Tony Hart
| Tony Hart | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Norman Antony Hart 15 October 1925 Maidstone, Kent, England |
| Died | 18 January 2009 (aged 83) Shamley Green, Surrey, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Artist, television presenter |
| Years active | 1952–2001 |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Skingle (m. 1953; her death 2003) |
| Website | www |
Norman Antony "Tony" Hart (15 October 1925 – 18 January 2009) was an English artist and children's television presenter. He started off as an officer in a Gurkha regiment but became famous for being a children's presenter and artist on television shows such as Vision On, Playbox, Take Hart and Hartbeat, often accompanied by Morph. He also created the Blue Peter ship logo.
Hart was interested in drawing from an early age. He attended All Saints, Margaret Street Resident Choir School and then Clayesmore School in Dorset, where art was his best subject.
He left school in 1944 and wanted to join the Royal Air Force, but as he would have been unable to fly owing to slightly deficient eyesight, he instead signed up with the British Indian Army and served as an officer in the 1st Gurkha Rifles. After the war, he was told that low-ranked British officers would be replaced by Indian officers when India became independent and he decided to leave the army.
After being demobilised, Hart decided to become a professional artist and studied art at Maidstone College of Art, which later became Kent Institute of Art & Design (and is now the Maidstone campus of the University for the Creative Arts). He graduated in 1950 and, after working as a display artist in a London store, became a freelance artist. The outbreak of the Korean War (25 June 1950) saw him being re-commissioned in the Territorial Army, attached to the Royal Artillery, from 23 November 1948 to 1 July 1950 (?).
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