Born in Chelsea, London, the son of Roland Pertwee, a noted screenwriter and actor of the 1910s-1950s, Jon Pertwee was educated at Frensham Heights School, an independent school in Rowledge, near Farnham in Surrey, and at some other schools from which he was expelled. After school, he went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), from which he was also expelled after he refused to play the small part of a wind in a Greek play.

Jon Pertwee is best known for his role in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, where he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge. He also hosted the murder mystery quiz programme Whodunnit! between 1974 and 1978 for Thames Television. He also voiced the character of "Spotty" in the 1980s cartoon series SuperTed.

Jon was an officer in the Royal Navy, spending some time working in naval intelligence during the Second World War. He was a crew member of HMS Hood and was transferred off the ship shortly before it was sunk, losing all but three men. He was married twice, first to Jean Marsh (1955–1960), whom he divorced, and then, on August 13, 1960, to Ingeborg Rhoesa, by whom he had two children, Sean and Dariel. He was a cousin of actor Bill Pertwee who played Chief Warden Hodges in the comedy Dad's Army.

Jon was also a comic actor, with roles such as the conniving Chief Petty Officer Pertwee in The Navy Lark on BBC Radio and in another radio comedy series Waterlogged Spa. He also played the part of Lycus in the 1963 London stage production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Frankie Howerd and appeared in the smaller role of Crassus in the 1966 film version. He appeared in four Carry On films: Carry On Cleo (1964), Carry On Screaming (1966), Carry On Cowboy (1965) and Carry On Columbus (1992). He also guest starred as a Vicar in The Goodies' episode "Wacky Wales".

On 14 April 1971, Jon Pertwee was the subject of Thames Television's This Is Your Life which featured the first television appearance of his son Sean Pertwee, who went on to become an actor.

In 1972, he released a vocal version of the Doctor Who theme music entitled "Who is the Doctor", and in 1980 he released a single based on Worzel Gummidge entitled "Worzel's Song" from the album "Worzel Gummidge Sings".

He returned to the role of the Doctor in the 1983 20th-Anniversary television movie The Five Doctors and in the 1993 charity special Dimensions in Time. During the 1990s, he made a guest appearance in the "Lords and Ladies" episode of the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Harry Hill's Fruit Corner, playing a Time Lord and also spoofed the role in the Radio 4 comedy The Skivers.

Jon would continue to act in films and television as well as make appearances world-wide in support of Doctor Who. He was successful in seeing the Third Doctor return to the airwaves with two audio productions for BBC Radio, The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts of N-Space. Following its British cancellation, Worzel Gummidge was eventually picked up for production on New Zealand television in the late 1980s after much campaigning by Jon.

He continued on the convention circuit and with his voice and television acting until his death, aged 76, from a heart attack whilst on holiday in Connecticut on 20 May 1996.

He died only days after the American broadcast of the Doctor Who television movie which used in its opening credits a logo based on the one from his era of the television series. The BBC broadcast of the television movie featured a dedication to Jon Pertwee at its conclusion.

His last association with the series was posthumous. With the approval of his widow, Ingeborg, his voice was utilised as part of the plot of the Big Finish Productions 40th-Anniversary Doctor Who audio drama, Zagreus. Jon Pertwee's voice was culled from a fan-produced Doctor Who film Devious, portions of which were recorded prior to his death.

Jon wrote two autobiographies: Moon Boots and Dinner Suits (published in 1984), which primarily covers his life and career prior to Doctor Who and the posthumously published I Am the Doctor which covered his life during and after the series.

Film and TV

"Doctor Who" (128 episodes)
Spearhead from Space: Episode 1 (3 January 1970) - The Doctor
Spearhead from Space: Episode 2 (10 January 1970) - The Doctor
Spearhead from Space: Episode 3 (17 January 1970) - The Doctor
Spearhead from Space: Episode 4 (24 January 1970) - The Doctor
The Doctor and the Silurians: Episode 1 (31 January 1970) - The Doctor
The Doctor and the Silurians: Episode 2 (7 February 1970) - The Doctor
The Doctor and the Silurians: Episode 3 (14 February 1970) - The Doctor
The Doctor and the Silurians: Episode 4 (21 February 1970) - The Doctor
The Doctor and the Silurians: Episode 5 (28 February 1970) - The Doctor
The Doctor and the Silurians: Episode 6 (7 March 1970) - The Doctor
The Doctor and the Silurians: Episode 7 (14 March 1970) - The Doctor
The Ambassadors of Death: Episode 1 (21 March 1970) - The Doctor
The Ambassadors of Death: Episode 2 (28 March 1970) - The Doctor
The Ambassadors of Death: Episode 3 (4 April 1970) - The Doctor
The Ambassadors of Death: Episode 4 (11 April 1970) - The Doctor
The Ambassadors of Death: Episode 5 (18 April 1970) - The Doctor
The Ambassadors of Death: Episode 6 (25 April 1970) - The Doctor
The Ambassadors of Death: Episode 7 (2 May 1970) - The Doctor
Inferno: Episode 1 (9 May 1970) - The Doctor
Inferno: Episode 2 (16 May 1970) - The Doctor
Inferno: Episode 3 (23 May 1970) - The Doctor
Inferno: Episode 4 (30 May 1970) - The Doctor
Inferno: Episode 5 (6 June 1970) - The Doctor
Inferno: Episode 6 (13 June 1970) - The Doctor
Inferno: Episode 7 (20 June 1970) - The Doctor

Terror of the Autons: Part 1 (2 January 1971) - The Doctor
Terror of the Autons: Part 2 (9 January 1971) - The Doctor
Terror of the Autons: Part 3 (16 January 1971) - The Doctor
Terror of the Autons: Part 4 (23 January 1971) - The Doctor
The Mind of Evil: Part 1 (30 January 1971) - The Doctor
The Mind of Evil: Part 2 (6 February 1971) - The Doctor
The Mind of Evil: Part 3 (13 February 1971) - The Doctor
The Mind of Evil: Part 4 (20 February 1971) - The Doctor
The Mind of Evil: Part 5 (27 February 1971) - The Doctor
The Mind of Evil: Part 6 (6 March 1971) - The Doctor
The Claws of Axos: Part 1 (13 March 1971) - The Doctor
The Claws of Axos: Part 2 (20 March 1971) - The Doctor
The Claws of Axos: Part 3 (27 March 1971) - The Doctor
The Claws of Axos: Part 4 (3 April 1971) - The Doctor
Colony in Space: Part 1 (10 April 1971) - The Doctor
Colony in Space: Part 2 (17 April 1971) - The Doctor
Colony in Space: Part 3 (24 April 1971) - The Doctor
Colony in Space: Part 4 (1 May 1971) - The Doctor
Colony in Space: Part 5 (8 May 1971) - The Doctor
Colony in Space: Part 6 (15 May 1971) - The Doctor
The Dæmons: Part 1 (22 May 1971) - The Doctor
The Dæmons: Part 2 (29 May 1971) - The Doctor
The Dæmons: Part 3 (5 June 1971) - The Doctor
The Dæmons: Part 4 (12 June 1971) - The Doctor
The Dæmons: Part 5 (19 June 1971) - The Doctor

Day of the Daleks: Part 1 (1 January 1972) - The Doctor
Day of the Daleks: Part 2 (8 January 1972) - The Doctor
Day of the Daleks: Part 3 (15 January 1972) - The Doctor
Day of the Daleks: Part 4 (22 January 1972) - The Doctor
The Curse of Peladon: Part 1 (29 January 1972) - The Doctor
The Curse of Peladon: Part 2 (5 February 1972) - The Doctor
The Curse of Peladon: Part 3 (12 February 1972) - The Doctor
The Curse of Peladon: Part 4 (19 February 1972) - The Doctor
The Sea Devils: Part 1 (26 February 1972) - The Doctor
The Sea Devils: Part 2 (4 March 1972) - The Doctor
The Sea Devils: Part 3 (11 March 1972) - The Doctor
The Sea Devils: Part 4 (18 March 1972) - The Doctor
The Sea Devils: Part 5 (25 March 1972) - The Doctor
The Sea Devils: Part 6 (1 April 1972) - The Doctor
The Mutants: Part 1 (8 April 1972) - The Doctor
The Mutants: Part 2 (15 April 1972) - The Doctor
The Mutants: Part 3 (22 April 1972) - The Doctor
The Mutants: Part 4 (29 April 1972) - The Doctor
The Mutants: Part 5 (6 May 1972) - The Doctor
The Mutants: Part 6 (13 May 1972) - The Doctor
The Time Monster: Part 1 (20 May 1972) - The Doctor
The Time Monster: Part 2 (27 May 1972) - The Doctor
The Time Monster: Part 3 (3 June 1972) - The Doctor
The Time Monster: Part 4 (10 June 1972) - The Doctor
The Time Monster: Part 5 (17 June 1972) - The Doctor
The Time Monster: Part 6 (24 June 1972) - The Doctor
The Three Doctors: Episode 1 (30 December 1972) - Doctor Who
The Three Doctors: Episode 2 (6 January 1973) - Doctor Who
The Three Doctors: Episode 3 (13 January 1973) - Doctor Who
The Three Doctors: Episode 4 (20 January 1973) - Doctor Who
Carnival of Monsters: Episode 1 (27 January 1973) - Doctor Who
Carnival of Monsters: Episode 2 (3 February 1973) - Doctor Who
Carnival of Monsters: Episode 3 (10 February 1973) - Doctor Who
Carnival of Monsters: Episode 4 (17 February 1973) - Doctor Who
Frontier in Space: Part 1 (24 February 1973) - The Doctor
Frontier in Space: Part 2 (3 March 1973) - The Doctor
Frontier in Space: Part 3 (10 March 1973) - The Doctor
Frontier in Space: Part 4 (17 March 1973) - The Doctor
Frontier in Space: Part 5 (24 March 1973) - The Doctor
Frontier in Space: Part 6 (31 March 1973) - The Doctor
Planet of the Daleks: Part 1 (7 April 1973) - The Doctor
Planet of the Daleks: Part 2 (14 April 1973) - The Doctor
Planet of the Daleks: Part 3 (21 April 1973) - The Doctor
Planet of the Daleks: Part 4 (28 April 1973) - The Doctor
Planet of the Daleks: Part 5 (5 May 1973) - The Doctor
Planet of the Daleks: Part 6 (12 May 1973) - The Doctor
The Green Death: Episode 1 (19 May 1973) - Doctor Who
The Green Death: Episode 2 (26 May 1973) - Doctor Who
The Green Death: Episode 3 (2 June 1973) - Doctor Who
The Green Death: Episode 4 (9 June 1973) - Doctor Who
The Green Death: Episode 5 (16 June 1973) - Doctor Who
The Green Death: Episode 6 (23 June 1973) - Doctor Who
The Time Warrior: Part 1 (15 December 1973) - The Doctor
The Time Warrior: Part 2 (22 December 1973) - The Doctor
The Time Warrior: Part 3 (29 December 1973) - The Doctor
The Time Warrior: Part 4 (5 January 1974) - The Doctor

Invasion: Part 1 (12 January 1974) - The Doctor
Invasion of the Dinosaurs: Part 2 (19 January 1974) - The Doctor
Invasion of the Dinosaurs: Part 3 (26 January 1974) - The Doctor
Invasion of the Dinosaurs: Part 4 (2 February 1974) - The Doctor
Invasion of the Dinosaurs: Part 5 (9 February 1974) - The Doctor
Invasion of the Dinosaurs: Part 6 (16 February 1974) - The Doctor
Death to the Daleks: Part 1 (23 February 1974) - The Doctor
Death to the Daleks: Part 2 (2 March 1974) - The Doctor
Death to the Daleks: Part 3 (9 March 1974) - The Doctor
Death to the Daleks: Part 4 (16 March 1974) - The Doctor
The Monster of Peladon: Part 1 (23 March 1974) - The Doctor
The Monster of Peladon: Part 2 (30 March 1974) - The Doctor
The Monster of Peladon: Part 3 (6 April 1974) - The Doctor
The Monster of Peladon: Part 4 (13 April 1974) - The Doctor
The Monster of Peladon: Part 5 (20 April 1974) - The Doctor
The Monster of Peladon: Part 6 (27 April 1974) - The Doctor
Planet of the Spiders: Part 1 (4 May 1974) - The Doctor
Planet of the Spiders: Part 2 (11 May 1974) - The Doctor
Planet of the Spiders: Part 3 (18 May 1974) - The Doctor
Planet of the Spiders: Part 4 (25 May 1974) - The Doctor
Planet of the Spiders: Part 5 (1 June 1974) - The Doctor
Planet of the Spiders: Part 6 (8 June 1974) - The Doctor

Young Indiana Jones and the Attack of the Hawkmen (1995) (TV) .... Gen. Von Kramer
Discworld (1995) (VG) (voice) .... Death/Various Characters
Cloud Cuckoo (1994) .... Grandfather
The Zero Imperative (1994) (V) .... Dr. O'Kane
... aka P.R.O.B.E.: The Zero Imperative (UK: reissue title)
... aka The Stranger: The Zero Imperative (UK: video box title)
Myth Makers Vol. 7: Wendy Padbury (1994) (V) .... Spottyman
Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (1993) (TV) .... The Doctor
"The Further Adventures of SuperTed" (1993) TV Series (voice) .... Spotty
The Airzone Solution (1993) (V) .... Oliver Threthewey
"Virtual Murder" .... Luis Silverado (1 episode, 1992)
- A Torch for Silverado (1992) TV Episode .... Luis Silverado
Carry on Columbus (1992) .... Duke of Costa Brava
'Doctor Who': The Troughton Years (1991) (V) .... Host "Worzel Gummidge Down Under"

(1986) TV Series .... Worzel Gummidge (unknown episodes)

"SuperTed" (1983) TV Series (voice) .... Spottyman (1983-1986)
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors (1983) (TV) .... The Doctor
The Curious Case of Santa Claus (1982) (TV) .... Dr. Merryweather
The Boys in Blue (1982) .... Coast Guard
Worzel Gummidge: A Cup o' Tea an' a Slice o' Cake (1980) .... Worzel Gummidge
"Worzel Gummidge" (1979) TV Series .... Worzel Gummidge (unknown episodes)
The Water Babies (1978) (voice)
... aka Slip Slide Adventures
No. 1 of the Secret Service (1977) .... The Rev. Walter Braithwaite
... aka Her Majesty's Top Gun (UK: video title)
... aka Tell the Other Guy to Move Over! I'm Number One.
Adventures of a Private Eye (1977) .... Judd Blake
... aka Adventures of a Private Dick
Wombling Free (1977) (voice)
... aka Wombling Free: The Movie (UK: video title)
One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing (1975) .... Col. Mortimer
"The Goodies" .... Reverend Llewellyn Llewellyn Llewellyn Llewellyn (1 episode, 1975)
- Wacky Wales (1975) TV Episode .... Reverend Llewellyn Llewellyn Llewellyn Llewellyn

The House That Dripped Blood (1970) .... Paul Henderson (segment "The Cloak")
Under the Table You Must Go (1970) .... Voice
Up in the Air (1969) .... Figworthy
"Jackanory" .... Storyteller (10 episodes, 1966-1967)
- Little Grey Rabbit's Birthday (1967) TV Episode .... Storyteller
- Little Grey Rabbit Makes Lace (1967) TV Episode .... Storyteller
- Little Grey Rabbit Goes to the Sea (1967) TV Episode .... Storyteller
- Little Grey Rabbit and the Weasels (1967) TV Episode .... Storyteller
- Little Grey Rabbit's Washing Day (1967) TV Episode .... Storyteller
(5 more)
"Beggar My Neighbour" .... Major Henley (1 episode, 1967)
- Episode #1.2 (1967) TV Episode .... Major Henley
"The Avengers" .... Brigadier Whitehead (1 episode, 1967)
- From Venus with Love (1967) TV Episode .... Brigadier Whitehead

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) .... Crassus
Carry on Screaming! (1966) .... Doctor Fettle
... aka Carry on Vampire
... aka Screaming
Mother Goose (1965) (TV) .... The Squire
Carry on Cowboy (1965) .... Sheriff Albert Earp
You Must Be Joking! (1965) (uncredited) .... Storekeeper (Hare Factory)
Runaway Railway (1965) .... Station Master
I've Gotta Horse (1965) .... Costumier's assistant
... aka Wonderful Day
Carry on Cleo (1964) .... Soothsayer
... aka Caligula: Funniest Home Videos (USA: video title)
Ladies Who Do (1963) .... Sidney Tait
Nearly a Nasty Accident (1961) .... Gen. Birkinshaw
Not a Hope in Hell (1960) .... Dan
Just Joe (1960) .... Prendergast
The Ugly Duckling (1959) .... Victor Jekyll
"Ivanhoe" .... Peter the Peddler (1 episode, 1958)
- The Swindler (1958) TV Episode .... Peter the Peddler
"Evans Abode" (1956) TV Series
It's a Wonderful World (1956) (uncredited) .... Conductor
A Yank in Ermine (1955) .... Slowburn
The Gay Dog (1954) .... A Betting Man
Will Any Gentleman...? (1953) .... Charley Sterling
Mister Drake's Duck (1951) .... Reuben
Miss Pilgrim's Progress (1950) .... Postman Perkins
The Body Said No! (1950) .... Watchman
Dear Mr. Prohack (1949) .... Plover
Helter Skelter (1949) .... Headwaiter/Charles II
Murder at the Windmill (1949) .... Sergeant
... aka Mystery at the Burlesque
A Piece of Cake (1948) .... Mr. Short
Trouble in the Air (1948) .... Truelove
William at the Circus (1948) .... Superintendent
... aka William Comes to Town
Toad of Toad Hall (1946) (TV) .... The Judge
The Four Just Men (1939) .... Rally campaigner
... aka The Secret Four (USA)
A Yank at Oxford (1938) (uncredited)