Actors have played the Doctor.
Matthew Robert `` Matt '' Smith ( born 28 October 1982 ) is an English actor . After joining the National Youth Theatre and studying Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia , he became an actor in 2003 , performing in plays like Murder in the Cathedral , Fresh Kills , The History Boys , and On the Shore of the Wide World in London theatres . Extending his repertoire into West End theatre , he has since performed in the stage adaptation of Swimming with Sharks with Christian Slater , followed a year later by a critically acclaimed performance as Henry in That Face . Smith 's first television role came in 2006 as Jim Taylor in the BBC adaptations of Philip Pullman 's The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North , while his first major role in television came as Danny in the 2007 BBC series Party Animals . Since 2016 , he portrays Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh in Peter Morgan 's Netflix biographical drama series The Crown , opposite Claire Foy as Elizabeth II . Peter Dougan Capaldi ( born 14 April 1958 ) is a Scottish actor , writer and director , best known for playing the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the television series Doctor Who . For reprising the role in the spinoff film In the Loop , Capaldi was honoured with several film critic award nominations for Best Supporting Actor . The Doctor (Doctor Who) . The incumbent Doctor is the Twelfth Doctor , played by Peter Capaldi , who succeeded Matt Smith in the role in the 2013 Christmas special `` The Time of the Doctor '' after he was granted a new `` cycle '' of regenerations by the Time Lords .