Tony Garnett facts for kids

Tony Garnett (born April 3, 1936 – died January 12, 2020) was a British person who made movies and TV shows. He was a producer, which means he helped make sure films and TV programs got made. He also acted in some shows. Tony Garnett was famous for working closely with director Ken Loach for 13 years. He kept producing films and TV shows well into the 2000s.

Tony Garnett's Early Life and Acting Career

Tony Garnett was raised by his aunt and uncle, Emily and Harold Garnett. He later took their last name. His younger brother, Peter, was raised by other family members.

Tony went to the Central Grammar School in Birmingham. After that, he studied psychology at University College, London. He spent a lot of his time acting in the school's drama club and on television.

Tony started his career as an actor. He appeared in An Age of Kings (1960), a BBC series of Shakespeare plays. He was also in the movie The Boys (1962). He acted in an episode of Edgar Wallace Mysteries called Incident At Midnight (1962). Tony also appeared in several TV plays by David Mercer. In 1964, he was in a Teletale episode called Catherine. This show was important because it was where he first met director Ken Loach.

Working with Ken Loach and Other Projects

Tony Garnett was hired by Roger Smith to work at the BBC. He became an assistant story editor for a show called The Wednesday Play. One of his most famous works for this series was Cathy Come Home (1966). This was a docudrama, a type of show that mixes facts with drama. Ken Loach directed it.

In 1967, Tony Garnett introduced Ken Loach to writer Jim Allen. Jim Allen became a close partner for Ken Loach for 25 years. Tony also worked with Jim Allen on other projects. Sometimes they worked together without Loach, like on The Lump (1967). They also worked with Loach on The Big Flame (1969). This show was filmed in 1968 but was not shown by the BBC for a while.

Tony Garnett, along with writer David Mercer and other producers, started a company called Kestrel Productions. This company worked with London Weekend Television. They made 17 TV dramas in just two years. However, Tony and his team found this experience limiting. The TV company wanted them to use their studio and video tape most of the time. They only allowed filming on location with film sometimes.

Despite these limits, Kestrel Films also helped make feature films. These included Kes (1969) and Family Life (1971). Kes was based on a book by Barry Hines. Both films were produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach.

In 1969, Tony Garnett produced The Save the Children Fund Film for Ken Loach. The charity itself asked for this film to be made. It was meant to be shown on TV, but the charity did not like it. They stopped it from being shown for 40 years. It was finally shown in 2011.

Days of Hope (1975) was a four-part TV series for the BBC. It was written by Jim Allen and directed by Loach. It told the story of events from the Great War up to the General Strike of 1926.

Tony Garnett and Ken Loach worked with Barry Hines again on The Price of Coal (1977). This was a two-part Play for Today. It combined the celebration of the Queen's Silver Jubilee with a mining accident. This was similar to a real event called the Cadeby Main pit disaster.

The Spongers (1978) was written by Jim Allen and directed by Roland Joffé. This film also used the Silver Jubilee as a background. It showed how government spending cuts affected people. It focused on the closing of places that helped children with learning difficulties.

Tony Garnett produced Law and Order (1978) by G.F. Newman. This was a series of four dramas that looked at problems in the British justice system. When it was shown, people in parliament even discussed it.

The last project Tony Garnett worked on with Ken Loach was a children's film. It was called Black Jack (1979).

Tony Garnett's Later Career and Ideas

Later, Tony Garnett moved to the United States. He believed that "a movie should never be about what it's about." This means that a film might seem to be about one thing, but it has a deeper message. For example, a space comedy might actually be about racial prejudice. He applied this idea to films like Earth Girls and Follow That Bird (1985).

In 1990, he started a company called World Productions. Through this company, Tony Garnett oversaw shows like Between the Lines (1992–94) and This Life (1996–97). He also worked on other productions.

In 2009, Tony Garnett sent an email that was shared widely. In it, he said that the BBC's way of managing things stopped creativity. He also felt that the BBC was no longer interested in showing "poor people" in a fair way. He said that when they did, they often made fun of them.

Tony Garnett's Family Life and Passing

In 1963, Tony Garnett married Topsy Jane Legge. They met while acting in a local theater group. They had a son named Will. They later divorced.

In 1978, he married Alexandra Ouroussoff. They had another son, Michael. This couple divorced in 1988.

Tony Garnett wrote a book about his life in 2016. It was called The Day the Music Died: A Life Behind the Lens.

Tony Garnett passed away on January 12, 2020, after a short illness. He is remembered by his partner, Victoria Childs, and his two sons.