14 Facts About Tony Hart

Norman Antony Hart was an English artist best known for his work in educating children in art through his role as a children's television presenter.

Tony Hart was born in Hastings Road, Maidstone in Kent.

Tony Hart was interested in drawing from an early age.

Tony Hart attended All Saints, Margaret Street Resident Choir School and then Clayesmore School in Iwerne Minster, Dorset, where art was his best subject.

Tony Hart left school in 1943 and wanted to join the Royal Air Force, but as he would have been unable to fly owing to slightly deficient eyesight, he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the British Indian Army instead where he gained an officers' commission in the 1st Gurkha Rifles, serving from 1943 to 1947.

Tony Hart graduated in 1950 and, after working as a display artist in a London store, became a freelance artist.

Tony Hart was a regular face on the BBC children's programme Blue Peter in the 1950s and presented a number of programmes in 1959.

Tony Hart created the original design for the Blue Peter badge, used as the programme's logo.

Tony Hart met his wife, Jean Skingle, while working in television; they married in 1953.

On 28 December 2006, it was announced during the reunion programme It Started with Swap Shop that Tony 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.

Tony Hart described this as "the greatest cross I have to bear".

Tony Hart died peacefully on 18 January 2009 at the age of 83.

Tony Hart's funeral took place in the village of Shamley Green, where he had lived for more than forty years and he was buried in the churchyard of Christ Church.

Aardman Animations used its Twitter account, in the name of Morph, to point to a tribute to Tony Hart that was included in the last episode of its forthcoming new set of episodes for the Morph television series.