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Anton Rodgers
Anton Rodgers in One Step Beyond (Eyewitness).jpg
Rodgers in an episode of One Step Beyond (1961)
Born
Anthony Rodgers

(1933-01-10)10 January 1933
Ealing, Middlesex, England
Died 1 December 2007(2007-12-01) (aged 74)
Reading, Berkshire, England
Alma mater
    • Italia Conti Academy
    • London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupation Actor
Years active 1947–2007
Spouse(s)
  • Morna Watson
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1959, divorced)​
  • Elizabeth Garvie
    ​
    (m. 1983)​
Children 5

Anthony Rodgers (born January 10, 1933 – died December 1, 2007) was an English actor and sometimes a director. He performed in plays, movies, and on TV shows. He was famous for starring in TV comedies like Fresh Fields (1984–86), its follow-up French Fields (1989–91), and May to December (1989–94).

Early Life and Acting Career

Anton Rodgers was born in Ealing, England, on January 10, 1933. His parents were William Robert Rodgers and Leonore Victoria Wood. He went to Westminster City School when he was young. During World War II, his family moved to Wisbech.

He started acting on stage when he was just 14 years old. He later studied acting at the Italia Conti Academy and LAMDA.

Anton Rodgers became well-known for his TV roles. He played main characters in the popular comedy shows Fresh Fields in the 1980s and May to December from 1989 to 1994.

He also had a long career in movies and on stage. He acted in many different types of plays, from funny comedies to serious dramas. Some of his movies include The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970), Scrooge (1970), The Day of the Jackal (1973), and The Fourth Protocol (1987). He also used his voice to narrate the children's cartoon series Old Bear Stories. He even played a funny French policeman named Andre in the movie Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Personal Life

Anton Rodgers married Morna Watson, a ballet dancer, in 1959. They had a son and a daughter before they divorced. Later, he married actress Elizabeth Garvie. They often acted together on stage. They also gave readings from famous books by authors like Jane Austen.

Anton Rodgers passed away in Reading, Berkshire, on December 1, 2007. He was 74 years old.

Acting Roles

Theatre Performances

Anton Rodgers first appeared in London's West End theatre in 1947. He was only 14 and acted in Carmen. That same year, he toured in a play based on Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. He also played the main role in The Winslow Boy in 1948. After gaining more experience, he trained at LAMDA.

He joined the cast of The Boy Friend in London in 1957. Here are some other plays he was in:

  • Fingers in The Crooked Mile, 1959
  • Appeared in the show And Another Thing, 1960
  • Appeared in the show Twists, 1962
  • Mr Jingle in the musical Pickwick, 1963 (also in New York in 1965)
  • Felix in The Owl and the Pussycat, 1966
  • Francis Archer in The Beaux' Stratagem, 1967
  • Title role in Henry V, 1968
  • Vladimir in Waiting for Godot, 1968
  • Dr Stockman in An Enemy of the People, 1969
  • Gerald in The Formation Dancers, 1971
  • Frank in Forget-Me-Not Lane, 1971
  • Macheath in The Threepenny Opera, 1972
  • Dr Rank in A Doll's House, 1973
  • Lord Henry Wotton in The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1975
  • Jack Manningham in Gaslight, 1976
  • Leading role in Songbook, 1979
  • Jim in Passion, 1981
  • Walter Burns in Windy City, 1982
  • Richard de Beauchamp in Saint Joan, 1984
  • Gerry Stratton in Time of My Life, 1993
  • Dr Feldman in Duet for One, 1996
  • Etienne in Under the Doctor, 2001
  • Grandpa Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2002

Selected Movies

  • Vice Versa (1948)
  • The Browning Version (1951)
  • The Spider's Web (1960)
  • Carry On Cruising (1962)
  • The Iron Maiden (1962)
  • Carry On Jack (1964)
  • Rotten to the Core (1965)
  • The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970) - Tony Alexander
  • Scrooge (1970) - Tom Jenkins
  • The Day of the Jackal (1973) - Jules Bernard
  • The Fourth Protocol (1987) - George Berenson
  • Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) - Inspector Andre
  • Impromptu (1991) - Duke D'Antan
  • Son of the Pink Panther (1993) - Chief Lazar
  • Secret Passage (2004) - Foscari
  • The Merchant of Venice (2004) - The Duke
  • The Last Drop (2006)
  • Go Go Tales (2007)

Television Shows

  • Brambly Hedge as Lord Woodmouse (voice)
  • Maigret (1962)
  • Old Bear Stories as Narrator, Old Bear, and other voices
  • The Old Curiosity Shop as Dick Swiveller
  • The Sentimental Agent (1963)
  • The Champions (1967)
  • Danger Man
  • Man in a Suitcase
  • Gideon's Way (1966)
  • The Prisoner episode "The Schizoid Man" as Number Two
  • The Saint (1967)
  • Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969)
  • The Elusive Pimpernel (1969) as Sir Percy Blakeney
  • The Paz Show as Pappy (voice)
  • Upstairs, Downstairs (1972)
  • The Protectors (1972)
  • Thomas & Sarah (1979)
  • Play for Today
  • Jason King
  • The Duchess of Duke Street
  • Something in Disguise (1982)
  • Murder Most English (1982)
  • Rumpole of the Bailey
  • Lillie
  • Fresh Fields as William Fields
  • French Fields as William Fields
  • Noah's Ark as Noah Kirby
  • Disraeli
  • Zodiac
  • After the War
  • May to December as Alec Callender
  • Midsomer Murders (2000)
  • Longford (2006) as William Whitelaw
  • C. S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia (2005) as C. S. Lewis
  • You Can Choose Your Friends (2007)
  • Richard the Lionheart
  • Wide-Eye as Wide-Eye and other voices
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