With Ncuti Gatwa getting his first full season as Doctor Who underway, let’s take a look at his fellow Doctors and their collective Emmys record.
There have been some fantastic actors who have taken on the mantle of the Doctor over the years, beginning with William Hartnell and leading all the way up to Jodie Whittaker and David Tennant just before Gatwa. Meanwhile, “The Crown” and “House of the Dragon” star Matt Smith broke through thanks to his portrayal of the Doctor while Christopher Eccleston brought the Doctor back for the first time in decades and Oscar-winner Peter Capaldi offered a completely different take on the Time Lord.
Given this exquisite collection of thespians, you’d think they’d have been the recipients of plenty of Emmy citations. Instead, however, things are pretty light on Emmy recognition for these 14 actors. Below, there’s a chart documenting which of the 14 actors (Tennant appears twice as the 10th and 14th Doctors) have been nominated for Emmys across their careers. This isn’t whether they’ve been nominated specifically for playing the Doctor but rather if they’ve been cited for any project at all across their careers.
So, there you have it! Of the 14 actors, Smith is the first and only one to be nominated for an Emmy. He was nominated in 2018 for Best Drama Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Prince Philip in “The Crown.” We should point ou, though, that the 12th Doctor, Capaldi, is an Oscar winner for Best Short Film (“Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life”).
However, there are a few more incarnations of the Doctor that have cropped up in specials and whatnot over the years who may have had more Emmy success than their permanent Doctor counterparts.
David Bradley, the First Doctor in “The Doctor Falls” and “Twice Upon a Time” — 0 Emmy nominations.
John Hurt, the War Doctor in “The Name of the Doctor,” “The Night of the Doctor” and “The Day of the Doctor” — 0 Emmy nominations.
Toby Jones, the Dream Lord in “Amy’s Choice” — 1 Emmy nomination (Best Lead Actor in a Miniseries/Movie for “The Girl”), 0 Emmy wins.
Maybe not, then. Out of those three fine actors, only Jones has picked up an Emmy bid. Hurt is a two Oscar nominee (Best Actor for “The Elephant Man” and Best Supporting Actor for “Midnight Express”) and Bradley is an Olivier Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in “King Lear,” but the Emmys eluded them. And Jones isn’t even an official Doctor – rather, he plays the Dream Lord, a sort of distant version of the Doctor.
Therefore, Mr Matt Smith has made history by becoming the first ever Doctor to be nominated for an Emmy! However, he could actually be joined this year by Eccleston, who is looking for a nomination for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor for his role in “True Detective: Night Country.” Let’s see if he can join Smith in snagging an Emmy nomination.
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