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Anthony Ainley 1932 - 2004
Obituary for Anthony Ainley, actor, born August 20 1932; died May 3 2004
By Toby Hadoke Saturday May 15, 2004 The Guardian

Born in London, the son of the silent-film and West End actor Henry Ainley, Anthony made an uncredited appearance as a young boy in the war propaganda film The Foreman Went To France (1942), before studying at Rada. Subsequent repertory led to occasional film roles, including bit parts in You Only Live Twice (1967) and Oh! What A Lovely War (1969), though his main career was in television. An early break came in It's Dark Outside (1965), in which he played a detective sergeant to William Mervyn's chief inspector. Roles in such anthology series as Out Of The Unknown and Play For Today led, in 1972, to more prominent parts, among them Clive Hawksworth, in the thriller series Spyder's Web, and Ferdinand Gadd, in Herbert Wise's production of Pinero's Trelawny Of the Wells. During the 1970s, Ainley carved himself a niche playing aristocratic, often villainous, parts in high-profile costume dramas, including three episodes of Upstairs Downstairs (1971, as Lord Charles Gilmour), Nicholas Nickleby (1977, as Sir Mulberry Hawk) and Lillie (1978, as Lord Carrington in an account of the career of Lillie Langtry). On film, his most prominent role was as a sadistic Nazi officer in The Land That Time Forgot (1975). Ainley would not have known when playing the calculating Rev Emilius in the television dramatisation of Trollope's political novels, The Pallisers (1974), that its young production manager, John Nathan-Turner, would eventually be in charge of Doctor Who. However, Nathan-Turner remembered Ainley's performance with such admiration that he offered him the role of The Master without an audition. While Delgado had been an urbane, sinister presence with a steely stare, Ainley's performance was more pantomimic, imbuing his Master with a cat-like purr and malevolent chuckle. Lurking in the shadows, he had a line in mellifluous threats and a predilection for sadism that sent a whole generation of children scurrying behind the sofa. He played opposite Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvestor McCoy, his appearances occasionally cosmetic rather than plot-driven. Fittingly, he was the main villain in the series' last adventure in 1989. Although an intensely private man, Ainley was happy to mix with fans, giving great value in question and answer sessions at Dr Who conventions. But he could also be undiplomatic, as when giving notes to his unappreciative fellow actor Jon Pertwee during the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors, in 1983. It could not be said that acting was Ainley's lifeblood: he often turned down roles to spend time playing sports, notably as a member of the London Theatres Cricket Club. He never married.