Anton Phillips facts for kids

Anton Phillips was born in Jamaica on October 31, 1943. He is a British actor, director, and producer. He became famous for his role as Dr. Bob Mathias in the science fiction TV show Space: 1999. Anton Phillips has also worked hard to create more opportunities for black actors and theatre makers in Britain.

Anton Phillips: Actor and Director

Early Life and Training

Anton Phillips was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He went to high school in Jamaica and later in Washington, D.C., USA. In the 1960s, he moved to the United Kingdom. In 1969, he studied acting at Rose Bruford College drama school.

Breaking Barriers in Acting

After drama school, Anton Phillips started acting in Britain. He was one of the first black actors to appear in many TV shows. These included General Hospital, The Saint, and The Bill. He is best known for being a main actor in Space: 1999 from 1975 to 1977.

Promoting Black Theatre

Anton Phillips has spent much of his career helping black theatre grow. He started several projects that changed how black and Asian theatre was seen in Britain.

• Carib Theatre Company: In 1980, he co-founded this company with Yvonne Brewster.
• Black Theatre Season: This project helped black and Asian plays be shown in proper theatres. Before this, many plays were performed in small community halls.
• Black Theatre Forum: These groups gave chances to many black and Asian writers, actors, and theatre workers.

Under his direction, the Carib Theatre's play The Amen Corner by James Baldwin was very important. It was the first play produced and directed by black artists to move to the West End of London. The West End is a famous area for plays. Phillips directed this play again in 1999.

Carib Theatre also created plays for schools. They toured London for several years. About 30,000 children watched their shows.

International Work

Phillips has also worked in other countries. In 1994, he directed a play in Ghana at the new National Theatre. He also taught at the University of Ghana. For three years, he helped create a theatre company in Tanzania. He taught them how to use theatre for education. He has also directed plays in Germany, the Netherlands, and France.

Helping Young People

Anton Phillips was inspired by a group in Jamaica. He started the Stonebridge Area Youth Project (SAY) in London. This project helped young people aged 14 to 24. It used performing arts workshops to help them get back into education. It also taught them life skills for jobs. This project ran for four years.

He also directed plays for the Blue Mountain Theatre in London. These plays starred Oliver Samuels, a Jamaican comic actor. They drew large audiences of up to 3,000 people.

Other Contributions

In 2008, Phillips performed a powerful poem called Notebook of a Return to my Native Land. This was a tribute to the writer Aimé Césaire.

Besides acting and directing, Phillips has written for magazines and newspapers. He often writes about the state of black arts in the UK. He also made a documentary film called Home Sweet Harlesden. This film shares interviews with the first Caribbean people who moved to Britain.

In 2015, Anton Phillips received the Edric Connor Trailblazer Award. This was given at the 10th Screen Nation Film and Television Awards.

See Also

• Space: 1999
• Yvonne Brewster