Tony Haygarth

Instantly recognisable, often bearded Liverpudlian character actor who has been regularly featured on stage and screen in period productions, police dramas, sitcoms and soaps during a career spanning five decades. Extremely prolific and versatile, he has taken on just about any type of role, merrily alternating between bellicose, shifty, dependable, bucolic, curmudgeonly or avuncular types. His most prominent headliners have included PC Wilmot in the Yorkshire-based sitcom Rosie (1977) and the titular character of the sci-fi comedy Kinvig (1981) penned by Nigel Kneale. Occasional scene-stealing turns in support have included the deliriously mad Milo Renfield in Dracula (1979). Among innumerable other worthy supporting roles a list of standouts might comprise Gridley, the ruined chancery appellant in Bleak House (2005) ; Vic Snow in Where the Heart Is (1997) ; nouveau-riche timber merchant Melbury in The Woodlanders (1997) and the slightly seedy consular chauffeur Fidel Sanchez in Farrington of the F.O. (1986). He also voiced the slow-witted, mercilessly hen-pecked antagonist Mr. Tweedy in Aardman's animated feature Chicken Run (2000).Before claimed by the stage, Haygarth had briefly tried his luck at other fields of endeavour, including as a Torquay lifeguard and as a psychiatric nurse at Sefton Hospital in Liverpool. Having found his chosen vocation in repertory theatre he went from there to more distinguished roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic and the National Theatre. He won the Clarence Derwent Award in 1996 for his part in the play "Simpatico" and in 2003 appeared with Zoë Wanamaker in "His Girl Friday" and alongside Kenneth Branagh in "Edmond". Starting in 2007, he appeared as Alfred Doolittle in Peter Hall's production of "Pygmalion", a performance described by the reviewer of The Telegraph as "delightfully funny" and "scene-stealing". Haygarth also sidelined as an author of plays and wrote a book of poetry entitled "God wore Clogs". In 2014, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia which sadly claimed his life three years later at the age of 72. Show less «