Tony Beckley
| Tony Beckley | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Derek Anthony Beckley 7 October 1929 Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK |
| Died | 19 April 1980 (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cancer (possibly AIDS) |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1958–1979 |
Derek Anthony "Tony" Beckley (7 October 1929 – 19 April 1980) was an English character actor. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Beckley went on to carve out a career on film and television throughout the 1960s and 1970s often playing villainous roles, as well as being a veteran of numerous stage productions.
Beckley was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England. He was a child out of wedlock and never met his father. His mother, Beatrice Mitchell, was a stewardess who worked on ocean liners such as the RMS Mauretania and the RMS Aquitania. Due to work commitments, she was often away, and Beckley was brought up mainly by another lady whom he referred to as his aunt.
When he was five years old Beckley and his mother moved to Portsmouth and when World War II broke out he was sent to Winchester where he attended boarding school at Winton House. As a school boy he enjoyed reading, English and painting and it was in Winchester where he first became interested in acting. While his mother wanted him to do "something nice and safe", i.e. working in the civil service, Beckley felt he had discovered that acting was what was going to make him happy when he saw a performance of Emlyn Williams' "The Corn is Green" by the Portsmouth local repertory company the Court Players.
Beckley left school at the age of 16 in pursuit of his acting career. He worked as a stage sweeper and tea maker for two or three months before moving to London. As he could not get work in the theatre he did odd jobs as a waiter and in an ice cream factory while spending his spare time watching actors like Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Alec Guinness and the Old Vic productions at the New Theatre.
Shortly before turning 18, he joined the Royal Navy. Beckley spent two years as a seaman aboard the destroyer HMS Scorpion where he found the time to prepare for admission to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). He joined RADA on an ex-Navy grant and during his two-year training befriended people such as actress Sheila Hancock and playwright Charles Laurence.
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