Hart, Tony
1925-2009
Tony Hart, artist, illustrator and TV presenter was born on October 15, 1925 in Maidstone, Kent, England as Norman Anthony Hart.
He was known for the TV programmes including: Vision on (1965), Take Hart (1977), and Hartbeat (1984). His break in television was in 1952, after he met a BBC producer he was introduced to by his brother.
The BBC awarded him a contract to appear as an illustrator on Saturday Special, so popular were his programmes, showcasing his huge talent as an artist, he appeared in up to three TV series every year for the next 50 years up to 1994 with ‘Hartbeat’.
On 28 December 2006, it was announced during the reunion programme It Started with Swap Shop that Hart was in poor health, though this was not elaborated upon until an interview with The Times published on 30 September 2008, revealing that two Strokes had robbed him of the use of his hands and left him unable to draw. He described this as “the greatest cross I have to bear”.
Hart died peacefully on 18 January 2009 at the age of 83.
You might find this video from the BBC Archive interesting.
