Fame is a fickle friend and for most actors it's no doubt always a worry if and when the next job will be coming in. Those who are lucky enough to land a role in Doctor Who though - guest or lead or otherwise - are more likely to go on to achieve bigger and better things, particularly across the pond in the US where it's notoriously difficult to make an impact. As far as career platforms go, though, you'd be hard done by to find a more effective one than Doctor Who. Looking at its success rate, Doctor Who has definitely launched more careers than its ruined. Carole Ann Ford, who portrayed the Doctor's first companion Susan Foreman in the 60s, has recently admitted that her involvement in the series "destroyed her acting career" but thankfully she's an anomaly in an otherwise bristling pool of unequivocal talent. Not that she isn't talented, of course - these days the plethora of performances that Doctor Who offers its actors means it serves as the perfect showcase of their abilities, whereas back then the actors basically had to stand around and scream a lot. It all depends on the ability of each respective actor, of course. If they make an impact in the show they're destined for greatness but, as this list will prove, sometimes it's the underdog that goes all the way. It does come down to fate as well - for many people it's just the luck of the draw and here's a list of 10 Doctor Who actors who have each left Doctor Who and gone on to live their very own American dream.
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
