Tony Stansfield—born James Dawson in Calcutta, India—had his first taste of showbiz at six when he was in a school ensemble piece entitled ‘Bees and Butterflies’. Where he was told in later life—he’d manoeuvred his co-star Rosemary Merton all around the stage because she was in the wrong position—so he said! At nine, I (James), being a handful, was shipped off to Sherwood College boarding school in Naini Tal.
After ten days, I ran away and hopelessly tried to navigate the two-day journey back home. I got lost on the mountain but managed to find my way to the bus station, where I was caught by the school prefects and marched back to the school after being bought an ice cream. They informed me that I would be thrashed by the headmaster when they got him back to the school. Those were the days! LOL!
I continued my schooling at Sherwood College until the age of 12, when my parents took me to England – Grimsby, to be precise (Yes I know!!!) – to start my schooling as a boarder at St James Choir School. As a budding performer, I was able to be part of the church choir. Hooray! Three months later, after settling me into the school, my parents returned to India. After 10 days – yes you’ve guessed it – I ran away, AGAIN! Luckily, my elder sister – 16 years my senior – only lived down the road.
(Phew!) She agreed that I could live with her, and thus began a lifelong, close, bonded friendship. Theatre-wise, I performed in a lot of plays – The Rivals, Nicholas Nickleby, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream – thanks to my French teacher, who had no interest in French but pursued his ambition in becoming a theatre director. LOL!
At 15, my parents retired from India and joined me in Grimsby, where I lived with them. At 18, they moved to Shepherds Bush in London to continue working, and I got a job in the Engineering Accounts Department at the BBC in Oxford Circus. (It was easy to get a job back then!)
As luck would have it, my boss was the Musical Director of the Wembley Operatic Society, where I auditioned and was accepted, playing many leads. Acting, singing, and dancing became my true love, but it was always my intention to have a proper job, as acting back then was a precarious business.
However, one of the young girl dancers wanted to audition for a professional dance job. She was 18 and needed a chaperone, so I went with her, merely to watch, you understand. But as there was a lack of men at the audition, I joined in and got the job! A nine-month contract in Italy: Torino to start with, then Milan.
I went in to Equity to sign my contract, only to be informed that I couldn’t use my real name. As Equity was a closed shop, there couldn’t be two performers with the same name. After much mulling over names, and at the age of 24, TONY STANSFIELD was born.