Paul McGann

Biography

Paul McGann (born November 14, 1959) is an English actor who made his name on The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role. He is also known for his role in Withnail and I, and for portraying the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 Doctor Who television movie as well as other media that features his incarnation of the character.

Career Overview

Paul McGann has 132 screen credits in a career dating back to 1964. Their work spans 3 cinematic universes — most prominently Hornblower Collection with 4 titles. Signature works include Alien³, The Orangutan King, Withnail & I. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.

Personal Facts

Known For

Acting

Gender

male

Known Credits

132

Birth Date

1959-11-14 00:00:00

Birth Place

Kensington, Liverpool, England, UK

Known For

• 

  Alien³
• 

  The Orangutan King
• 

  Withnail & I
• 

  Doctor Who
• 

  Queen of the Damned
• 

  FairyTale: A True Story

Associated Universes

Universe traveler — spans 3 universes

• Hornblower Collection (4 titles)
• The Vampire Chronicles Collection (1 titles)
• Alien (1 titles)

Frequent Collaborators

• Ralph Brown (2 collaborations)
• Hugo Race (2 collaborations)
• Sigourney Weaver (1 collaborations)
• Charles S. Dutton (1 collaborations)
• Charles Dance (1 collaborations)
• Brian Glover (1 collaborations)
• Danny Webb (1 collaborations)
• Christopher John Fields (1 collaborations)
• Holt McCallany (1 collaborations)
• Lance Henriksen (1 collaborations)

Credits

• actors (132 credits)

  • Triesverse: Cataclysm

    The Doctor

    actor

    actors
    2026
  • Doctor Who: The Time War

    The Doctor

    actor

    actors
    2026
  • Good Behaviour

    Richard

    actor

    actors
    2026
  • The Marbles

    Lord Byron (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2025
  • Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War

    The Doctor (archive footage) (uncredited)

    actor

    actors
    2025
  • Bookish

    - Such Devoted Sisters (2) (2025) ... Mr. Kind actor actors

    - Such Devoted Sisters (1) (2025) ... Mr. Kind actor actors
    2025
  • Doctor Who: The Stuff of Legend - The Live Show

    The Doctor

    actor

    actors
    2024
  • Doctor Who at the Proms

    The Doctor (8) (archive footage)

    actor

    actors
    2024
  • Churchill’s Forgotten War

    Narrator (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2024
  • The Day of the Sun Dog

    Jaggers

    actor

    actors
    2023
  • The Undertaker

    Arthur

    actor

    actors
    2023
  • Talking Doctor Who

    Self / The Doctor (8) (archive footage)

    actor

    actors
    2023
  • Mia and the Dragon Princess

    Walsh

    actor

    actors
    2023
  • Doctor Who Am I

    Self

    actor

    actors
    2022
  • Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor

    The Doctor

    actor

    actors
    2022
  • Swallow Your Dreams

    James

    actor

    actors
    2022
  • Annika

    - Episode 6 (2023) ... Jake Strathearn actor actors

    - Episode 5 (2023) ... Jake Strathearn actor actors

    - Episode 4 (2023) ... Jake Strathearn actor actors

    - Episode 5 (2021) ... Jake Strathearn actor actors

    - Episode 4 (2021) ... Jake Strathearn actor actors
    2021
  • The Big Night In

    Self

    actor

    actors
    2020
  • McDonald & Dodds

    - A Billion Beats (2022) ... Archie Addington actor actors
    2020
  • The Doctors: The Paul McGann Years

    actor

    actors
    2019
  • The Cavern Club: The Beat Goes On

    Self

    actor

    actors
    2019
  • Swans: Mystery of the Missing

    Self - Narrator (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2019
  • Picasso's Last Stand

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2018
  • Oi For England's Green and Pleasant Land

    Himself

    actor

    actors
    2018
  • Perplexed Music

    Man

    actor

    actors
    2017
  • Brakes

    Peter

    actor

    actors
    2017
  • Egypt's Great Pyramid: The New Evidence

    Narrator (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2017
  • Nero's Sunken City

    Narrator (English Voice)

    actor

    actors
    2017
  • B&B

    Josh

    actor

    actors
    2017
  • Unfinished: The Making of Massive Attack

    Narrator (Voice)

    actor

    actors
    2016
  • Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song

    The Doctor (8) (picture) (uncredited)

    actor

    actors
    2015
  • China - Treasures of the Jade Empire

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2015
  • Absence

    Man

    actor

    actors
    2015
  • The Other Prince William

    Self - Narrator (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2015
  • Finding Babylon's Hanging Garden

    Narrator (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2015
  • Churchill: When Britain Said No

    Narrator (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2015
  • Shark: Beneath the Surface

    self, narrator

    actor

    actors
    2015
  • Churchill: Winning the War, Losing the Peace

    narrator

    actor

    actors
    2015
  • Super Powered Owls

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2015
  • The Great Wall of China: The Hidden Story

    Himself

    actor

    actors
    2014
  • The Minister of Chance: Prologue

    Durian

    actor

    actors
    2014
  • Cosmonauts: How Russia Won the Space Race

    Narrator (Voice)

    actor

    actors
    2014
  • Doctor Who: The Ultimate Time Lord with Peter Davison

    Self

    actor

    actors
    2014
  • France: The Wild Side

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2014
  • Codebreaker Alan Turing Persecution Of A Genius

    actor

    actors
    2014
  • A Little Place Off the Edgware Road

    James Craven

    actor

    actors
    2014
  • Apples, Pears and Paint: How to Make a Still Life Painting

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2014
  • The Musketeers

    - The Queen's Diamonds (2016) ... St Pierre actor actors
    2014
  • Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

    The Doctor (8) (archive footage)

    actor

    actors
    2013
  • The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot

    Self

    actor

    actors
    2013
  • Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor

    The Doctor

    actor

    actors
    2013
  • JFK's Secret Killer: The Evidence

    Himself - Narrator (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2013
  • Brady and Hindley: Possession

    Narrator (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2013
  • Art Is...

    Lulu's Dad

    actor

    actors
    2013
  • Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited

    Self

    actor

    actors

    - The Eleventh Doctor (2013) ... Self actor actors

    - The Tenth Doctor (2013) ... Self actor actors

    - The Ninth Doctor (2013) ... Self actor actors

    - The Eighth Doctor (2013) ... Self actor actors

    - The Seventh Doctor (2013) ... Self actor actors
    2013
  • Britain's Greatest Codebreaker

    Himself - Narrator (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2012
  • Tiger Island

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2012
  • SOS: The Titanic Inquiry

    Sir Rufus Isaacs

    actor

    actors
    2012
  • Ripper Street

    - The Good of This City (2013) ... Stanley Bone actor actors
    2012
  • Digging The Great Escape

    narrator

    actor

    actors
    2011
  • Doctor Who: Tales Lost in Time

    actor

    actors
    2011
  • Gadaffi and the IRA

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2011
  • The 9/11 Surfer

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2011
  • The Day John Lennon Died

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2010
  • Godard & Others

    Torrence

    actor

    actors
    2010
  • Luther

    - Episode 6 (2010) ... Mark North actor actors

    - Episode 5 (2010) ... Mark North actor actors

    - Episode 4 (2010) ... Mark North actor actors

    - Episode 3 (2010) ... Mark North actor actors

    - Episode 2 (2010) ... Mark North actor actors
    2010
  • Lesbian Vampire Killers

    Vicar

    actor

    actors
    2009
  • Doctor Who: The Next Doctor

    The Doctor (8) (archive footage)

    actor

    actors
    2008
  • Fables of Forgotten Things

    Clarence

    actor

    actors
    2008
  • My Dad Was a Communist

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2008
  • The Ties That Bind Us

    Self - Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2008
  • Davros Connections

    (archival audio)

    actor

    actors
    2007
  • Chernobyl Reclaimed: An Animal Takeover

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2007
  • Always Crashing in the Same Car

    Bill Mackinnon

    actor

    actors
    2007
  • World of Compulsive Hoarders

    actor

    actors
    2007
  • If I Had You

    Philip Andrews

    actor

    actors
    2006
  • Ghosts on the Underground

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2005
  • The Orangutan King

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2005
  • Gypo

    Paul

    actor

    actors
    2005
  • Kidnapped

    Colonel MacNab

    actor

    actors
    2005
  • Daphne Ashbrook in the UK

    actor

    actors
    2005
  • Death of an Idealist

    Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2005
  • Lie with Me

    Gerry Henson

    actor

    actors
    2004
  • New Tricks

    - Objects of Desire (2011) ... D.C.I. James Larson actor actors
    2004
  • Agatha Christie's Marple

    - Sleeping Murder (2006) ... Dickie Erskine actor actors
    2004
  • Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³'

    Self

    actor

    actors
    2003
  • Listening

    Man

    actor

    actors
    2003
  • Otherworld

    King Matholwch (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2003
  • Doctor Who: Shada

    The Doctor (voice)

    actor

    actors
    2003
  • Hornblower: Duty

    Lieutenant Bush

    actor

    actors
    2003
  • Hornblower: Loyalty

    Lieutenant Bush

    actor

    actors
    2003
  • The Biographer

    Andrew Morton

    actor

    actors
    2002
  • Queen of the Damned

    David Talbot

    actor

    actors
    2002
  • Blood Strangers

    DC David Ingram

    actor

    actors
    2002
  • My Kingdom

    Dean

    actor

    actors
    2001
  • Like a Hurricane: The Alex Higgins Story

    Self- Narrator

    actor

    actors
    2001
  • Hornblower: Retribution

    Lt. Bush

    actor

    actors
    2001
  • Hornblower: Mutiny

    Lieutenant Bush

    actor

    actors
    2001
  • Hotel!

    Ben Carter

    actor

    actors
    2001
  • Waking the Dead

    - Waterloo (2) (2011) ... ACC Tony Nicholson actor actors

    - Waterloo (1) (2011) ... ACC Tony Nicholson actor actors
    2001
  • Withnail and Us

    Self

    actor

    actors
    1999
  • Holby City

    - Best Christmas Ever (2018) ... John Gaskell actor actors

    - Family Ties (2018) ... John Gaskell actor actors

    - The Right Sort of Animal (2018) ... John Gaskell actor actors

    - Love Is (2018) ... John Gaskell actor actors

    - Hold My Hand (2018) ... John Gaskell actor actors
    1999
  • The Dance of Shiva

    Captain Greville

    actor

    actors
    1998
  • FairyTale: A True Story

    Arthur Wright

    actor

    actors
    1997
  • Downtime

    Rob

    actor

    actors
    1997
  • Star Trek Story

    Self - Commentary (voice)

    actor

    actors
    1996
  • Doctor Who

    The Doctor

    actor

    actors
    1996
  • Bidding Adieu: A Video Diary

    Self

    actor

    actors
    1996
  • The One That Got Away

    Chris Ryan

    actor

    actors
    1996
  • The Merchant of Venice

    Bassanio

    actor

    actors
    1996
  • The Hanging Gale

    Liam Phelan

    actor

    actors
    1995
  • The Three Musketeers

    Girard / Jussac

    actor

    actors
    1993
  • Alien³

    Golic

    actor

    actors
    1992
  • Afraid of the Dark

    Tony

    actor

    actors
    1991
  • Paper Mask

    Matthew Harris

    actor

    actors
    1990
  • Drowning in the Shallow End

    Colin

    actor

    actors
    1990
  • The Monk

    Father Lorenzo Rojas

    actor

    actors
    1990
  • Dealers

    Daniel Pascoe

    actor

    actors
    1989
  • The Rainbow

    Anton Skrebensky

    actor

    actors
    1989
  • Streets of Yesterday

    Joseph

    actor

    actors
    1989
  • Tree of Hands

    Barry

    actor

    actors
    1989
  • Agatha Christie's Poirot

    - Sad Cypress (2003) ... Dr. Peter Lord actor actors
    1989
  • The Importance of Being Earnest

    John Worthing

    actor

    actors
    1988
  • Empire of the Sun

    Lieutenant Price

    actor

    actors
    1987
  • Cariani and the Courtesans

    Giovanni Cariani

    actor

    actors
    1987
  • Withnail & I

    ...& I

    actor

    actors
    1987
  • Give Us a Break: Hustle Bustle Toil and Muscle

    Mo Morris

    actor

    actors
    1984
  • Gaskin

    Graham Gaskin

    actor

    actors
    1983
  • Natural World

    - Florida: America's Animal Paradise (2019) ... Narrator actor actors

    - Super Powered Owls (2015) ... Narrator actor actors

    - France: The Wild Side (2014) ... Narrator actor actors

    - Kangaroo Dundee (1) (2013) ... Narrator actor actors

    - The Orangutan King (2005) ... Narrator actor actors
    1983
  • Whistling Wally

    Norman

    actor

    actors
    1982
  • Play for Today

    - Whistling Wally (1982) ... Norman actor actors
    1970
  • Horizon

    - What's the Problem with Nudity? (2009) ... Himself actor actors
    1964