The Aztecs

Tlotoxl (John Ringham) feels
the wrath of Barbara (Jacqueline Hill)
scorned

Four episodes (The Temple of Evil, The Warriors of Death, The Bride of Sacrifice, The Day of Darkness)
First broadcast May 6 to Jun 13 1964
Average audience for serial: 7.53m

• A pictorial guide to the guest cast can be found at the bottom of this entry. Read an episode-by-episode review of this story at Time Space Visualiser here!

REGULAR CAST

William Hartnell (The Doctor) Jan 8 1908 to Apr 23 1975 (heart failure after a series of strokes) For a full career biography for William Hartnell, click here.

William Russell (Ian Chesterton) Nov 19 1924 to Jun 3 2024 For a full career biography for William Russell (aka Russell Enoch), click here.

Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright) Dec 17 1929 to Feb 18 1993 (bone cancer) For a full career biography for Jacqueline Hill, click here.

Carole Ann Ford (Susan) Born Jun 8 1940 For a full career biography for Carole Ann Ford, click here.

CREDITED GUEST CAST

David Anderson (Aztec captain)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Caravan warrior in Marco Polo (1964, uncredited)
Played: Palace guard in Marco Polo (1964, uncredited)
Played: Aztec captain in The Aztecs (1964)
Fight arranger: The Aztecs (1964), The Time Meddler (1965), The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Soldier in The Reign of Terror (1964, uncredited)
Played: Reynier de Marun in The Crusade (1965)
Played: Sven in The Time Meddler (1965)
Played: Egyptian warrior in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66, uncredited)

Tom Booth (First Victim)
This is former stuntman Tom's only acting credit. It's believed he has passed away.

Andre Boulay (Perfect Victim) Sep 16 1934* to Mar 22 1996
Career highlights
Canadian Andre was also known under the name of Paul Dumont, and with these names he also appeared in The Saint (1962/63), Camino Real (1964), Benbow Was His Name (1964), In Camera (1964), All My Children (1971), Cover Girls (1977), Les Plouffe (1981) and Born Beautiful (1982).
* Some sources say 1932 and 1933, but this year is the most consistently reported.

Ian Cullen (Ixta) Oct 20 1939 to Nov 12 2019
Career highlights
Ian debuted in The Haunted House (1960), then Kidnapped (1963), Redcap (1966), Department S (1970), Voyage of the Damned (1976), The Paper Lads (1977), Blake's 7 (1978), Our John Willie (1980), Skorpion (1983), Spender (1992), Ain't Misbehavin' (1997), Harbour Lights (2000), Hellbreeder (2004), Cold Earth (2008), Dawn of the Dragonslayer (2011), The Echoes of Empire (2012), Shadows of a Stranger (2014) and England and the Road to Modernity (2015). He appeared regularly as Warren Kent in Emergency Ward 10 (1966-67), Detective Constable Skinner in Z Cars (1969-75), Geordie Watson in When the Boat Comes In (1977-81) and Angus Hart in Family Affairs (1997-99). He also wrote for TV, including Rogues' Rock (1974), Cruel Passion (1977), The Paper Lads (1977), Horse in the House (1977-79), a Play for Today (1979) and The House on the Hill (1981).
Facts
In 2014, following the death of Rani actress Kate O'Mara, Ian revealed that in 1962 he was briefly her lover. Kate fell pregnant, and initially claimed that the father was another actor, when it was actually Ian's. Their son, Dickon, grew up with Kate's first husband Jeremy Young (who appeared in An Unearthly Child and Mission to the Unknown) as his stepfather. Dickon tragically committed suicide in 2012 following addiction to drugs and alcohol. Ian also ran the Surrey Heath Young Actors Company for many years, and often worked as an acting tutor. He was married to actress Yvonne Quenet.
In 2013 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Ian here.

Keith Pyott (Autloc) Mar 9 1902 to Apr 6 1968
Career highlights
Keith's long career began playing Satan in The Marvellous History of St Bernard (1938) and his CV also includes appearances in The Spider and the Fly (1949), The Poltergeist (1950), Sea Devils (1953), The Quatermass Experiment (1953), The Colditz Story (1955), Sailor of Fortune (1956), I Accuse! (1958), Village of the Damned (1960), The Big Pull (1962), R3 (1965), The Troubleshooters (1966), The Reluctant Romeo (1967), The Prisoner (1967) and The Caesars (1968).
Facts
Keith's wife was actor Sheila Raynor, best known for her roles in The Plane Makers, A Clockwork Orange (she was the purple-haired Mum) and The Omen.

Walter Randall (Tonila) Jun 26 1929 to May 5 2006
Doctor Who credits
Played: Tonila in The Aztecs (1964)
Played: El Akir in The Crusade (1965)
Played: Hyksos in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Patrolman in The Invasion (1968)
Played: Harry Slocum in Inferno (1970)
Played: Guard captain in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Dancer/ actor Walter's long career began in Rock You Sinners (1958), then Nudist Paradise (1959), Man from Interpol (1960), The Hands of Orlac (1961), Ghost Squad (1963), Danger Man (1964), All Gas and Gaiters (1967), Trial (1971), Follyfoot (1973), The Double Dealers (1974), Target (1977), The Professionals (1980) and Yes, Minister (1982).
Facts
Former dancer Walter went into partnership with Jon Pertwee in the 1970s, owning a hamburger diner.

John Ringham (Tlotoxol) Feb 10 1928 to Oct 20 2008
Doctor Who credits
Played: Tlotoxl in The Aztecs (1964)
Played: Josiah Blake in The Smugglers (1966)
Played: Ashe in Colony in Space (1971)
Career highlights
John's acting career stretches as far back as Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans in 1957, and took in Very Important Person (1961), The Plane Makers (1963), The Forsyte Saga (1967), The Railway Children (1968), Up Pompeii (1970), The Pallisers (1974), Poldark (1975-76), Pennies from Heaven (1978), Maybury (1981) The Tripods (1985), Terry and June (1987), And There's More (1988), The Darling Buds of May (1991), The Governor (1995), Out of Sight (1997), The Secret of Eel Island (2005-07), V for Vendetta (2005) and Wallander (2008). He also played Captain Bailey in Dad's Army (1969-70), Superintendent Lake in Juliet Bravo (1980), Norman Warrender in Just Good Friends (1983-86) and Mr Blocker in Woof! (1989-93).
Facts
John was a member of the ensemble cast in the pilot episode of sitcom Dad's Army, but his character was dropped for the series as he was considered too similar to the bumbling Private Godfrey. He starred in TV adverts for Terry's Chocolate Orange spoofing the Indiana Jones films. He also wrote a couple of stage plays which were both premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, in 1991 and 1999. John's first wife was actress Elizabeth Shepherd (1959-62).

Margot Van der Burgh (Cameca) Nov 14 1918 to Jul 14 2008
Doctor Who credits
Played: Cameca in The Aztecs (1964)
Played: Katura in The Keeper of Traken (1981)
Career highlights
Margot's career began in How Does It End? (1952), followed by Jane Eyre (1956), Great Expectations (1959), The Herries Chronicle (1960), Crane (1963), Crime of Passion (1971), Anna Karenina (1977), Sense and Sensibility (1981), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985) and Blonde Fist (1991).

UNCREDITED GUEST CAST

Brian Baker (Aztec warrior)

John Beavis (Aztec warrior) John had a handful of small TV parts in the 1960s. In the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours list, he was awarded the MBE for services to the Ministry of Defence.

Eileen Brady (Aztec) Eileen also appeared uncredited in the stories The Leisure Hive (Tachyon image) and The Keeper of Traken (Trakenite).

James Duval (Aztec warrior) James was likely related to Paul.

Paul Duval (Aztec warrior) Paul also had uncredited roles in The Romans (Gladiator; Guard; Rabble). He was most likely related to James.

James Fitzgerald (Aztec warrior) James also had an uncredited role in The Highlanders (Crowd).

Lionel Gadsden (Old Aztec man) Aug 14 1879 to Nov 9 1965. Lionel is the earliest born actor to appear in Doctor Who (84 years old at the time of recording!), and the first male cast member to die (the first female was The Dalek Invasion of Earth's Jean Conroy). Doctor Who was Lionel's final role, following a career spanning back decades on the stage, and including more than 2,300 performances as Captain Hook in Peter Pan (4,000 times in total including other roles). He fell ill in October 1965 while appearing in the play Hostile Witnesses at the Haymarket Theatre, and died in hospital.

Alice Greenwood (Old Aztec woman) Mar 3 1887 to 1973. Alice was married to actor Charles Julian (1879-1963).

Andrew Jack (Aztec warrior) Jan 28 1944 to Mar 31 2020 (coronavirus). After playing numerous small roles on TV in the 1950s (including a regular schoolboy in Whack-O!) and 1960s, Andrew became an internally renowned dialect coach, tutoring actors in different accents in Star Wars films, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and even playing Caluan Ematt in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. His father was also an actor and dialect coach, Stephen Jack, who played Rex Farrel Sr in Terror of the Autons.

John H Moore (Aztec) Jul 12 1882 to Aug 20 1967.

William Raynor (Aztec) May 19 1893 to 1975.

Alan Vicars (Aztec warrior) May 14 1929 to May 2 1998. Alan was sometimes credited with the surnames Viccars and Meacham. He had many small roles in series from the 1960s through to the late 80s, including a good few Carry On films. His other uncredited Doctor Who work includes The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (Servant), Daleks Invasion Earth 2150AD (Dalek prisoner), The Underwater Menace (Laboratory assistant) and Doctor Who and the Silurians (Technician).

Stella Wilkinson (Aztec) Jul 14 1883 to Apr 1 1973.

CREW

John Lucarotti (writer) May 20 1926 to Nov 20 1994 (spinal cancer) Click here for John Lucarotti's entry on Marco Polo

John Crockett (director) Jan 31 1918 to Oct 11 1986
Doctor Who credits
Directed: Marco Polo (episode 4, 1964), The Aztecs (1964)
Career highlights
John began his career with a travelling theatre company called The Compass Theatre, taking quality drama to people who might not ordinarily get to see it, and then he moved into directing stage productions. It was this that led to his brief TV directing career on Suspense (1963) and Compact (1964-65), after which he became an art teacher in Somerset.
Facts
John spent his final years as a Benedictine monk at Prinknash Abbey in Gloucestershire, where he is now buried.

Verity Lambert (producer) Nov 27 1935 to Nov 22 2007 (cancer) Click here for Verity Lambert's entry on An Unearthly Child

Mervyn Pinfield (associate producer) Feb 28 1912 to May 20 1966 Click here for Mervyn Pinfield's entry on An Unearthly Child

David Whitaker (story editor) Apr 18 1928 to Feb 4 1980 (lymphoma) Click here for David Whitaker's entry on An Unearthly Child

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