Anthony George

Biography

Anthony George was born Octavio George on January 29, 1921 in Endicott, New York. He is sometimes credited as Ott George or Tony George. His interest in acting was ignited at an early age while attending a movie with his grandfather and seeing a child his age perform. The childhood dream became a reality in 1948 when Anthony moved to California and accepted a contract from 20th Century Fox. Under Fox, he appeared in the movies Where the Sidewalk Ends, Under My Skin and Inside The Walls of Folsom, along with the television show Those Two. Sadly, the pace was too fast for Anthony, who suffered a nervous breakdown during the filming of You Never Can Tell. After receiving some understanding words from co-star Dick Powell, Anthony finished the film. Facing a crisis in confidence, he decided his career in films was over, and dispondently returned to the East Coast. Returning to New York seemed to improve Anthony's fortunes, and he essayed numerous small screen roles on such shows as Studio One, Tales of Tomorrow and General Electric Theater. By 1954, feeling comfortable enough to return to Hollywood for the promise of more television work, where he faced a new setback in the form a severe hepatitis bout. He would spend a full year in convalescence. His health restored, movie star Rosalind Russell helped regenerate his dormant career by selecting him to star alongside her on television in her General Electric Theater production of The Night Goes On. The role prompted many other guest and recurring roles on episodic primetime television series including Zorro, Sea Hunt, How to Marry a Millionaire, Hawaiian Eye, The Untouchables, Checkmate, 77 Sunset Strip, Wagon Train, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and Broken Arrow. Anthony's work on the big screen included appearances in The Ten Commandments, Three Bad Sisters and Gunfight at Indian Gap. In the 1960s he returned once again to New York and stage work, including The Front Page, Endicott And the Red Cross, Winterset, The Ten O'Clock Scholar, The Voice of the Turtle, Everything in the Garden, Come Blow Your Horn, Mating Dance, The Tender Trap, Cactus Flower, The Rainmaker and Sunday in New York. Anthony also took a Broadway bow for the role of Nick Arnstein in Funny Girl. In 1967, while working on the New York stage, Anthony replaced Mitchell Ryan as Burke Devlin on Dark Shadows, playing Jeremiah Collins on the show thereafter. Following his short stint on the show, he continued to work extensively in daytime drama, essaying leading roles on Search for Tomorrow and One Life to Live. In the early 1980s, the grief of his mother's death and a long-term dependency to prescription tranquilisers led to a crisis in Anthony's health. After counselling and a break from One Life to Live, he overcame these setbacks and resumed his work on the show. In addition to a voice-over in a Vick's Vapor Rub commercial, Anthony also made occasional primetime guest appearances, including credits on Wonder Woman, Police Woman and Simon and Simon. During 1980s, Anthony retired from the acting industry and spent his remaining years in California. He died of complications from emphysema on March 16 2005. He is survived by his partner Robert Watson, along with two brothers and a sister.