Anthony A. "Tony" Wager (24 June 1932 – 23 December 1990) was an English actor and television writer. Wager is best known for portraying the role of the young "Pip" in David Lean's 1946 film of '' Great Expectations''.

Early life and career

Wager was born in

Willesden Willesden () is an area of northwest London, situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933, and has forme ...

, north

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and grew up in

Mill Hill Mill Hill is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is situated around northwest of Charing Cross. Mill Hill was in the historic county of Middlesex until 1965, when it became part of Greater London. Its population counted 18,45 ...

and Hendon. Wager's father was a

plumber A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, and for sewage and drainage in plumbing systems.

and decorator. He studied at

Christ's College, Finchley Christ's College is a secondary school with academy status in East Finchley, London, United Kingdom. It falls under the London Borough of Barnet Local Education Authority for admissions. Since September 2018, Christ’s College Finchley has off ...

. In 1945, Wager auditioned for the role of young 'Pip' in the film '' Great Expectations''. Wager won the role and was praised by critics for his performance. He won a ''Film Daily'' Critics Award for Best Performance For a Juvenile for his role in the film. After appearing in ''Great Expectations'', Wager continued working in films and television in England. He often lived with the director

Brian Desmond Hurst Brian Desmond Hurst (12 February 1895 – 26 September 1986) was a Belfast-born film director. With over thirty films in his filmography, Hurst has been hailed as Northern Ireland's best film director.Screening will honour 'NI's best film ...

. In the late 1960s, Wager moved to Sydney, Australia where he continued his career in both film and television but occasionally returned to England for acting jobs. He made his final onscreen appearance in the 1988 Australian television movie ''The Boardroom''. Wager then moved to Bali,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

for health reasons.

Death

On 23 December 1990, Wager died at age of 58 in Bali. He was given a Balinese funeral and his ashes were scattered at a lake.

Partial filmography

* '' Great Expectations'' (1946) – Young Pip * ''

Hungry Hill Hungry Hill or Knockday ( ga, Cnoc Daod) is the highest of the Caha Mountains on the Beara Peninsula in Munster, Ireland. Etymology The first part of the Irish name ''Cnoc Daod'' means "hill". The second part may be a dialectal variant of ...

'' (1947) – Young Wild Johnnie * '' Fame Is the Spur'' (1947) – The Boy Hamer * '' The Guinea Pig'' (1948) – Bert * ''The Secret Tunnel'' (1948) – Roger Henderson * ''

No Place for Jennifer ''No Place for Jennifer'' is a 1950 British film directed by Henry Cass and starring Leo Genn, Rosamund John, Guy Middleton and Janette Scott. It was based on the novel ''No Difference to Me'' by Phyllis Hambleton. Plot In the film, a young g ...

'' (1950) – Ted * '' Scrooge'' (1951) – Fezziwig's Lad (uncredited) * '' Above Us the Waves'' (1955) – George * ''

The Battle of the River Plate The Battle of the River Plate was fought in the South Atlantic on 13 December 1939 as the first naval battle of the Second World War. The Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser , commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff, engaged a Royal Navy squadron, command ...

'' (1956) – Lookout, HMS Ajax (uncredited) * ''

The Wind Cannot Read ''The Wind Cannot Read'' is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, Yoko Tani, Ronald Lewis and John Fraser. It was based on the 1946 novel by Richard Mason, who also wrote the screenplay. Songwriter P ...

'' (1958) – Moss * ''

The Captain's Table ''The Captain's Table'' is a 1959 Cinema of the United Kingdom, British comedy film directed by Jack Lee (film director), Jack Lee based upon a novel by Richard Gordon (English author), Richard Gordon. It stars John Gregson, Donald Sinden, Pegg ...

'' (1959) – Tony Millington (uncredited) * ''Night of the Prowler'' (1962) – Det. Sgt. Baker * ''Shadow of Fear'' (1963) – Jack Carter * '' The Hi-Jackers'' (1963) – Smithy * '' Be My Guest'' (1965) – Artie Clough * '' Two Left Feet'' (1965) – Master of Ceremonies (uncredited) * ''

The Little Ones ''The Little Ones'' is a 1965 British family comedy film directed by British director Jim O'Connolly starring Carl Gonzales and Kim Smith. Dudley Foster stars as Superintendent Carter and Derek Newark plays the strict Detective Sgt. Wilson ...

'' (1965) – (uncredited) * '' Night Caller from Outer Space'' (1965) – Pvt. Higgins * '' Stir'' (1980) – Visiting Justice * ''Daisy and Simon'' (1989) – Cuthbert (final film role)

References

External links

*
A Tribute to Anthony Wager
by Wager's great nephew and sister {{DEFAULTSORT:Wager, Anthony 1932 births 1990 deaths 20th-century English male actors Male actors from London English expatriates in Australia English expatriates in Indonesia English male film actors English male child actors English male stage actors English male television actors English television writers Deaths in Indonesia British male television writers 20th-century English screenwriters