Tony Britton was born Anthony Edward Lowry Britton on June 9, 1924, in Birmingham, England, to Edward Leslie and Doris (Jones) Britton.
At the age of 18, he took his first professional curtain call in "Quiet Weekend" with a company in Weston-Super-Mare, before joining the Army in November 1942.
Serving with the Royal Artillery for 41/2 years, he returned to the theater after the war, initially as an assistant stage manager at the Manchester Library Theatre.
He made his London debut in "The Rising Wind" at the Embassy Theatre and began elevating his name in repertory at Edinburgh and the Bristol Old Vic during the 1951 season.
Major attention came after being cast as Rameses in Christopher Fry's "The Firstborn" at London's Winter Garden Theatre in 1952, which led to the leading role and excellent critical notices in "The Player King" later that year at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.
Glen Byam Shaw, director of the Memorial Theatre, witnessed this performance and invited him to join his company, where he remained for two seasons, playing Bassiano opposite Peggy Ashcroft in "The Merchant of Venice", as well as essaying the roles of Cassio in "Othello", Mercutio in "Romeo and Juliet" and Lysander in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", among others.
Other London stage roles came with "The Night of the Ball" opposite Wendy Hiller and Gladys Cooper, and "Gigi" starring Leslie Caron. At the Old Vic, he played Trigorin in "The Seagull" and Hotspur in "Henry IV" before settling in for an over two-year run as Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady".
Tony didn't pursue film roles with equal zest, yet his infrequent offerings reliably enhanced any project he was involved in. His highlights include lead and supporting parts in The Birthday Present (1957),Behind the Mask (1958),The Risk (1960),Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971),and The Day of the Jackal (1973).
On TV, Tony portrayed assorted men of distinction in TV movies, including lords, sirs, captains, and the like, and lightened up considerably in his numerous comedy series, including the popular Robin's Nest (1977) and Don't Wait Up (1983).
His last decade or so were spent primarily on TV with prime roles on the British series Don't Tell Father (1992),the mini-series The Way We Live Now (2001),and episodes of "My Dad's the Prime Minister," "Doctors," "The Royal" and "Holby City".
He made his last appearance with a brief bit in the rollicking film comedy Run for Your Wife (2012).
