Matt Smith always thought he would be a soccer player, but when a back injury thwarted his potential career, he entered into an existential crisis. Fortunately, his theater teacher, Mr. Hardingham, recognized his potential.

The teacher enrolled him in theater productions on his own, but after not showing up to two theater festivals. Like the protagonist of an American high school series, Smith saw himself as a soccer player and believed that acting would harm his social life.

Eventually, he discovered that acting "gave him the same feeling of freedom" as playing soccer, and today he acknowledges the role Mr. Hardingham played in his future: "He changed my life", he said in an interview on BBC Radio 4. The rest is history.

On IMDb, there are more than 50 professionals from different fields credited with the name 'Matt Smith'. The star of House of the Dragon is tagged as the eleventh, but he is undoubtedly the most famous. The only one the audience recognizes by that name and surname.

In addition to being the most admired and beloved Targaryen by fans of the Game of Thrones prequel, Smith is also known for having played Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in the first two seasons of The Crown, a performance for which he was nominated twice for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards and once for the Emmys.

But before these two iconic characters, the actor portrayed an even more emblematic role for 46 episodes: the eleventh Doctor of Doctor Who, the longest-running science fiction series in history, a role that earned him a BAFTA nomination and the eternal affection of fans, who consider him one of the most beloved Doctors in the series' 60-year history.

What is 'Doctor Who'

The series premiered on BBC on November 23, 1963 with William Harnell as the First Doctor, followed by Patrick Troughton. Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor was the last of what is known as the "classic era," which had 26 seasons and a movie.

In 2005, the series returned after a 16-year hiatus under the guidance of Russell T. Davies, the creator of Years and Years. This new stage of the series, which now has 14 seasons, began with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, followed in uninterrupted broadcast by David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whitaker, and Nguti Gatwa with several showrunner changes.

All the Doctors

Who is The Doctor

The alien known as the Doctor is the last survivor of the Time Lords, a humanoid being about 2000 years old, who travels through time and space solving problems, facing enemies of all kinds, and saving humanity and any species in need from more than one apocalypse.

If you wonder how the series has been able to stay on the air with so many changes of lead actor, this is due to a clever narrative device: The Doctor has the biological ability to regenerate into a new physical form when he becomes very old or near death.

His memories, knowledge, experience, and some traits like heroism and sense of justice remain intact, but each Doctor is different from the previous one in how they speak, act, and react, in other words, they have a new personality.

Matt Smith ('Doctor Who') null

Matt Smith's Doctor

Matt Smith was introduced in 2011, in the 5th season of the new era, with Karen Gillian as his companion in the TARDIS, the 1960s police box-shaped spaceship in which the Doctor travels to any place in time and space.

Smith brought a unique energy and peculiarity to the role, making his Doctor playful, eccentric, and deeply emotional. The British actor managed to balance the youthful exuberance of his character with the wisdom and weariness of the Time Lord.

Furthermore, his ability to convey complex science fiction concepts with humor and charisma earned him the affection of fans, despite facing the difficult challenge of replacing David Tennant in the role, one of the fans' favorites.

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In which seasons does he appear

Matt Smith is the protagonist of seasons 5, 6, and 7 (he makes a special appearance in the eighth), and if you're wondering if you can watch them even if you've never approached Doctor Who, the answer is yes: any Doctor change is like a reboot, and therefore, a good entry point to the series.

Furthermore, his introduction came with a change of showrunner, as Steven Moffatt replaced Russell T. Davies in the fifth season.

Where to watch it

Seasons 1-10 of the new season are available on Prime Video.

Season 14 is exclusively on Disney+ and new episodes are released at the pace of their broadcast on BBC. The intermediate seasons are currently not available on any streaming platform in Spain.

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence