Derek Martinus

Derek Buitenhuis (4 April 1931 – 27 March 2014 ), known professionally as Derek Martinus, was an English television and theatre director. Originally an actor, he directed episodes of Z-Cars and Doctor Who, for which he was best known. He also had a long career directing stage productions.

Early life and acting career Born in Ilford, Essex, the son of Jack and Irene Buitenhuis, Martinus used his Rotterdam-born grandfather's middle name for his professional name. After national service in the Royal Air Force, he studied directing and acting at the University of Oklahoma and Yale School of Drama. Mission to the Unknown (1965), The Tenth Planet (1966), His period working on the programme spanned the eras of the first three actors to play the lead role. Martinus believed the Daleks had to be shot "very carefully and from exactly the right angle". "If you shoot them without care they do look rather tame and ordinary," he explained in an interview for a series fan site. "You had to build up a Dalek's entrance. I used to make them lurk in the shadows."

For ITV he directed The Paper Lads in 1977, winner of the Pye Award for best children's drama. In addition, Martinus directed the army drama series Spearhead, and several series of the children's drama Dodger, Bonzo and the rest in 1985

For Swedish television he directed a two-hour political thriller by Jan Guillou, The Wolf. After having learnt Swedish, he directed several plays in civic theatres in Sweden, many of them translated or adapted by his wife. Among others: The Homecoming by Harold Pinter, Volpone by Ben Jonson, The Shoemaker's Holiday by Thomas Dekker, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (the version by Stephen Lowe) and Mad Forest by Caryl Churchill. At the Gate Theatre London he directed the British premieres of some rarely performed Strindberg plays, translated from the Swedish by his wife Eivor.

Death Martinus died on 27 March 2014 at the age of 82 from complications arising from Alzheimer's disease, from which he had suffered for many years. He was survived by his wife Eivor Martinus, their two daughters, Charlotta and Pia,