Tony Adams (actor)

Anthony Sawley Adams (11 December 1940 – 25 October 2025) was a Welsh actor, known for his performances in two British television soap operas.<ref name="TelObit"/>

Early life

Adams was born in Anglesey, Wales, on 11 December 1940, to Winifred Brown, a sportswoman and aviator. In 1930, she had been the first woman to win the King's Cup Air Race around England.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="TelObit">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Adams trained as an actor at the Italia Conti Stage School.<ref name=chronicle>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As a child he appeared on the London stage, notably alongside the young Kenneth Williams in a production of Peter Pan at the Scala Theatre.<ref name=chronicle/> Other stage appearances included a starring role opposite Cheryl Kennedy in a West End revival of The Boy Friend, and he also appeared on the original cast album released with that production.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and in pantomime with David Essex.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Career

Adams made his name as Dr Neville Bywaters in the 1970s soap General Hospital. He also appeared in the Doctor Who serial The Green Death (1973) as Elgin. However, he became ill with peritonitis during filming, and could not complete the serial.<ref name="Roberts"/>

In November 1978, Adams moved on to a role in Crossroads, as accountant Adam Chance, who soon became a major character.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It is for this role that he is best known. In September 1987, Adams decided to leave the programme. The announcement was made that the series would end in April 1988, and Adams stayed to the end. He was one of the cast members who returned in the 2001 revival of the series, though his character was later killed off in a fire.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also appeared in a one-off DVD made in 2014.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In late 2004, Adams appeared in the stage version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium theatre where he played Grandpa Potts.

In 2023, Adams appeared in a cameo role in the ITVX miniseries Nolly, which dramatised the life of his former Crossroads colleague Noele Gordon, and in which Adams himself was portrayed by Augustus Prew.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life and death

In 2013, aged 72, Adams began suffering from osteoarthritis, which he speculated might have resulted from eating an excess of seafood, especially prawns.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Adams died at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, England, on 25 October 2025, at the age of 84.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Roberts">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1951	The Magic Box	Boy	Uncredited
1953	The Enchanted Garret	Bill Banks	TV film
1955	Reluctant Bride
	Touch and Go	Teenager	Uncredited
1964	Kiss Me Kate		TV film
1971	A Lizard in a Woman's Skin	Policeman	Uncredited
	Villain	Man	Uncredited
1975	The Godmothers	Vito
1977	The Quality Connections	Nigel	Short film
1980	Hardly Working	Eddie the Clown
1986	Superfantagenio	Monty Siracusa

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966	Crossroads	Mr. Perkins	2 episodes
1972	The Two Ronnies	Brutus	Episode: Series 2, Episode 5
	Crown Court	Brian Parker	Episode: Conspiracy: Part Three
1972–1979	General Hospital	Dr. Neville Bywaters	Series regular; 304 episodes
1973	Doctor Who	Elgin	Episodes: The Green Death
	Play of the Week	Prince Damian	Episode: Queen of Hearts
1978–2002	Crossroads	Adam Chance	Series regular; 260 episodes
1986	Hale and Pace	Prince Charming	Episode: Christmas Extravaganza
1989	Bergerac	M.C.	Episode: Tangos in the Night
1992	The Upper Hand	Donald Crenshaw	Episode: You Shall Go to the Ball
2001	The Grimleys	Doctor	Episode: The Big Sleep
2003	The Afternoon Play	Agency Supremo	Episode: Turkish Delight
2006	Doctors	Edgar Price	Episode: Ghost in the Machine

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0011408

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