Biography
Tony Gardner (born 10 January 1964) is an English actor, comedian and doctor. He qualified as a physician at Guy's Hospital in 1987 and as a general practitioner in 1993. He combined medicine and comedy in the 1990s as half of the double act Struck Off and Die with Phil Hammond, and later left medicine to pursue acting full time. He serves on the national governing body of the actors' trade union Equity.
Gardner gained prominence playing Brian Johnson in the CITV series My Parents Are Aliens (1999–2006), for which he also wrote episodes, and Michael in the BBC sitcom Lead Balloon. He played Professor Tony Shales in the Channel 4 series Fresh Meat (2011–2016) and John in five series of the BBC drama Last Tango in Halifax (2012–2020). Other television roles include Dan Miller in The Thick of It and Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Smith in Bluestone 42 (2013–2015). He has also appeared in stage productions directed by Sir Peter Hall.
