Portrait of Patrick Troughton

Birthday profile

Patrick Troughton

Patrick Troughton, English actor (died 1987)

Born
March 25, 1920
Died
March 28, 1987
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1920

About Patrick Troughton

Patrick George Troughton ( TROW-tən; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor. He was best known for his work as a character actor in television, most notably starring as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who from 1966 to 1969; he reprised the role three times between 1972 and 1985. Troughton was classically trained at the Embassy School of Acting, and later enlisted with the Royal Navy during World War II. His early work included appearances in Laurence Olivier's Shakespeare film adaptations Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955). Troughton later appeared in the fantasy film Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and the horror films The Gorgon (1964), Scars of Dracula (1970) and The Omen (1976), as well as the fantasy television series The Box of Delights (1984). == Early life == === Family and education === Patrick George Troughton was born on 25 March 1920 in Mill Hill, Middlesex, to Alec Troughton, a solicitor with a shipping firm, and Dorothy (née Offord). He had an elder brother, Alec, and a younger sister, Mary. Troughton made his first foray into show business when he attended a kindergarten ballet class run by Pearl Argyle. Troughton boarded at Bexhill Prep School for five years, then attended Mill Hill School. As a teen he acted in school productions, such as J. B. Priestley's Bees on the Boat Deck in March 1937. Mill Hill School later named their Patrick Troughton Theatre after him.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Patrick Troughton timeline

  1. He was later awarded an acting scholarship at Leighton Rallius Studios in New York, United States, from June 1939.
  2. Mankiewicz directed Escape (one of the stars of which was First Doctor actor William Hartnell), and a minor role as a pirate in Disney's Treasure Island (1950), appearing only during the attack on the heroes' hut.
  3. He became best known for his work as a character actor in television, most notably starring as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who from 1966 to 1969; he reprised the role three times between 1972 and 1985.

The world when Patrick Troughton was born

Patrick Troughton was born in 1920. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1920

  • #1 song"Swanee" – Al Jolson
  • Top movieThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
  • Best-selling bookThe Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentBabe Ruth sold to the New York Yankees
  • Top headlineWomen win the right to vote with the 19th Amendment
  • Technology milestoneFirst commercial radio broadcasts
  • Defining fadFlappers and the Jazz Age
  • Notable inventionBand-Aid adhesive bandages
  • World population1.86 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderWoodrow Wilson
  • Sports championCleveland Indians (World Series)
  • U.S. population106.0M

1920 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Patrick Troughton's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19202026
Gas$0.30$3.45/gal
Average home$6,296$435,000
Average income$3,269$67,500
Movie ticket$0.15$11.95
Postage stamp$0.02$0.73
Population106.0M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.