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Antony Hamilton Smith (4 May 1952 – 29 March 1995) was an English-Australian actor, model and dancer. Hamilton began his career as a ballet dancer with The Australian Ballet before becoming a model. He later transitioned into acting and won his first notable role in the 1984 television film Samson and Delilah. That same year, he took over the male lead role in the series Cover Up after the death of the series' former lead actor, Jon-Erik Hexum. One of Hamilton's best-known roles was that of Max Harte, an espionage in the 1988 revival of .
In March 1995, Hamilton died of AIDS-related pneumonia at the age of 42.
When he was three years old, his father retired to South Australia, where Hamilton grew up on a 640-acre sheep farm. From age 10 he attended Scotch College in Adelaide, where he studied dance and ballet and played Australian rules football, cricket, basketball and other sports.
At the age of 15, he won a scholarship at the Australian Ballet School. After leaving school, he began a career as a professional dancer with The Australian Ballet Company where he toured Europe and the Soviet Union for two years.
After signing with a London modelling agency, he worked extensively as a model in Europe, America, Asia and Africa, becoming a favourite subject of world-famous photographers as Richard Avedon and Bruce Weber, often working with designers such as Gianni Versace, and frequently appearing in magazines such as Vogue and GQ.
Producers also had misgivings about having the lead be found out to be a gay man, still taboo in the 1980s. Hamilton's first episode aired on 24 November 1984. After Hexum's death, the series struggled in the ratings. CBS cancelled Cover Up the following year.
After the cancellation of Cover Up, Hamilton was in talks to replace Roger Moore as the new James Bond in the 007 film series. Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli was reportedly hesitant to cast Hamilton as the womanising James Bond because, in real life, Hamilton was gay. Timothy Dalton was ultimately cast as James Bond. In 1986, Hamilton had a small role in the comedy film Jumpin' Jack Flash starring Whoopi Goldberg. He guest-starred on several television series including The Hitchhiker, The Twilight Zone, The Charmings and L.A. Law.
In 1988, Hamilton landed the role of Impossible Missions Force espionage Max Harte, a former ANZAC commando, in the 1988 revival of . The series aired for two seasons before being canceled due to low ratings in 1990. In 1991, he guest-starred on two episodes of crime drama series P.S. I Luv U. Hamilton's final role was in the 1992 thriller Fatal Instinct.
Death
On 29 March 1995, Hamilton died from AIDS-related pneumonia in Los Angeles. His family requested that contributions be made in his name to AIDS Project Los Angeles. Hamilton was cremated and his ashes were scattered off the coast of Malibu.
Filmography
1979 Jimmy Alternative title: Nocturna 1984 Samson and Delilah Samson Television movie 1984–1985 Cover Up Jack Striker 14 episodes 1985 Mirrors Gino Rey Television movie 1986 Jumpin' Jack Flash Man in Restaurant Credited as Anthony Hamilton 1986 The Hitchhiker Jim Buckley Episode: "Man of Her Dreams" 1986 The Twilight Zone Simon Locke Segment: "Nightsong" 1987 The Charmings Lionel Davenport III Episode: "Modern Romance" 1987 L.A. Law Dan Sapin Episode: "The Lung Goodbye" 1988 Sonny Spoon Episode: "Too Good to Be True, Too Good to Get Caught" 1988–1990 Maxwell Hart 35 episodes – credited as Tony Hamilton 1988 Tom Direct-to-video release 1991 P.S. I Luv U Dodger 2 episodes – credited as Tony Hamilton 1992 Fatal Instinct Bill Hook Credited as Tony Hamilton, (final film role)
External links
Categories: 1952 Births, 1995 Deaths, 20th-century Australian Lgbtq People, 20th-century Australian Male Actors, 20th-century English Lgbtq People, 20th-century English Male Actors, Aids-related Deaths In California, Australian Expatriate Male Actors In The United States, Australian Gay Actors, Australian Lgbtq Dancers, Australian Lgbtq Models, Australian Male Ballet Dancers, Australian Male Film Actors, Australian Male Models, Australian Male Television Actors, Australian People Of English Descent, Dancers Of The Australian Ballet, Deaths From Pneumonia In California, English Adoptees, English Expatriate Male Actors In The United States, English Gay Actors, English Lgbtq Dancers, English Lgbtq Models, English Male Ballet Dancers, English Male Film Actors, English Male Models, English Male Television Actors, Gay Dancers, Gay Models, Male Actors From Liverpool, Male Actors From South Australia, Models From Liverpool, People Educated At Scotch College, Adelaide
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