Derek Martinus: Movies & Filmography

Born Derek Buitenhuis on 4 April 1931 in Ilford, Essex, United Kingdom, he adopted his Rotterdam-born grandfather's middle name, Martinus, for his professional career in the entertainment industry. He received his secondary education at Brentwood School in Essex before completing his national service in the Royal Air Force. Following his military service, he pursued formal training in directing and acting at the prestigious University of Oklahoma and Yale School of Drama in the United States. After financial difficulties forced his return to the United Kingdom in the mid-1950s, he established himself as a repertory actor with the Library Theatre in Manchester and other regional venues across the country. His theatrical work included notable performances at the Royal Court Theatre and extensive tours alongside the legendary Sir Donald Wolfit. He subsequently became a member of the Arena Theatre Company, where he began developing his dual skills as both performer and director, creating a solid foundation for his later transition behind the camera and into television production.

Martinus became best known for his prolific television directing work, particularly his seminal contributions to the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, where he directed several classic serials including Galaxy 4, Mission to the Unknown, The Tenth Planet, The Evil of the Daleks, and The Ice Warriors during the 1960s. His final contribution to the series, Spearhead from Space in 1970, marked a historic milestone as the first Doctor Who serial produced in colour, effectively bridging the eras of the first three actors to portray the Doctor. Beyond Doctor Who, he directed extensively for the BBC, helming over 50 episodes of the groundbreaking police procedural Z-Cars and classic serial adaptations such as What Maisie Knew, The Black Tulip, and A Little Princess. His work for ITV included the award-winning children's drama The Paper Lads, which won the Pye Award, and the military series Spearhead. Later in life, after learning Swedish, he directed numerous stage productions in Sweden, often collaborating with his wife on translations of works by Harold Pinter, Ben Jonson, and August Strindberg. He passed away on 27 March 2014 at the age of 82 from complications of Alzheimer's disease, survived by his wife Eivor Martinus and their two daughters.