With nearly sixty years of history under its belt, Doctor Who has seen hundreds of Britain's finest acting talent grace its episodes, sometimes across multiple roles. Throw in the various spin-off shows and expanded media that make up the franchise; then, you'll find that half of the actors of IMDb have joined the Doctor's world at one point or another.
While some faces may be instantly recognizable to fans but not to a broader audience, you'd be surprised to know how many big actors have spent time in the Whoniverse, a trend that is still ongoing. From Hollywood A-listers to pre-fame celebrities and popular actors from other shows, these are some actors whose time in the Whoniverse has been largely forgotten.
Jeremy Bulloch — The Man Who Brought Boba Fett to Life
His name may not sound familiar, but you're almost certainly familiar with English actor Jeremy Bulloch's work. He's most famous for providing the physical performance (though not the voice) for the iconic Star Wars character Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The character was an instant fan favorite, despite his limited screen time, and is still incredibly popular to this day, as evidenced by the recent Book of Boba Fett series on Disney Plus.
However, Bulloch made two appearances in Doctor Who before his bounty hunting days. The first was in 1965's The Space Museum as Tor, opposite William Hartnell's First Doctor. However, his second and more memorable appearance was alongside Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor in the 1973-74 story, The Time Warrior.
Michael Gough — Batman's Butler Used to Cause Trouble for the Doctor
Another veteran English actor, Michael Gough, is recognizable to a generation of Batman fans for his portrayal of Alfred Pennyworth in the four Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman films (1989 - 1997). However, more than two decades before he was dusting the Batcave and serving drinks for Bruce Wayne's parties, he fought the First Doctor as the Celestial Toymaker in the 1966 story of the same name.
Gough also went on to take another villainous turn in 1983's Arc of Infinity, opposite the Fifth Doctor. Here, he played Hedin, a Time Lord and old friend of the Doctor, who allied himself with Omega, the crazed co-founder of Time Lord society.
Andrew Garfield — Fighting Monsters in New York, Even Before That Spider Bite
Before he was swinging among the skyscrapers of New York City in The Amazing Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield was fighting Daleks in Manhattan about 80 years earlier. Garfield appeared in the 2007 two-parter Daleks in "Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks," alongside David Tennant's Tenth Doctor. Here, he played Frank, one of the young residents of the Hooverville homeless community in Central Park.
Of course, it would only be three years later that Garfield would find his big break in The Social Network before catapulting to stardom as Spider-Man. Does that mean there's a chance the Doctor could show up in a No Way Home sequel?
Wayne Knight — From 'Seinfeld' to 'Torchwood'
Throughout the '90s, Wayne Knight was known for a host of roles, from films such as Jurassic Park and Space Jam to sitcoms such as 3rd Rock From the Sun, and Seinfeld, on which he played the iconic role of Newman. However, did you know he took a villainous turn in Doctor Who's spin-off show, Torchwood?
That's right, in the show's fourth season, which had the overarching title of Miracle Day, Knight played CIA agent Brian Friedkin. Here, he reluctantly served the sinister forces behind the events of the season, using his resources to hunt down Captain Jack Harkness and the remnants of Torchwood.
Bill Pullman — From 'Independence Day' to 'Miracle Day'
One of the most surprising entries on this list, Bill Pullman was a Hollywood heavyweight throughout the '80s and '90s, with notable roles in films such as Spaceballs and Casper. Then, of course, he played U.S. President Thomas J. Whitmore in Independence Day.
However, he took a far more sinister turn in Torchwood: Miracle Day, playing convicted child-killer Oswald Danes, who survives an execution thanks to the titular Miracle. Pullman offers a truly chilling performance as Danes goes from being despised to being revered as a charismatic messiah. He's like an inversion of President Whitmore.
Michael Sheen — Aziraphale Hasn't Always Been Friends With the Doctor
These days Michael Sheen may be best-known for being mates with the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, on shows like Good Omens and Staged. However, the veteran Welsh actor had a much more adversarial relationship with Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor. The star of Hollywood franchises such as Twilight and Underworld, Sheen entered the Whoniverse in series 6's "The Doctor's Wife" in 2011.
Penned by Good Omens co-writer Neil Gaiman, this acclaimed episode saw (or rather, heard) Sheen voice a maleficent entity named House, who lured Time Lords to their deaths so that he could feed off of their TARDISes. Now we need to see Sheen and Tennant team up for a House v. Tenth Doctor story. Make it happen, Big Finish!
Martin Clunes — When Doc' Martin Met Doc' Who
Martin Clunes is another British veteran of stage and screen, best known for his leading roles in the '90s sitcom Men Behaving Badly and the long-running medical dramedy Doc Martin. However, early on in his career, Clunes appeared in the 1983 Doctor Who serial, Snakedance, in what was only his second television role.
Here played the character of Lon, an insufferable and entitled heir to power, opposite Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor. This story is often held in high regard by fans, with it not only serving as a sequel to an earlier story but also taking part in the show's twentieth anniversary year.
Jonny Lee Miller — Only Sherlock Holmes Could Spot Him in His 'Doctor Who' Debut
Jonny Lee Miller has had a stellar career, finding success in his English homeland and in the United States. He rose to prominence in the '90s with roles in cult favorites such as Trainspotting and Hackers before starring in TV shows such as Eli Stone, and Elementary, in which he played a modernized version of Sherlock Holmes.
However, his illustrious career had very humble beginnings, with a small, uncredited role in the 1982 serial, Kinda, starring Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor. Here, the nine-year-old Miller played an unnamed child on the planet Deva Loka, one of several natives to take fruit to the Doctor's unconscious companion, Tegan.
Finn Jones — Iron Fist Was the Grandson of One of the Doctor's Dearest Companions
Finn Jones first gained international attention for his role as Loras Tyrell in Game of Thrones (2011 - 2016), followed by his role as the titular character in Marvel's Iron Fist. Before that, however, the English actor appeared in the Doctor Who spin-off show, The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007 - 2011), in the season 4 two-parter, "Death of the Doctor."
This momentous story featured Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor while also seeing the return of the classic Doctor Who companion Jo Jones (née Grant), played by Katy Manning. Finn played Jo's grandson, Santiago Jones, who grew up traveling around the world with his family, fighting for the environment.
Hayley Atwell — Before She Was Making Super Soldiers, She Was Making Daleks
Don't feel bad if you can't remember ever seeing Hayley Atwell in Doctor Who because you haven't. You may have heard her in a few of the Doctor's adventures. Before she was catapulted to stardom as Agent Peggy Carter in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, she appeared in several Doctor Who audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions.
These are full-cast, professional productions, with Doctor Who stars reprising their TV roles for audio (think radio plays). Atwell appeared in six releases for Big Finish between 2006 and 2013, playing four different characters, opposite the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Doctors. We hope she'll find time to return to the Whoniverse someday.