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Roger Delgado

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Roger Delgado
Delgado as the Master in The Mind of Evil (1971)
Born
Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto

(1918-03-01)1 March 1918
Whitechapel, London, England
Died18 June 1973(1973-06-18) (aged 55)
Nevşehir, Turkey
Resting placeMortlake Crematorium, London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1939–1973
Known forFirst actor to play The Master
in Doctor Who (1971–1973)
Spouse(s)Olga Anthonisz (divorced)
Kismet Shahani
​
(m. 1957)​

Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto (1 March 1918 – 18 June 1973) was a British actor. He played many roles on television, radio and in films, and had "a long history of playing minor villains"[1] before becoming best known as the first actor to play the Master in Doctor Who (1971–73).

Early life

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Delgado was born in Whitechapel, in the East End of London, to a Belgian mother and a Spanish father; he often remarked to Doctor Who co-star and close friend Jon Pertwee that this made him a true Cockney,[2] as he was born within the sound of Bow Bells. He did not live in the East End, but was brought up in Bedford Park in west London.[3] He attended Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, a Roman Catholic secondary school in Holland Park, and the London School of Economics for a brief period but did not complete his degree.[4] He served in the Second World War with both the Leicestershire Regiment and the Royal Corps of Signals, attaining the rank of major.[5][6]

Career

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Delgado worked extensively on the British stage, and on television, film and radio. His theatre debut was in 1939 and his first television appearance was 1948.[7] He appeared in the BBC Television serial Quatermass II (1955), the Powell and Pressburger wartime drama Battle of the River Plate (1956), and came to wide popular attention in Britain when he played the duplicitous Spanish envoy Mendoza in the ITC Entertainment series, Sir Francis Drake, from 1961 to 1962, after which he was in much demand. An in-joke in the 1971 Doctor Who story Colony in Space refers to that role, when the Brigadier tells the Doctor not to worry as the suspected sighting of the Master "was only the Spanish Ambassador". Delgado was frequently cast as a villain, appearing in many British action-adventure TV series by ITC, including Danger Man (1961), The Saint (1962 and 1966), The Champions (1969), and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969).

Delgado made a total of 16 guest appearances in ITC shows, the most of any actor, with his last completed role being ITC's The Zoo Gang (1974). He also appeared in The Avengers (1961 and 1969), The Power Game (1966), and an ITV Play of the Week (The Crossfire, 1967). His films included The Terror of the Tongs, The Road to Hong Kong, The Mummy's Shroud and Antony and Cleopatra.[8] He began work as The Master on Doctor Who in late 1970, his first broadcast appearance being in the January 1971 adventure Terror of the Autons. He subsequently reprised the role of the Master in the Third Doctor serials The Mind of Evil, The Claws of Axos, Colony in Space, The Dæmons, The Sea Devils, The Time Monster and Frontier in Space.[9] The Master's story arc was to have ended in The Final Game, which was planned as the final story to feature Pertwee's Third Doctor, but the story was scrapped following Delgado's sudden death and replaced with Planet of the Spiders.[10]

Personal life

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Delgado's first marriage was to Olga Anthonisz. The marriage ended in divorce.[11] He married Kismet Shahani in 1957 and they were together until his death in 1973. Kismet died in 2017.[12]

Death

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"To say that Roger Delgado was merely a friend of mine would be an insult. Roger was one of my greatest friends ever - a modest, lovable man with a ready wit and a fine sense of humour. As Actors, we discovered we shared an uncanny telephatic communication with each other, as he played 'Moriarty' to my 'Holmes'. It was a phone call from Kismet, Roger's wife, that gave me the news of his tragic death. I was stunned with disbelief, then, and even now, have to force myself to accept the fact that Roger is no longer with us. As my adversary "The Master" he was evil personnified. As a friend, he was the opposite, warm, feeling and understanding. I shall forever miss him."

—Jon Pertwee talking about Roger Delgado in a September 1985 letter to a fan.[13]

Delgado died on location on 18 June 1973 in Nevşehir, Turkey, whilst shooting La Cloche tibétaine (Tibetan Bell), a Franco/German television mini-series about the Yellow Expedition.[14][15] During this expedition, Citroën tracked vehicles traversed Asia in 1931–32 from Peking and Beirut. Delgado appeared in one episode of this production. He was killed, along with two Turkish film technicians, when the car in which he was travelling went off the road into a ravine. He was 55 years old.

For years, there was mystery surrounding the fate of Delgado's remains. It was revealed in 2017 that his body had been returned to the United Kingdom and cremated at Mortlake before the ashes were scattered on 27 June 1973, in area RB3 (Plot 43) of the Garden of Remembrance at Mortlake Cemetery in Southwest London.[16]

The serial he was filming in Turkey continued production and was completed after his death. The series was broadcast on French and German television in 1974–1975; Delgado can be seen in episode 4 as the minor character Paco.[17]

Jon Pertwee often remarked that Delgado's death was one of the reasons he decided to leave Doctor Who the following year.[18]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1948 Distinguished Gathering Eliot Richard Vines television film
1952 Murder at Scotland Yard George Grayson
1953 The Broken Horseshoe Felix Galegos
The Captain's Paradise Kalikan policeman
Blood Orange Marlowe Released as Three Stops to Murder in USA
Scotland Yard (film series): The Missing Man Paris police inspector
1954 The Belles of St. Trinian's Sultan's Aide Uncredited
Third Party Risk Detective Gonzales Released as The Big Deadly Game in USA
1955 Storm Over the Nile Native spy
1956 The Battle of the River Plate Captain Varela, Uruguayan Navy
Scotland Yard: Destination Death Lisbon police officer
1957 Manuela Stranger 1957
Man in the Shadow Alberto Uncredited
Scotland Yard: The Case of The Smiling Widow Commissario
1958 Sea Fury Salgado
Mark of the Phoenix Devron
1959 First Man into Space Mexican Consul – Ramon de Guerrera
The Stranglers of Bombay Bundar Uncredited
Third Man on the Mountain Italian climber Uncredited
1960 Sands of the Desert Abu Nial
1961 The Singer Not the Song Pedro de Cortinez
The Terror of the Tongs Tang Hao
1962 Village of Daughters Francisco Predati
The Road to Hong Kong Jhinnah
Guns of Darkness Hernandez Voice
In Search of the Castaways Patagonian Prisoner
1963 The Mind Benders Dr Jean Bonvoulois Uncredited
The Running Man Spanish doctor
1964 Hot Enough for June Josef
1965 Masquerade Ahmed Ben Faïd Uncredited
1966 Khartoum Uncredited
The Sandwich Man Abdul – Carpet Seller
1967 The Mummy's Shroud Hasmid
1968 Star! French Ambassador Uncredited
1969 The Assassination Bureau Bureau Member Uncredited
You Can't Win 'Em All Capt.Enver and two others Voice, Uncredited
1970 Underground Xavier
1972 Antony and Cleopatra Soothsayer

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1954 The Three Musketeers Athos 6 episodes
1955 St. Ives Gautier 2 episodes
1955 Quatermass II Hugh Conrad Episode 4: "The Coming"
1956 The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel Andre Episode 17: "The Farmer's Boy"
1957 Assignment Foreign Legion Lt. Lachaise Episode 23: "The Coward"
1957 The Buccaneers Capt. Mendoza/Don Ferdinand Esteban 3 episodes
1957 Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School Monsieur Charpentier Episode: "Bunter the Ventriloquist"
1957 O.S.S. Luigi Episode: "Operation Big House"
1957 The Silver Sword The Nazi Episode 6: "Escape from Bavaria"
1957 Sword of Freedom Virelli Episode: "Angelica's Past"
1957 White Hunter Gomez Episode: "Killer Leopard"
1958 The Adventures of Robin Hood Ambassador Episode: "The Minstrel"
1958 Queen's Champion Don Jose 8 episodes
1959–1965 The Third Man Luis Mendoza / Henri Banear 4 episodes
1959 William Tell Luigi Episode: "The Black Brothers"
1959 Hancock's Half Hour Night Club Manager Episode: "Spanish Interlude" (uncredited)
1959-60 The Four Just Men Inspector Rossi 2 episodes
1960 The Splendid Spur Sir Basil Grenville Episode: "Joan of the Tor"
1960 Biggles Dr. Ahmed Zakar 3 episodes: "Biggles on the Nile"
1960 The Odd Man Bernard Berridge 3 episodes
1960-61 Knight Errant Limited Branco/Oscar Lederer 2 episodes
1961 One Step Beyond Capt. Santoro Episode: "The Face"
1961 Plateau of Fear General Perera 1 episode
1961 Triton The Man with the Patch 2 episodes
1961 Danger Man Von Golling Episode: "Under the Lake"
1961-64 Ghost Squad Holgar/Major Sayid/Ben Ali/De Souza 4 episodes
1961-62 Sir Francis Drake Count Bernardino de Mendoza / The Governor 7 episodes
1962-66 The Saint Hotel Manager/Captain Rodriguez 2 episodes
1962 Saki Laposhka Episode 5
1962 Richard the Lionheart Laki Episode: "The Norman King"
1962 Z-Cars Gregori Katsybalis Episode: "Business Trip"
1962-63 Maigret Pepito/Fouché 2 episodes
1963 The Human Jungle Wirral Episode: "The Two Edged Sword"
1963 Espionage Gebal Episode: "A Camel to Ride"
1964 Crane Barman Episode: "Murder Is Waiting"
1964 The Protectors Slankin Episode: "Freedom!"
1964 Sergeant Cork Inspector Puichard Episode: "The Case of the Great Pearl Robbery"
1965 Sherlock Holmes Moser Episode: "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax"
1966 Orlando King Halara 2 episodes
1966 Court Martial Salvatore Fratuzzi Episode: "The Liberators"
1966 The Saint Captain Rodriguez Episode: "Locate and Destroy"
1968 Man in a Suitcase Ambassador Episode: "Burder of Proof"
1968 Harry Worth Ambassador Episode: "James Bond Where Are You?"
1969 The Avengers Kreer Episode: "Stay Tuned"
1969 Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) Tapiro Episode: "The Ghost who Saved the Bank at Monte Carlo"
1971 The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes Silva Episode: "Madame Sara"
1971–1973 Doctor Who The Master 37 episodes, in 8 serials
1972 The Persuaders! Estoban Episode: "To The Death, Baby"
1973 Play of the Month Officer of the Holy Brotherhood Episode: "The Adventures of Don Quixote"
1974 The Zoo Gang Pedro Ortega Episode: "The Lion Hunt"
1974 La Cloche tibétaine (Tibetan Bell) (fr) Paco Episode 4. (Final appearance. Died during filming.)

References

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  1. ^ Fane Saunders, Tristram (2 January 2020). "The Master of evil: Roger Delgado and the twisted history of Doctor Who's greatest foe". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  2. ^ The Making of Doctor Who, 1972, p. 31
  3. ^ Harmes, Marcus (2017). Roger Delgado: I am usually referred to as the Master. Fantom Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-78196-300-5.
  4. ^ Harmes, Marcus (2017). Roger Delgado: I am usually referred to as the Master. Fantom Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-78196-300-5.
  5. ^ "Roger Delgado". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  6. ^ "The UNIT Family: Part Two". Day of the Daleks (DVD special feature). BBC. 2011. ASIN B004VRO89C.
  7. ^ Harmes, Marcus (2017). Roger Delgado: I am usually referred to as the Master. Fantom Publishing. pp. 27, 47. ISBN 978-1-78196-300-5.
  8. ^ "Roger Delgado obituary (The Times) - the Doctor Who Cuttings Archive".
  9. ^ "Frontier in Space ★★★★".
  10. ^ "BBC - Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - Planet of the Spiders - Details".
  11. ^ Harmes, Marcus (2017). Roger Delgado: I am usually referred to as the Master. Fantom Publishing. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-78196-300-5.
  12. ^ "Roger Delgado (letter) — the Doctor Who Cuttings Archive".
  13. ^ "Jon Pertwee about Roger Delgado </3". 25 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Funeral Directors and services — Roger Delgado". Family Announcements.
  15. ^ "Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews / Roger Delgado's Last Appearance: Found!". Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015.
  16. ^ Harmes, Marcus (2017). Roger Delgado: I am usually referred to as the Master. Fantom Publishing. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-78196-300-5.
  17. ^ "La Cloche Tibetaine". La Cloche Tibetaine.
  18. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Exclusive First Look: The Final Curtain Part 1 – Doctor Who – Planet of the Spiders". YouTube. BBCClassicDoctorWho. 4 March 2011.
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