genesis of the Daleks'' DVD. He also operated other ''Doctor Who'' monster costumes including the insectoid Zarbi in '' The Web Planet'', and the robotic Mechanoids in '' The Chase''. Martin made his first on screen appearance in The Dæmons, in which he appeared (uncredited) as Charlie, postmaster of Devils End, in three episodes. Martin also had a cameo in the BBC series '' The Tripods''. Some of his other television credits include various roles in '' I, Claudius'', ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...

'' and '' Softly, Softly'', as well as a TV Technician in '' Quatermass and the Pit'', as Brown in ''

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC1, created and written by Raymond Allen (scriptwriter), Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice. It was first broadcast in 1973 and ran for two series, inc ...

'', as a waiter in '' The Good Life'', as Hawke in Poldark (1977) and as Rico Vivaldi in five episodes of the 2004 comedy '' Mine All Mine'', written by Russell T. Davies. His film credits include a dancing instructor in a brief scene in Alan Parker's film adaption of

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

's '' The Wall'', and small roles in '' Ali G Indahouse'', ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 American film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986 film), a 1986 American film based on th ...

'', '' Erik the Viking'' and '' The Crimson Permanent Assurance'' segment of '' The Meaning of Life''. He appeared on the West End stage in shows like '' Kismet'', '' Oliver!'' and ''The Streets of London''. In the

Manchester Opera House The Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England, is a 1,920-seater commercial touring Theatre (structure), theatre that plays host to touring Musical theatre, musicals, ballet, concerts and a Christmas pantomime. It is a Grade II listed buil ...

production of ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

'' featuring Topol in the starring role, he played the Rabbi.

Death

Martin suffered from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

in later life. He died on 6 January 2009.

Partial filmography

* '' The Blood Beast Terror'' (1968) – Snaflebum * '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' (1970) – Scientist (uncredited) * '' Jude the Obscure'' (1971) – Doctor * '' No Sex Please, We're British'' (1973) – White Line Workman * ''

Pink Floyd – The Wall ''Pink Floyd – The Wall'' is a 1982 British live-action/animated musical surrealist drama film directed by Alan Parker, based on Pink Floyd's 1979 studio album '' The Wall''. The screenplay was written by Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist ...

'' (1982) – Dancing Teacher * ''

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life ''Monty Python's The Meaning of Life'', also known simply as ''The Meaning of Life'', is a 1983 British musical sketch comedy film written and performed by the Monty Python troupe, directed by Terry Jones. ''The Meaning of Life'' was the last f ...

'' (1983) – (segment "The Crimson Permanent Assurance") * ''

Young Sherlock Holmes ''Young Sherlock Holmes'' (also known with the title card name of ''Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear'') is a 1985 American mystery adventure film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Chris Columbus, based on the characters ...

'' (1985) – Cemetery Caretaker * ''

'' (1986) – 'Downtown' Bum #3 * ''

Little Dorrit ''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published in Serial (literature), serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea pris ...

'' (1987) – Faded Insolvent * '' Erik the Viking'' (1989) – Ingemund the Old * '' Bullseye!'' (1990) – Old Jeweller * ''Beg!'' (1994) – Nightwatchman * ''Out of Depth'' (2000) – Joe * '' Ali G Indahouse'' (2001) – Mr. Johnson

Notes

External links

*
77-year-old Dalek veteran offers to appear in new series
BBC News story {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, John Scott 1926 births 2009 deaths People from Toxteth Male actors from Liverpool English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors Daleks