TONY ADAMS became a household name as Adam Chance in the long-running soap opera Crossroads. He first shot to fame playing Dr Neville Bywaters in General Hospital.
Born in Anglesey, Wales, in 1940, he attended the Italia Conti stage school. His stage debut was in a production of Peter Pan at London’s Scala Theatre, playing First Twin alongside a very young Kenneth Williams.
He then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, working with some of the greatest actors of last century, such as Sir Michael Redgrave, Harry Andrews, Peggy Ashcroft, Donald Pleasance and Rachael Kempson.
He has played Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady, Tevye in a highly successful production of Fiddler on the Roof, Palmer in It Can Damage Your Health, and Roland in Alan Ayckbourn’s Taking Steps.
Tony will be appearing at the Sunderland Empire in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang between April 17 and June 7. Tickets, costing between £18.50 and £39.50, can be bought by calling the box office on 0844-847 2499 or by visiting www.sunderland-empire.org.uk
WHY did you decide to become an actor?
As a child I had a very active imagination. My cardboard box was a castle, racing car, spaceship and all sorts of other things. I always enjoyed pretending to be someone I wasn’t.
I remember one day when a group of women asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I said I didn’t know. They responded by saying anyone who doesn’t know what they want to do for a living gets sent down the pit and the thought of that terrified me. It was then that I decided I wanted to be an actor.
HOW often do you get recognised these days?
In showbusiness you are either described as being current or not current. At the moment I am not current, so I don’t get recognised as much as I used to.
When you are at the height of your fame you don’t realise that you are actually famous. You just take it for granted that people stop you in the street and want to have a chat with you.
It’s only when people no longer do it that you realise how much of your time was taken up dealing with the public.
YOU are best known for playing Adam Chance in Crossroads. How did you feel when you got the role?
I dreaded it. I kept hoping a bus would knock me over. I was so frightened but a fellow actor was due to start the same day. We got talking and he admitted he was also terrified.
Crossroads was shot as if it was live so you couldn’t afford to make mistakes because we had no editing suite.
Ronnie Allen, who played David Hunter, really looked after me and told me how to approach the show and I’ll always be grateful for that.
WERE you surprised when Crossroads came back?
I was very surprised, both that it was returning to television screens and also that they wanted me. I got a phone call asking if I would go to see the new producers and how I felt coming back as Adam. They wanted him to be just as evil as he was when he left. It was great fun.
DO you prefer being on stage or on screen?
It’s always nice to be on television as you can get to work pretty much nine to five. I am very definitely a morning person. I wake early and I am at my best during the morning.
When you work in the theatre, you start work in the evening and don’t finish until late. Working on stage allows you to get instant feedback from the audience, but I prefer TV because of the hours.
WHAT do you do in your spare time?
I don’t often get a lot of spare time but I enjoy reading and spending time with my family. It’s pretty much all of the usual things most people enjoy doing when they are not at work.
WHAT advice would you give to aspiring actors?
Never give up. Even when you go to audition after audition and keep getting rejected, you have to keep on persevering because you never know when you’ll get a big break.
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