Famous for his roles in The Hobbit trilogy and sci-fi TV series, Doctor Who, Sylvester McCoy is an unforgettable name. McCoy is a Scottish actor and physical comedian, with several film credits and notable television appearances under his belt. Although his best-known act was as the notorious seventh Doctor, you can teach an old man new tricks, and McCoy reprised his role in a video game shortly after. He rose to fame in the 1980s and finally won Best Actor in 2020 for the horror film "The Owners".

Sylvester's Early Life

Sylvester McCoy is a stage name; he was born Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith on the 20th August 1943 in Dunoon, Scotland. McCoy's mother was Irish-born and his father was English; though he died two months before his son, Percy, made his first steps as he was killed in action during the second World War.

The young boy was raised in Dunoon and Dublin and went to St. Mun's school. During his early life, Percy Kent-Smith was raised a Catholic, and he even enrolled at Blairs College to study priesthood when he was twelve years old. After four years, he left his post and returned to Dunoon Grammar School.

As soon as his school years were over, Sylvester McCoy packed up and moved to London, where he worked in the insurance industry for five years. By some stroke of luck, McCoy also worked at the Roundhouse Box Office for a period of time, where he was soon discovered by English actor and director, Kenneth Campbell.

When Did Sylvester Make His Debut?

Starting out in the experimental theatre group "The Ken Campbell Roadshow", Percy Kent-Smith got his first title role as the stuntman: Sylveste McCoy in the play "An Evening with Sylveste McCoy". The character of Sylveste McCoy was adapted by the actor Brian Murphy, and the stunts included putting forks and nails up his nose, setting his hair alight and even stuffing ferrets down his trousers.

To add an extra sprinkle of comedy, the programme read "An Evening With Sylveste McCoy, starring Sylveste McCoy" which the reviewer missed and took literally. After this mix-up, Kent-Smith adopted the new name: Sylvester McCoy. The superstitious actor added the 'r' to Sylveste McCoy, as he believed a stage name with thirteen letters was unlucky!

The reborn Sylvester McCoy starred in several television productions, like "Vision On" playing Pepe, a character who lived trapped in a mirror, as well as "Eureka" and in the school maths programme "Leapfrog" which aired on ITV (formally ATV).

The talents of McCoy preceded him, and the actor also performed in one-man stage plays as the two famous movie comedians Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton. After this, he had a small role as the Butler in Dracula (1979), also starring Laurence Olivier. From here, Sylvester McCoy would soar.

Doctor Who: Sylvester Becomes the Seventh Doctor

Come 1987, Sylvester McCoy would steal the lead role off the sixth doctor, Colin Baker, in the original run of the popular sci-fi television series, Doctor Who. McCoy performed as the erratic and mysterious Doctor for two years, leaving the show in 1989. He filmed the regeneration scene as a substitute, because Baker declined to make a comeback for the TV show.

In McCoy's performances as Doctor Who, the comedy actor played the role with eccentricity and clown-like humour. However, he had to tone down this performance as the audience became confused by the story plot. After this, Sylvester McCoy transformed the character's persona. The seventh Doctor developed a much darker figure than his previous selves, often manipulating people and using them like pawns in a chess game.

Despite this, McCoy blessed Doctor Who with some proverbs and sayings adapted to spice things up, such as "there's many a slap twixt cup and lap". He also used his Scottish accent, which was a distinguishing feature in this characterisation of Doctor Who.

As the seventh incarnation of Doctor Who had incredible feedback from the audience, the TV show pulled in an average 4 million viewers a pop. McCoy was also voted Best Doctor in 1990, over earlier incarnations (including the old-time favourite, Tom Baker). However, the BBC decided to cancel the show in 1989.

Sylvester McCoy made a reappearance as the Doctor on the new run on BBC in 2021, performing alongside Bonnie Langford, in "A Business Proposal for Mel!" Perhaps less known is that McCoy also recorded the audio for the video game "Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors" released in 1997.

The Next Series of Television Roles

After the sweet success of Doctor Who, Sylvester McCoy then starred in the thriller "Beyond Fear" as Michael Sams, based on the real-life murderer and extortionist who kidnapped Julie Dart in 1991, which aired on Channel 5. McCoy also appeared on the children's TV series "What's Your Story?" as the narrator and presenter.

McCoy reprised his role as the seventh Doctor in the TV movie adaptation of Doctor Who in 1996, before starring in a video short production of "Do You Have a Licence to Save This Planet?", in which he played the character of a Foot Doctor who time travels and attempts to protect the earth from a space invasion. After this, McCoy starred in the TV mini-series "The History of Tom Jones", a rompy Georgian drama, portraying the character of Mr Dowling.

Some fans may also remember Sylvester McCoy starring in an episode of the TV series Hollyoaks as barrister Leonard Cave, in 2002. In October 2008, the BBC television drama "Doctors" wrote an episode in tribute to McCoy and starred the actor himself, titled "The Amazing Lollipop Man". This impressive repertoire of roles on TV boosted McCoy's presence in the spotlight.

At Le Theatre

The physical comedy actor also acted extensively on stage in the theatre through his career, and believes that theatre really is the heart and soul of acting. Sylvester McCoy's performances include one-man shows, Fringe productions and collectively with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RBC).

The actor appeared in an adaptation of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2007, and with RBC he portrayed the Fool in King Lear alongside Ian McKellan, which toured Melbourne and New Zealand in August later that same year.

An odd talent of McCoy's is his ability to play spoons, which the actor used to his own ends. This talent featured in his role in the comic opera "The Mikado" as well as "Little Shop of Horrors" as the wonderful Mr Mushnik.

Rolling onto the Big Screen

In 2011, novel adaptations of The Hobbit trilogy was brought to life on the big screen. Sylvester McCoy portrayed the wizard, Radagast, alongside Ian McKellan who reprised his role as the beloved Gandalf. Despite the fact that Radagast is a small role, it was fleshed out for the three-part film series. This is a clear testament to McCoy's acting and a sign of his talent.

The Scotsman has racked up a number of film credits, including the horror film "The Owners" (2020) adapted from the graphic novel in which he portrayed Richard Huggins, and which honoured him with Best Actor. Other appearances include "Eldorado", "The Seventeenth Kind" and British rom-com "Lost at Christmas" – to name but a few.

Personal Life Off-Screen

Sylvester is happily married to his wife, Agnes, and the pair have three children. Their son, Sam Kent-Smith, worked on the production of the Doctor Who video game as a 3D artist.

McCoy is said to be a particularly superstitious man, with a unique set of skills, like playing spoons and stunt tricks. The actor also came as a package deal with his hat to his audition for Doctor Who, so the costume had to be adapted to his wacky style.

The Scotsman enjoys travelling especially around the UK, particular favourite spots include Newcastle, Dublin and London.… show more