Trained at the Webber-Douglas School in London. Awarded Douglas cup upon graduation.
Five years in British repertory companies. Playing amongst other things: Saint Peter, Jimmy Porter in Look Back in Anger, A cigar-smoking American Air Force Colonel (at age 21) and the front end of a cow in Jack and the Beanstalk. Oh yes, and plays by Shakespeare, Shaw, Tennessee Williams and Jean Anouilh.
After three years with the Oldham Rep. Co., doing a show every week, I moved to Sheffield, a bi-weekly Company and didn’t know what to do with the second week of rehearsal. Found out eventually.
Made my name initially as a revue performer in Look Who’s Here, a kind of New Faces entertainment at the Fortune Theatre in London and in One to Another… the first absurdist revue to hit the West End, featured in sketches by Harold Pinter and Eugene Ionesco, amongst others.
Some time later I found myself on the same stage as Mr. Pinter playing the ‘victim’ Stanley in his play The Birthday Party.
Played a psychopath in The Last Ally at the Lyric Hammersmith and Ken Tynan said of my performance: “One of the most authentic and unsentimental portraits of a nut case I have ever seen in the theatre.” And if you don’t know who Mr. Tynan was… shame on you.
Shortly after took over the part of Littlechap in Stop the World I Want To Get Off at the Queen’s theatre and subsequently starred in the Warner Bros. movie.
Innumerable television plays, series and variety shows. Innumerable because I myself have forgotten how many. One of them however was a Midsummer Night’s Dream, in which I played Puck to Benny Hill’s Bottom. No, no, that’s the name of the character.
Went to the Edinburgh Festival with my own revue Fringe Faces and with Gillian Lynne’s dance show Collages, in which I was a straight-faced funnyman who darted in and out to hopefully amusing effect. Richard Buckle said ‘Show benefits enormously from that most sinister of clowns TT.’ See what happens when you try to be lovable. Both shows were so successful, they were brought to the Arts Theatre and the Savoy Theatre in London respectively.
Came to America to takeover Tommy Steele’s role in HALF A SIXPENCE at the Broadhurst Theatre. Subsequently played the role on the road and also toured with WHERE’S CHARLEY, playing the man himself, a production incidentally choreographed by Agnes de Mille and also starring that most sinister of clowns Fred Clark.
Toured with Lesley Uggams in Cabaret as the emcee and as the redoubtable Cohan in GEORGE M.
On Broadway, No Sex Please We’re British with the divine Maureen O’Sullivan and the very palatable Stephen Collins. Also played the cracksman in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s SHERLOCK HOLMES for a while when my old army
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I saw Tony’s performance in the 1965 film The Pleasure Girls last night. Tony’s part as Paddy, one of the girls’ housemates and a cool swinging sixties type of guy was way ahead of its time. He portrayed a gay man who was happy in his life rather than an unhappy victim. Maybe it was also the first mainstream film where two men are seen embracing , and although one of the girls is initially shocked at this, she quickly sees his humanity and it does not affect their friendship. Ive looked at few lists of milestones in gay cinema , this is not in there, it really should be, just for Tony’s performance.