Sylvester McCoy

Sylvester McCoy is a Scottish actor best known for portraying the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in long-running British Sci-Fi series Doctor Who. McCoy played the final Doctor in the original run of the series from 1987 until 1989, also returning briefly for the television movie in 1996 and in 2021 for a special trailer for a Limited Edition Collector Set. He has continued to portray the Seventh Doctor since 1999 in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions. With over six decades in the acting industry, he is also well known for playing wizard Radagast in The Hobbit series of films directed by Peter Jackson.

Born Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith in Dundoon, Scotland, McCoy studied for a priesthood in his younger years before giving it up and moving to London. He was discovered by legendary theatre actor, director and director Ken Campbell whilst working at The Roundhouse box office, and joined The Ken Campbell Roadshow, an experimental theatre troupe. He rose to prominence playing a stuntman in the play An Evening with Sylveste McCoy and began to appear on television in shows such as Tiswas, Jigsaw and Vision On.

McCoy landed the role of a lifetime when he was cast as the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the iconic sci-fi series Doctor Who in 1987. He remained with the series until it ended with the episode Survival in 1989, and the actor has stayed an active supporter of the Doctor Who franchise ever since, reprising his role in audio productions and several times on television. His numerous television, stage and film credits since Doctor Who include sitcom Zapped, King Lear, American sci-fi drama Sense8 and the epic Hobbit film trilogy.