- published: 05 Feb 2009
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Anton Rodgers (born Anthony Rodgers; 10 January 1933 – 1 December 2007) was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film and in television dramas and sitcoms.
Rodgers was born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, the son of Leonore (née Wood) and William Robert Rodgers. His early education was at Westminster School. Later he was educated at the Italia Conti Academy and LAMDA. He appeared on stage from the age of 14. He was well known for his television performances, specifically his long-running roles in the television sitcoms Fresh Fields in the 1980s and May to December from 1989 to 1994.
However, he also had a long career as an actor on both stage and film, with his stage roles ranging from contemporary comedy and satirical farce to Restoration comedy, Ibsen, Shaw and Wilde and Peter Nichols. He appeared in films such as The Fourth Protocol (1987), The Day of the Jackal (1973) and Scrooge (1970) (in which he performed the Academy Award-nominated Best Original Song "Thank You Very Much"). He also narrated the children's animated TV series Old Bear Stories.