Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith, later known as Sylvester McCoy, was born on August 20, 1943, in Dunoon, Scotland, to Molly Sheridan and Percy James Kent-Smith. His mother was Irish, and his father was killed in World War II before his birth. McCoy was raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunts.
He attended St Muns Primary School, where the headmistress, Rosie O'Grady, encouraged her students to pursue decent jobs. McCoy became interested in various professions and eventually took an afternoon off school to discuss entering the priesthood with a local priest. He left school, joined Blairs College, a Catholic seminary in Aberdeen, and trained to be a priest from ages 12 to 16.
However, McCoy realized that there was more to life than the priesthood and discovered classical music and history, which fascinated him. He decided to become a monk and applied to join a Dominican order but was rejected due to his age. He returned to school and eventually discovered his interest in the opposite sex, leading him to abandon his plans for the priesthood.
After completing his education, McCoy took a holiday to London, where he never returned. He found a job in the City working for an insurance company and trained in the job until he was 27. He then decided it wasn't for him and gained a job at the Roundhouse Theatre, where he worked in the box office.
McCoy joined the Ken Campbell Roadshow and performed various plays with the theme of "modern myths." He formed a double-act with Bob Hoskins and was booked at a circus. Director Ken Campbell improvised a circus-based act about a fictitious stuntman called Sylvester McCoy, and the program stated that this character was played by "Sylvester McCoy." One of the critics missed the joke and assumed that Sylvester McCoy was a real person.
McCoy adopted the name Sylvester McCoy and continued to work in theater. He was starring at the National Theatre in "The Pied Piper" when he learned that the BBC was looking for a new lead actor to replace Colin Baker in Doctor Who. McCoy won the role as the Seventh Doctor despite initial reservations from Michael Grade and Jonathan Powell.
McCoy's first season took a pantomimic style, but his second season saw the introduction of a darker and more complex tone. His costume was changed in his third season, but the series was still struggling with funding and ratings. The BBC eventually pulled the plug on the series in 1989.
After Doctor Who, McCoy worked extensively in theater and television. He appeared in "The Government Inspector" and "The Invisible Man" on stage and starred in "Zorro: The Musical" in 1995. His television credits include "Frank Stubbs Promotes" and "Rab C. Nesbitt." He also created the character of Crud in the cult television series "Ghoul Lashed" for Sky TV.
In 1996, McCoy was contracted to reprise his role as the Doctor, handing over to an eighth incarnation of the Time Lord in the earthly form of his friend Paul McGann. He also devised and presented "I Was a 'Doctor Who' Monster," a special video tribute to the men and women who played the monsters of Doctor Who.
