Tony Haygarth obit

Actor Tony Haygarth dies aged 72

He was not on the list.


The actor Tony Haygarth has died at the age of 72.
His passing was announced by his ex-wife Carole Winter on Twitter this morning and details of his death are yet to be released. The actor had been battling with Alzheimer's since being diagnosed in 2014.

The Liverpudlian actor Haygarth began his professional career in theatres such as the National Theatre and at the RSC. His first film was Percy in 1971 and in 1979 he starred in Dracula opposite Laurence Olivier and Donald Pleasence. Other film work includes roles in I, Claudius and in Chicken Run.

In 2009 he starred as Alfred Doolittle in the Old Vic's production of Pygmalion. In 1996 he won the Clarence Derwent Award for his part as Simms the bookmaker in Sam Shepard's play Simpatico.

Haygarth was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1996 for his roles in Twelve Angry Men and The Tempest. He joined the cast of Emmerdale in 2008 as Mick Naylor and played Mr Boo in the 2009 production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville in London. His films included Chicken Run and Fakers. In 2008 he played Alfred Doolittle in The Old Vic's production of Pygmalion.

In 2015 he spoke to the Daily Express about living with Alzheimer's. He told the paper "I felt a mixture of relief and trepidation when I got the [Alzheimer's] diagnosis,...It meant that I got access to a lot of services and support which has been fantastic but feared that my life was going to change significantly, and that my work would be severely affected."

Haygarth was also an author of plays and poetry and his first play was called The Lie and was about the death of Christopher Marlowe.

People took to Twitter today to pay their respects to the actor.



Selected filmography


Percy (1971) - Purdey

Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971) - Cary Farthingale

The Love Ban (1973) - Policeman #2

Last of the Summer Wine (1973) - Chip Simmonite

I, Claudius (1976, TV Mini-Series) - Claudius' Slave

Rachel and the Beelzebub Bombardiers (1977) - Reformed drunkard

Holocaust (1978, TV Mini-Series) - Heinz Muller

Let's Get Laid (1978) - Sgt. Costello

Dracula (1979) - Milo Renfield

S.O.S. Titanic (1979, TV movie) - Engineer Officer (uncredited)

The Human Factor (1979) - Buffy

McVicar (1980) - Rabies Pendel

Outside In (1981)

Ivanhoe (1982, TV Movie) - Friar Tuck

Britannia Hospital (1982) - Fraser: The Workers

A Private Function (1984) - Sutcliff

The Bride (1985) - Tavern Keeper

Dreamchild (1985) - Mad Hatter (voice)

Clockwise (1986) - Ivan with the Tractor

A Month in the Country (1987) - Douthwaite

Hardwicke House (1987 TV series originally cancelled after first two episodes aired, remaining five uploaded to YouTube in 2019) - Mr Savage

The Most Dangerous Man in the World (1988) - Yildirim

The Dressmaker (1988) - Mr. Manders

Tree of Hands (1989) - Kostas

London Kills Me (1991) - Burns

The Trial (1993) - Willem

Prince of Jutland (1994) - Ragnar

Swept from the Sea (1997) - Mr. Smith

The Woodlanders (1997) - Mr. Melbury

Chicken Run (2000) - Mr. Tweedy (voice)

Fakers (2004) - Phil Norris

Ghostboat (2006, TV Movie) - Cassidy