Tony Gardner (born 10 January 1964) is an English actor, comedian and doctor.
Early life and education He attended St Augustine's Catholic College in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
Career Gardner qualified as a physician at Guy's Hospital in 1987, then as a general practitioner in 1993. He combined medicine and comedy during the 1990s as half of the award-winning comedy duo Struck Off and Die with Phil Hammond.
Acting career Gardner eventually left medicine to become an actor, starring in a number of TV commercials, including that for the Renault Mégane. He reached prominence playing Brian Johnson in CITV's My Parents Are Aliens (episodes of which he also wrote) and Michael, the café owner in Jack Dee's BBC sitcom Lead Balloon. In 2009–10 he starred in three plays directed by Sir Peter Hall. In 2011 he played Professor Tony Shales in the Channel 4 series Fresh Meat.
Between 2012 and 2020, he played John in five series of the critically acclaimed romantic drama series Last Tango in Halifax. The programme attracted impressive ratings for BBC One, with the third series posting an average of 7.8 million viewers.
Between 2013 and 2015, he appeared as Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Smith in three series of the wartime comedy Bluestone 42, about a British bomb disposal detachment in Afghanistan during Operation Herrick. He appeared as Dan Miller MP in the BBC political comedy The Thick of It. He was a main character of the music video "Giant Peach" by Wolf Alice. He appeared in a variety of roles in Tracey Ullman's Show from 2016. He also appeared in an episode of the Netflix show, Lovesick, portraying Dylan’s father at surprise wedding anniversary party.
In January 2021, Gardner appeared in S11E1 of Not Going Out as a neighbour to Lee and Lucy. He then appeared again in S12E4 in 2022.
Filmography + FilmographyYear Title Role Notes1994 Joking Apart 1995 Now What? Writer1995 You Bet! Sherlock Holmes Series 8, Episode 61997 Sunnyside Farm Justin 1997 Grown Ups 1997 Armstrong and Miller Writer1999–2006 My Parents Are Aliens Brian Johnson Writer and Cast Member2000–2006 Absolute Power 2001 So What Now? Dan Episode: Swinger2001 Lenny Henry in Pieces 2001 The Armando Iannucci Shows 2004 The Lenny Henry Show 2005–2012 The Thick of It Dan Miller 2006 Bremner, Bird and Fortune 2006–2011 Lead Balloon Michael Series regular2007 Jekyll David Series 1, Episode 42007 Dumped Narrator Voice2007 His Master's Voice 2008 Love Soup Matthew Episode: Ragged Claws2009 May Contain Nuts Philip Russell TV movie2009 Moving Wallpaper George Series 2, Episode 42010 M.I. High Prime Minister episode: Vote Skul2011–2016 Fresh Meat Professor Tony Shales 13 episodes2012–2020 Last Tango in Halifax John Elliot Series regular2012 Cockneys vs Zombies Clive 2012 New Tricks Lucas Graves episode: Old School Ties2012 Gates Aiden 2013 The Escape Artist Trevor Harris TV-Mini Series2013 Big Bad World Dr. Tim Series 1, Episode 62013–2015 Bluestone 42 Lieutenant Colonel Smith 2014 Plebs Philo Series 2, Episode 6 2014 Law & Order: UK Douglas Stone Episode: Repeat to Fade2016 Young Hyacinth Claude TV2016 Stella Ivan Schloss 2016–2017 Tracey Ullman's Show Various 2017–2018 Tracey Breaks the News Various 2017 Doctor Who Douglas "The Pyramid at the End of the World" (Series 10, Episode 7)2017 Death in Paradise Ian Matlock 1 episode2017 Unforgotten James Moray 3 episodes2017 Back Nick Molloy Series 1, Episode 12018 Death on the Tyne Justin 2018 Lovesick Julian 2018 Innocent Detective Superintendent Hillman ITV mini-series in four parts 2019 Midsomer Murders Russell Grundy "The Ghost of Causton Abbey" (Series 20, Episode 1)2019 Horrible Histories: The Movie Antonius 2021–2022 Not Going Out Stuart Lee and Lucy's neighbour2026 Silent Witness Ron Hill "The Disappearance of Alice Hill" (Series 29, Episodes 1 and 2)
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Profile