Valentine Anthony Neil "Tony Van" Bridge CM (28 May 1917 – 20 December 2004) was a British television and theatre actor and director.
Early life
Bridge was born in London and first appeared as a child actor at the age of ten, and enrolled aged 19 at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.[1][2]
He married Kippe Cammaerts just before World War II.[3] They had two children, Pieter and Michael. While he was away during World War II, his wife met Jack Morpurgo and started a relationship with him. Bridge returned to England in 1946 and shortly thereafter decided to emigrate to Canada.
Bridge had three further children in Canada – Shona Bridge, David Cheyne and Peter Cheyne.[4]
Career
Bridge worked for 15 years with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and 30 years with the Shaw Festival.[5] He was interim artistic director at Shaw for the 1974–75 season.[6]
On 27 April 2000, Bridge was made a Member of the Order of Canada for his services to the performing arts.
Bridge died 20 December 2004 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. He was survived by his ex-wife Stacey and predeceased by his second wife Elizabeth Bridge.
Television (partial)
- The Quatermass Experiment (1953), producer
- The Avengers (1961), Henry Burge
- Playdate (1961–62)
- "Masterpiece" (1961), Raiyler
- "Love Story 1910" (1962), Inspector Dew
- "Great Expectations" (1962), Magwitch
- "The Old One" (1962) (and writer)
- Mission: Impossible (1969), Erhard Poltzin
- A Population of One (1980)
References
- ↑ "Tony van Bridge, 87: Actor won stage acclaim". thestar.com. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ↑ van Bridge, Tony (2 August 1998). "Dialogue: Tony van Bridge" (Interview). Interviewed by Richard Ouzounian. TV Ontario. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ↑ "Michael Morpurgo; Jean Webb". Michaelmorpurgo.org. 23 May 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ↑ "Valentine A. N. "Tony" VAN BRIDGE". ObitsforLife.com. 20 December 2004. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ↑ "Tony van Bridge acting credits". Stratford Festival Archives. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ↑ van Bridge, Tony (1995). Also in the Cast: The Memoirs of Tony van Bridge. Oakville, Ontario: Mosaic Press. ISBN 0-9699478-0-1.