Tony Verdeschi

Security Chief Tony Verdeschi
Space: 1999 character
Tony Anholt as Security Chief Tony Verdeschi
First appearance	"The Metamorph"
Portrayed by	Tony Anholt
Information
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Moonbase Alpha
Posting	27 August 1999, second tour of duty on Moonbase Alpha
Rank	Chief Security Officer
Section	Command Centre
Date of birth	1967, Florence, Italy
Home planet	Earth

Tony Verdeschi is a fictional character who first appeared in the second series of the science fiction television series Space: 1999. He is in his early thirties.

Portrayed by Tony Anholt, Tony took over the role of Moonbase Alpha's executive officer for the show's second season. He replaced Controller Paul Morrow, the base's second-in-command during the first series; no explanation was ever given for Morrow's sudden absence from the programme or lack of appearances or references to Tony in the first series. Unlike Morrow, Verdeschi did double-duty as Moonbase's Chief of Security. He first appeared in the second series opening episode "The Metamorph".

Tony Verdeschi neither appeared nor was mentioned in the first series, so his sudden appearance in the second series was never explained. (Although in "Earthbound" Commander Koenig does address a spacesuited and helmeted security guard as 'Tony'.)

Of Italian descent, he was born in Florence, Italy. He comes from a long line of farmers. His full name is Anthony Dean Verdeschi; this anglicized name, coupled with his British accent, hints at least one of his parents was a British national. He attended the University of Rome (graduating in 1990) and did post-grauduate studies at Cambridge University in England (graduating in 1993). He joined the World Space Commission in 1994 with the rank of science specialist.

He has an older brother named Guido, whose appearance was assumed by an alien in "The Bringers of Wonder", and an outspoken mother, whom Tony can believe would have called the American President for two weeks to demand action after the Moon's cataclysmic departure when told this by the alien Guido persona. His mother is reputed to be a fantastic cook, with a recipe for marinara sauce that would shame most artisans of Italian cookery.

As originally conceived by producer Fred Freiberger, the character was to have been named 'Simon Hays', whose backstory included the interesting detail that he was the world's first recipient of a successful artificial heart—in direct contradiction to facts established in Series One (see Victor Bergman). This detail was, of course, later omitted, along with his having been a fencer and former Olympic athlete.