Top 10 Actors to Portray the Doctor

As of today, over 20 actors and actresses have portrayed this Gallifreyan. How do they size up to each other? Vote for your favorite Doctors to help move them to the top of this list.
The Top Ten
1 David Tennant David Tennant is a Scottish actor known for his roles as the Tenth Doctor in the British television series Doctor Who, Alec Hardy in Broadchurch, Giacomo Casanova in the TV serial Casanova, Kilgrave in Jessica Jones, and Barty Crouch, Jr. in the Harry Potter movie series.

David was my first Doctor which means he'll always have a special place in my heart as every first Doctor does! He was funny, gorgeous & just had the doctor essence that made him amazing! Matt Smith has really grown on me & I love him too (although I didn't watch him straight after David - David's departure was too much to bare) I would still have to say David is the doctor for me!

DEFINITELY David. He was smart, funny and amazing- and so much like me! I remember watching the bloopers and he accidentally knocks down something and then he jumps back, covers his ears and closes his eyes as it falls with a bang! That's my reaction every single time I knock something over and it was riveting to see that David had the same reaction!

Bloody brilliant actor, had a great sense of humor and fit in so well with his companions. And yes, his hair adds into the equation too. He's so intense and really acts like how I think the real Doctor would (if only he IS real... ) Yeah. TENNANT RULES!

It is extremely difficult to make me cry. Not even during The Fault in Our Stars. Yet this man has made me cry not once, but three times! And that season 4 finale... The way he conveys emotions just fits the tenth Doctor so well, makes the audience feel what they're supposed to, and just ask the fandom how much they love him. Plus he has great hair :D

2 Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker is an English actor. He is best known as the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who from 1974 to 1981, a longer tenure than any other actor, and for the narration of the comedy series Little Britain.

I think the vote is dominated by a younger view point however, they have not really seen Tom Baker in action. He had a really dynamic on screen presence, I have seen all the doctors.. Tom, has a unique voice and a vocabulary that surpassed every other doctor. Don't take my word for it... watch 3 episodes from each Doctor then you decide.

How amazing Tom Baker was. He perfectly balanced a fun, jelly-baby-loving eccentric and a dark, mysterious hero. With his trademark scarf and fedora as well as the trusted K9 by his side, he is most certainly iconic.

David Tennant is nothing compared to him. He was the greatest.

Best Doctor EVER. His, 'eccentric attitude' shines throughout his run, proving the Doctor is %100 alien.
Oh, and he wore an epic scarf and had an epic robot dog, K-9.

Who else would offer Davros a jelly baby? The best Doctor in my opinion. A joy to watch. Fortunately he left before John Nathan-Turner ruined the series.

3 Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith is an English actor. He is best known for his role as the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, for which he received a BAFTA Award nomination in 2011.

Matt Smith is Awesome! My favourite doctor! I love his innocent personality. He has tons of hilarious scenes and lines! I love EVERY episode from this doctor. His story arcs were brilliant and well developed (cracks in space and time, The Doctor's name, the Pandorica etc.).

His regeneration was really emotional, in my opinion. I loved his speech about how 'we all change' and 'I'll always remember when the Doctor was me' (My favourite line from the entire show). I cried during his regeneration, I didn't want to see him go but I knew that his time was up.

Matt Smith will always be my Doctor

Matt was amazing as the two-hearted alien we all know and love. His graceful clumsiness (apparently that's a thing), his brilliant speeches, his daringness as a doctor and his persuasive ability to make even all of his enemies, combined, in one place, run away in terror just by saying stuff on a speakerphone (stonehenge) is just AMAZING. You are missed Fish fingers and custard. Hope you return!

I did like David Tennant but he got a bit preachy, and he was way to much of a typical hero. Matt Smith was great. He was perfectly weird, and way more compelling as a character. Plus it's always more fun to watch a goofy weirdo who thinks he's cool than someone who's actually cool trying to look weird.

I like them all, but I think matt smith really nailed it. It might mostly be because he had some of the best written Episodes I have ever see, but still even so I think Matt rased the bar higher then David.

4 Christopher Eccleston

The most realistically written Doctor in my opinion... Just came from the 'last great time war' that wiped out his planet/Species among chunks of other races and parts of the universe.

Suffering survivors guilt with a hefty dose of 'PTSD' as well as 'shell shock syndrome'.. Incredibly complex/multi layered/Dark and able to portray it all in just one look along with his 900 years of pain/tragedy/life.

Haunted, pained, tortured, unstable, but hidden underneath goofiness, mania but you could see through the facade to the incredibly damaged 'Timelord' underneath.

He was the most fully rounded, developed and psychological doctor out of them all, and his journey towards a peace/acceptance/love was riveting to watch.

Nobody could have kicked open the doors to 'Nuwho' and made it the success that it has became but Ecclestone.. A very underrated doctor who was only on the show a season but made a very significant mark in my eyes.

Always my Doctor. He got me into the show, I always think of his face when the show is mentioned. 10 was great, 11 was wonderful, 12 was amazing... but 9 is the Doctor.

Really He Clearly Should be second the most realistic doctor and he doesn't look weird like Matt Smith which is a bonus.

He looked normal, which the 10th Doctor lacked. And he was realistically written. Scarred, damaged, etc.

5 Jon Pertwee

Action adventurer.. one of the most significant 'first' five Doctors that set the pacde and legend for the modern series.. Ecclestone? Please no!

The Third doctor. Had a "mane of white hair".

6 Peter Capaldi

He is the Rockstar of Doctor Who. He showed badass-ness, smarts and the absolute coolest guitar! Peter is very talented man who can act, sing, draw and play the guitar.

Wow. I hated him in series 8 but in series 9 he just dominated every episode. Under the Lake, The Zygon Inversion, Face the Raven, and Heaven Sent were all incredible performances for Capaldi. Easily beats tennant and smith, and Baker!

Peter Capaldi is by far the bravest doctor. He's been through so much and yet still doesn't make a big show about it and still does the right thing. HE'S ALSO A MAGICIAN!

The most Alien of all. Mercuric and hyperactive, but in some moments sad and solemn. But, overall, enigmatic.

7 Patrick Troughton

If people watched the classics this guy would be near the top. He's one of the fan favourites, along with Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, David Tennant and Matt Smith. Patrick Troughton made bow ties cool and he was more than a guy who 'wore plaid pants and played a musical instrument'

The second doctor. Wore plaid pants and played a musical instrument.

My favorite. And did you see tomb of the cyber men? Best story ever

8 Sylvester McCoy

Sylvester will always be my number 1 Doctor and here's why:

I know that he didn't have the best debut episode, but if I have to give 'Time and the Rani' credit, it would have to go to some of Sylvester's performance as the Doctor. I found it hilarious how he kept mixing up phrases and words.

I also love the transition from a comedic and kind Doctor to a manipulative and darker Time Lord. I find it absolute BS that he didn't get another season.

McCoy was a major success when it came to portraying the Doctor. A stylish and comedic touch fused with a more darker and manipulative side. What other Doctor would use reverse psychology to destroy a Dalek mothership?

The seventh doctor. Had a stylish umbrella.

The best Doctor. End of story.

9 William Hartnell

Doctor Who is one of those shows that gets progressively worse as it advances.

The man who started it all and had passion for it.

The first doctor. Had combed, white hair.

10 Paul McGann

I'm sorry he is the worst Doctor because he did the Telly Movie in 1996. I hated Paul Mcgann's Doctor because he was just awful and his peformance was like Overcooked Toast washed in water, Lots of out of date chocolate spread over it, Butter and marmalade spead over it served with out of date Milk. If that was the case I would not watch the 1996 T.V. Movie and listen to his Big Finish audio book storie and just burn it a Roasted Open Fire.

His audios stories are fantastic. Big finish deserve series respect for giving us the 8th Doctor stories the BBC couldn't!

Peter Davison the nicest Doctor? Listen to the audio "Neverland" and tell me Paul isn't the kindest soul to ever pilot the Tardis.

The Eighth doctor. From the TV movie; wore a green coat.

The Contenders
11 Peter Davison

Peter Davison really brought a new aspect to the role. He was more human like, and didn't always get things right. If he did get some things wrong, he would have to deal with the consequences. So he is by far my favorite actor to play the doctor.

Underrated! He deserves first spot, he always get into trouble and preferring to be honest and human-y more.. Really great doctor, and mostly travel with 3 companions at once. And and sorry I must dash now

The fifth doctor. Wore a tannish white suit with red trim, and a sprig of celery.

Was in the best episode in the series, the Caves of Androzani! So ya, he's pretty awesome!

12 Colin Baker

I guess I have a soft spot fir this doctor since we share a first name (my parents actually came up with the name because my dad was a fan), but he really isn't that bad. Sure, his tenure was hurt by behind-the-scenes chaos, but most of the hate comes from people who haven't seen any of his episodes. The actor himself is actually really good as he has a Hartnell-esque style. I love episodes like "Revelation of the Daleks" and "The Two Doctors", but my favorite Colin Baker performance would actually be "The Five-ish Doctors", a real-life set parody created for the 50th anniversary. Anyway, he's no Tom Baker, but he is a lot better than people say.

When are people going to realize that Colin was actually the best actor to play the Doctor?

Six needs more love, guys! He's a good Doctor. (Especially in the Big Finish audios. )

The sixth doctor. Wore a clown's jacket and yellow pants.

13 John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt, CBE (January 22, 1940 - January 25, 2017) was an English actor and voice actor whose career spanned six decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors; director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in the world".

Personally, I didn't like The Day of the Doctor, but this guy made all worth while. He was just so good. He is a very good Doctor.

14 Jodie Whittaker

So far, and this is not impacted by the fact that she is a woman, I think Whittaker is trying too hard like David Tennant. Many of her lines are really, and I mean really annoying. Her character is not that unique either so far, and following up Capaldi just makes her an even bigger disappointment.

It's not fair to judge her yet. As of now, she's had one line. 'Oh brilliant.'

15 Michael Jayston
16 David Warner

He's great in the Unbound and Bernice Summerfield audios, wish Big Finish would do more "what if? " stories with Doctors from parallel universes

17 Richard Hurndall

5 Doctors 'Hartnall Replacement'.. Great character actor.. Did the impossible by playing the First Doctor in the special..

18 Peter Cushing

Grand Moff Tarkin.. Yes the Hammer star was the Doctor who was inventor from earth.. Not included in the official screen cannon though!

Why is Peter Cushing's Doctor Who film duology so underrated? I actually like him.

I actually really like the two Dr Who films with him in.

19 David Bradley
20 Frazer Hines
21 Tim Treloar
22 Adam Driver
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