Anthony Edward Lowry Britton (9 June 1924 – 22 December 2019) was an English actor. He appeared in a variety of films (including ''

The Day of the Jackal ''The Day of the Jackal'' (1971) is a political thriller novel by English author Frederick Forsyth about a professional assassin who is contracted by the OAS, a French dissident paramilitary organisation, to kill Charles de Gaulle, the Presid ...

'') and television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

s (including '' Don't Wait Up'' and '' Robin's Nest'' He is the father of presenter Fern Britton, scriptwriter Cherry Britton and actor Jasper Britton.

Life and career

Britton was born in a room above the Trocadero

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

in Temple Street,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

, the son of Doris Marguerite (née Jones) and Edward Leslie Britton. He attended Edgbaston Collegiate School, Birmingham and Thornbury Grammar School,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

he served in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and he also worked for an

estate agent An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting, or management of properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent. Estate agents are mainly engaged ...

and in an aircraft factory. He joined an

amateur dramatics An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History Hist ...

group in

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...

and then turned professional, appearing on stage at

the Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

and with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He appeared in numerous British films from the 1950s onwards, including ''

Operation Amsterdam ''Operation Amsterdam'' is a 1959 black and white British action film, directed by Michael McCarthy, and featuring Peter Finch, Eva Bartok and Tony Britton. It is based on a true story as described in the book ''Adventure in Diamonds'', by Da ...

'' (1959), ''

Sunday Bloody Sunday "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1983 album ''War'' and was released as the album's third single on 21 March 1983 in the Netherlands and West Germany. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is noted ...

'' (1971) and ''

'' (1973). Britton won the

Broadcasting Press Guild The Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) is a British association of journalists dedicated to the topic of general media issues. History The Guild was established in 1974 as a breakaway of The Critics' Circle. Currently it groups over 100 staff and f ...

Award for Best Actor in 1975 for '' The Nearly Man''. He was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1977 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...

outside London's Cafe Royal. From 1983 to 1990, he starred with Nigel Havers and

Dinah Sheridan Dinah Sheridan (born Dinah Nadyejda Ginsburg; 17 September 1920 – 25 November 2012) was an English actress with a career spanning seven decades. She was best known for the films '' Genevieve'' (1953) and '' The Railway Children'' (1970); the l ...

in the BBC

'' Don't Wait Up'', which became a highlight of his career. His other sitcom appearances included '' ...And Mother Makes Five'', '' Father, Dear Father'' and as James Nicholls in '' Robin's Nest''. In September 2013 Sir

Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, humourist and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 1 ...

directed a Gala Performance of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...

'' at

in London. Britton played the Earl of Gloucester. Britton and his first wife Ruth (née Hawkins) had two children, scriptwriter Cherry Britton and TV presenter Fern Britton. Cherry was married to children's TV presenter

Brian Cant Brian Cant (12 July 1933 – 19 June 2017) was an English actor of stage, television and film, television presenter, voice artist and writer. He was best known for his work in BBC television programmes for children from 1964 onward, most notabl ...

. Fern is married to Phil Vickery. Britton's second wife was Danish

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and member of the wartime Danish resistance Eva Castle Britton (née Skytte Birkfeldt). They had one son, actor Jasper Britton. Britton died on 22 December 2019, at the age of 95.

Films

* '' Waterfront'' (1950) as Deck-Hand (uncredited) * ''

Cage of Gold ''Cage of Gold'' is a 1950 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Jean Simmons, David Farrar, and James Donald.

'' (1950) as Nicky (uncredited) * '' Salute the Toff'' (1952) as Draycott * The Man who Stroked Cats (1955) as Tom Meredith ( Dir. by

Anthony Pelissier Harry Anthony Compton Pelissier (27 July 1912 – 2 April 1988) was an English actor, screenwriter, producer and director. Biography Pelissier was born in Barnet and came from a theatrical family. His parents were the theatre producer H. G. ...

with

Peggy Anne Clifford Peggy Ann Clifford (23 March 1921 in Poole, Dorset – 26 May 1986, in Kensington), was an English film, stage, and television character actress. She was born Peggy Anne Hamley Champion. Her mother's maiden name was Clifford. She appeared in two ...

) (short) * ''

Loser Takes All ''Loser Takes All'' is a 1955 novella by British author Graham Greene. In his dedication Greene said he had not written "this little story" to encourage "adultery, the use of pyjama tops, or registry office weddings. Nor is it meant to discour ...

'' (1956) as Tony * '' The Birthday Present'' (1957) as Simon Scott * '' Behind the Mask'' (1958) as Philip Selwood * '' The Heart of a Man'' (1959) as Tony Carlisle * ''

'' (1959) as Major Dillon * ''

The Rough and the Smooth ''The Rough and the Smooth'' (alternative title: ''Portrait of a Sinner'') is a 1959 British drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Nadja Tiller, Tony Britton, William Bendix and Natasha Parry. The screenplay concerns an archaeolog ...

'' (1959) as Mike Thompson * '' The Last Winter'' (1960) as Stephen Burton * '' Suspect'' (1960) as Robert Marriott * '' The Break'' (1963) as Greg Parker * '' Dr. Syn Alias the Scarecrow'' (1963) as Simon Bates * ''

There's a Girl in My Soup '' There's a Girl in My Soup'' is a 1970 British romantic comedy film based on the stage play of the same name, directed by Roy Boulting and starring Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn. The film was Sellers' last commercial success until '' Return ...

'' (1970) as Andrew Hunter * ''

'' (1971) as George Harding * '' Mr. Forbush and the Penguins'' (1971) as George Dewport * ''

'' (1973) as Superintendent Brian Thomas * '' Night Watch'' (1973) as Tony * '' The People That Time Forgot'' (1977) as Captain Lawton * '' Agatha'' (1979) as William Collins * ''

Countdown to War ''Countdown to War'' is a television film made in 1989 as a co-production by Granada Television and PBS. It recounts the events that occurred between 15 March 1939, when the German army commanded by Adolf Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia and created ...

'' (1989) as Sir

Nevile Henderson Sir Nevile Meyrick Henderson (10 June 1882 – 30 December 1942) was a British diplomat who served as the ambassador of the United Kingdom to Germany from 1937 to 1939. Early life and education Henderson was born at Sedgwick Park, near Horsha ...

* '' Run for Your Wife'' (2012) as Man on Bus (final film role)

Television

* ''

Melissa Melissa is a female given name. The name comes from the Greek word μέλισσα (''mélissa''), "bee", which in turn comes from μέλι (''meli''), "honey". In Hittite, ''melit'' signifies "honey". ''Melissa'' also refers to the plant ''Me ...

'' (1964) * '' The Saint'' (1968) * '' Marked Personal'' (1974) *'' The Nearly Man'' (1975) *'' ...And Mother Makes Five'' (1975) *'' Robin's Nest'' (1977–1981) *'' Don't Wait Up'' (1983–1990) *'' Strangers and Brothers'' (1984) *'' Don't Tell Father'' (1992) *''

The Royal ''The Royal'' is a British period medical drama, produced by Yorkshire Television (later part of ITV Studios), and broadcast on ITV1 from 2003 until its cancellation in 2011. The series is set in the 1960s and focuses on the lives of the ...

'' (2006)

References

External links

*
Performances listed in Theatre Archive University of Bristol
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britton, Tony 1924 births 2019 deaths English male film actors English male television actors People from Birmingham, West Midlands Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War II