Tony Holden (Home and Away character)
Encyclopedia
Anthony "Tony" Holden is a fictional character
from the Australian Channel Seven
soap opera
Home and Away
, played by Jon Sivewright
. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 5 August 2005. As of 2010 Sivewright was the joint second longest-serving current male cast member in the serial. In February 2010, it was announced that Sivewright was being written out of the serial following the departure of his co-star Amy Mathews
. Tony's storylines have focused on his grief on losing his wife, girlfriend and child, he is described as a "family man" who puts them first.
had quit the serial to pursue other projects and it was revealed that producers decided that it was the right time to write out Sivewright's character. Commenting on their exits a spokesperson for the serial stated: "Amy Mathews is definitely going in a few months' time. Then, with Amy's character Rachel out of the picture, it was decided Tony should go with her, so Jon Sivewright is leaving too." Fellow cast member Rebecca Breeds who plays Ruby Buckton
in the serial spoke out about their departures stating: "In terms of character, to see Tony and Rachel go is kind of upsetting because they fill a really important demographic - that middle-aged, new family thing and there's nothing like that on the show now so they're a loss."
In 2009 Tony embarked on an unexpected relationship with Rachel, Tony is older and not the type of man she would normally date, of this Mathews states: "It's a surprise love interest, someone who is not Rachel's type which is great because I think we should all try expanding our narrow type registers, thankfully, Jon and I know each other quite well, so it's no big deal."
) and Lucas Holden
(Rhys Wakefield
). Tony, a widower after the death of his wife Kate Holden, struck up a romance with single parent and widow Beth Hunter
(Clarissa House
), who lived next door to him. Tony and Lucas moved in with Beth and her family whilst Jack remained in his dad's house. Beth decides to go and tour the world. Tony, thinking Beth is unhappy, proposes to Beth but she rejects telling him that she does not need to marry Tony in order to be with him. She promises to return to her partner and family. However, as she is returning, she is involved in a tragic accident and dies. Tony struggles to cope with the loss of his partner and even sleeps with new school teacher Naomi Preston (Tiffany Preece), unbeknownst to him, she has a relationship with his son Lucas. Lucas is livid when he finds out the truth, but eventually forgives him.
Tony embarks on a disastrous relationship with Jazz Curtis
(Rachel Gordon
) before finding happiness with Rachel Armstrong. Tony is initially unsure on whether to ask Rachel out on a date due to the age difference, and Rachel herself is not sure of accepting it as she was flirting with new resident Roman Harris. However, Colleen likened Roman Harris (Conrad Coleby
) to Rachel's ex-husband Kim Hyde
(Chris Hemsworth
) who left her for Kit Hunter
(Amy Mizzi
), and it was this comment that leads Rachel to accept Tony's date.
Rachel still wants children and is upset when Tony announces he has had a vasectomy. He agrees to reverse the vasectomy for her and try for a baby, although the doctors tell Tony the chances of conceiving a child are low. Tony proposes to Rachel who happily accepts, when the wedding day arrives, Rachel goes missing. She is kidnapped by Aden Jefferies
(Todd Lasance
) who was holds her and his father Larry hostage. Tony, Jack and Leah all presume that Rachel had got cold feet and had run away. Tony, devastated by this, goes on a holiday to drown his sorrows. Rachel returns from her tragic ordeal, and Tony arrives back. There is tension between the pair, Tony and Rachel soon picked up where they left off. However, Bridget Simmons (Joy Smithers
) arrives in the Bay, a woman who Tony had had a one night stand with whilst on holiday. He tells Rachel, who forgives him. Tony and Rachel then get married and Rachel later announces she is finally pregnant.
Tony finds Jack dead at a building site. This had a bad affect on Tony who becomes less talkative and stayed away from work. Everyone begins to notice Tony is extremely stricken with grief and is unable to cope. He attacks Jack's killer Angelo Rosetta
(Luke Jacobz
) at his son's funeral, when he finds out the truth about Jack's death. Tony gradually returns to normal when Angelo is arrested and left the bay. Tony then starts acting oddly again and begins staying out late, this leads Rachel to suspect he is having an affair. Angelo returns after being found not guilty of murder, claiming he did it in self defence. Tony seemingly warms to Angelo, but it soon becomes clear he is planning revenge. When on a fishing trip with Angelo, he attempts to kill him by pushing him off a cliff. However, he comes to his senses and saved him. A couple of weeks later Rachel gives birth to a son, Harry. Rachel soon becomes irate over her parenting, she believes she is a bad mother. Tony tries to help Rachel but she pushes him away, it soon becomes clear she is suffering from Post natal depression. After Rachel returns to work, they sort out their differences. John Palmer
(Shane Withington
) causes friction between many residents, Tony takes a dislike to this. They begin a drawn out feud and Tony takes his interest in boxing to a new level. He decides to take on John, which annoys Rachel. She becomes more annoyed because Tony starts a women's boxing class.
Rachel is later offered a job in Boston
. Tony refuses to go saying Summer Bay is his home. Tony later became more furious when Rachel bought a ticket without telling him. Later Rachel figures out that the reason he does not want to go is because Jack is buried in Summer Bay. Rachel tell Tony she will stay for him. After that Tony says that he will go with her to America. Their last scene is shown with Tony, Rachel and Harry at Jacks grave to say goodbye and they leave.
recall Tony's most memorable scenes as being when he reversed his vasectomy so Rachel and he could have kids. Upon Tony and Rachel's departure, the website stated they were fans of their romantic relationship adding: "If anyone deserves true love, then it's these two! There were sighs of relief all round when they finally tied the knot (their first attempt having been ruined by another pesky kidnapping) and they later welcomed beautiful baby son Harry."
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Australian Channel Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
, played by Jon Sivewright
Jon Sivewright
Jon Sivewright in Fremantle is an Australian actor. He is best known for portraying Tony Holden inHome and Away, a role he played from 2005–2010- Biography :...
. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 5 August 2005. As of 2010 Sivewright was the joint second longest-serving current male cast member in the serial. In February 2010, it was announced that Sivewright was being written out of the serial following the departure of his co-star Amy Mathews
Amy Mathews
Amy Mathews is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She is best known for her role as Rachel Armstrong in Australian soap opera Home and Away.-Early life:...
. Tony's storylines have focused on his grief on losing his wife, girlfriend and child, he is described as a "family man" who puts them first.
Casting
As of 2010 Sivewright was the joint-second longest serving male cast member. That year his co-star Mathews who plays on-screen wife Rachel ArmstrongRachel Armstrong
Rachel Holden is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Amy Mathews. Rachel debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 16 January 2006. In 2010 Mathews quit the serial to pursue other projects and her on-screen husband Tony Holden was also...
had quit the serial to pursue other projects and it was revealed that producers decided that it was the right time to write out Sivewright's character. Commenting on their exits a spokesperson for the serial stated: "Amy Mathews is definitely going in a few months' time. Then, with Amy's character Rachel out of the picture, it was decided Tony should go with her, so Jon Sivewright is leaving too." Fellow cast member Rebecca Breeds who plays Ruby Buckton
Ruby Buckton
Ruby Buckton is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Rebecca Breeds. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 6 June 2008. Ruby was created by executive producer Cameron Welsh. When she was first introduced she appeared to hide her...
in the serial spoke out about their departures stating: "In terms of character, to see Tony and Rachel go is kind of upsetting because they fill a really important demographic - that middle-aged, new family thing and there's nothing like that on the show now so they're a loss."
Characterisation
The serial's official website describe Tony as suffering "great loss" throughout his life. They describe his persona stating: ", Tony has great compassion and empathy for others, yet always looks at the big picture with a positive perspective on things." Tony likes to keep fit, but does not mind a beer with the boys. He's also described as a family man, of this Sivewright states: "Tony's family is everything to him, he has a lot of love for his kids, but he has seen a lot of grief in his life and has quite a self- destructive side that can emerge– which makes him a challenging character to portray."In 2009 Tony embarked on an unexpected relationship with Rachel, Tony is older and not the type of man she would normally date, of this Mathews states: "It's a surprise love interest, someone who is not Rachel's type which is great because I think we should all try expanding our narrow type registers, thankfully, Jon and I know each other quite well, so it's no big deal."
Storylines
Tony arrived in Summer Bay with his two sons, Jack Holden (Paul O'BrienPaul O'Brien
Paul O'Brien is a South-African-born Australian actor.-Biography:Paul O'Brien was born on 14 April in South Africa, and grew up in Australia. He spent several years on the Gold Coast, with his family...
) and Lucas Holden
Lucas Holden
Lucas Anthony Holden is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away, first introduced in 2005 and portrayed by actor Rhys Wakefield. Lucas was the youngest of the Holden family. He left the Bay in 2008.- Background :...
(Rhys Wakefield
Rhys Wakefield
Rhys Wakefield is an Australian actor. He is best known for portraying the main character Thomas in the 2008 film The Black Balloon., for the 2011 film Sanctum, and portraying Lucas Holden in the long-running TV series Home and Away.-Biography:Before appearing as Lucas in Home and Away, Wakefield...
). Tony, a widower after the death of his wife Kate Holden, struck up a romance with single parent and widow Beth Hunter
Beth Hunter
Elizabeth Ann "Beth" Hunter is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Clarissa House. She made her first on-screen appearance on 17 April 2003. The character departed on 30 January 2007...
(Clarissa House
Clarissa House
Clarissa House is an Australian actress who played Beth Hunter Sutherland in the soap opera Home and Away.Previous work includes a short stint on the '90s titillating Channel Nine drama Chances....
), who lived next door to him. Tony and Lucas moved in with Beth and her family whilst Jack remained in his dad's house. Beth decides to go and tour the world. Tony, thinking Beth is unhappy, proposes to Beth but she rejects telling him that she does not need to marry Tony in order to be with him. She promises to return to her partner and family. However, as she is returning, she is involved in a tragic accident and dies. Tony struggles to cope with the loss of his partner and even sleeps with new school teacher Naomi Preston (Tiffany Preece), unbeknownst to him, she has a relationship with his son Lucas. Lucas is livid when he finds out the truth, but eventually forgives him.
Tony embarks on a disastrous relationship with Jazz Curtis
Jazz Curtis
Jacinta 'Jazz' Curtis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Rachel Gordon. She made her first on-screen appearance on 18 June 2007, and left on 3 October the same year...
(Rachel Gordon
Rachel Gordon
Rachel Gordon Rachel Gordon Rachel Gordon (born 10 May 1976 in Brisbane, Australia is an actress.Gordon is a 1996 graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney. Since her graduation, she has combined stage acting with various roles in Australian television and films.In late...
) before finding happiness with Rachel Armstrong. Tony is initially unsure on whether to ask Rachel out on a date due to the age difference, and Rachel herself is not sure of accepting it as she was flirting with new resident Roman Harris. However, Colleen likened Roman Harris (Conrad Coleby
Conrad Coleby
Conrad Julius Coleby is an Australian actor.-Biography:Coleby is the son of actor Robert Coleby and brother of actress Anja Coleby. He attended Somerset College on the Gold Coast, graduating in 1996. In the same year, he played the role of Colonel Juan Perón in the school's production of Evita...
) to Rachel's ex-husband Kim Hyde
Kim Hyde
Kimberly Jonathan "Kim" Hyde is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Chris Hemsworth. He made his first on screen appearance on 17 February 2004 and departed on 3 July 2007.-Casting:...
(Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth is an Australian actor most notable for portraying Thor in the Marvel Studios film Thor. Hemsworth is set to reprise his role as Thor in the upcoming films The Avengers in 2012 and Thor 2 in 2013. He also starred as Kim Hyde in the Australian soap opera Home and Away...
) who left her for Kit Hunter
Kit Hunter
Catherine Matilda "Kit" Hunter is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Amy Mizzi. Kit made her first on-screen appearance on 25 April 2003 and made her final appearence as a regular character in February 2004 but continued to reappear in a...
(Amy Mizzi
Amy Mizzi
Amy Mizzi is an Australian actress. She starred as Kit Hunter in the Australian soap opera Home and Away in 2003 and early 2004. Mizzi's departure from Home and Away was announced on 13 February 2004 but she continued to appear on a recurring basis throughout 2004 and returned in August 2005...
), and it was this comment that leads Rachel to accept Tony's date.
Rachel still wants children and is upset when Tony announces he has had a vasectomy. He agrees to reverse the vasectomy for her and try for a baby, although the doctors tell Tony the chances of conceiving a child are low. Tony proposes to Rachel who happily accepts, when the wedding day arrives, Rachel goes missing. She is kidnapped by Aden Jefferies
Aden Jefferies
Aden Jefferies is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Todd Lasance. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 4 August 2005. Aden was introduced in 2005 as a recurring character and as part of Cassie Turner's storylines. Lasance was...
(Todd Lasance
Todd Lasance
Todd James Lasance is an Australian actor and is best known for his role as Aden Jefferies in the Australian soap opera Home And Away.-Personal life:...
) who was holds her and his father Larry hostage. Tony, Jack and Leah all presume that Rachel had got cold feet and had run away. Tony, devastated by this, goes on a holiday to drown his sorrows. Rachel returns from her tragic ordeal, and Tony arrives back. There is tension between the pair, Tony and Rachel soon picked up where they left off. However, Bridget Simmons (Joy Smithers
Joy Smithers
Joy Smithers is an Australian actress, best known for her acting performances on television, and her role as a television news presenter....
) arrives in the Bay, a woman who Tony had had a one night stand with whilst on holiday. He tells Rachel, who forgives him. Tony and Rachel then get married and Rachel later announces she is finally pregnant.
Tony finds Jack dead at a building site. This had a bad affect on Tony who becomes less talkative and stayed away from work. Everyone begins to notice Tony is extremely stricken with grief and is unable to cope. He attacks Jack's killer Angelo Rosetta
Angelo Rosetta
Angelo Rosetta is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Luke Jacobz. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 6 July 2008. He has been central to many notable storylines including shooting dead Jack Holden, his time working as a...
(Luke Jacobz
Luke Jacobz
Luke Jacobz on 14 February 1981, Sydney is an Australian actor and television presenter.-Career:'Jacobz' is a screen name, derived from adding a 'z' to the actor's middle name of Jacob...
) at his son's funeral, when he finds out the truth about Jack's death. Tony gradually returns to normal when Angelo is arrested and left the bay. Tony then starts acting oddly again and begins staying out late, this leads Rachel to suspect he is having an affair. Angelo returns after being found not guilty of murder, claiming he did it in self defence. Tony seemingly warms to Angelo, but it soon becomes clear he is planning revenge. When on a fishing trip with Angelo, he attempts to kill him by pushing him off a cliff. However, he comes to his senses and saved him. A couple of weeks later Rachel gives birth to a son, Harry. Rachel soon becomes irate over her parenting, she believes she is a bad mother. Tony tries to help Rachel but she pushes him away, it soon becomes clear she is suffering from Post natal depression. After Rachel returns to work, they sort out their differences. John Palmer
John Palmer
-People:*John Palmer , U.S. Congressman from New York*John Palmer, 4th Earl of Selborne , British peer and businessman*John Palmer , English actor*John Palmer , British architect...
(Shane Withington
Shane Withington
Shane Withington is an Australian actor best known for his starring roles in the television series A Country Practice, as nurse Brendan Jones, and Willing and Abel, as Abel Moore...
) causes friction between many residents, Tony takes a dislike to this. They begin a drawn out feud and Tony takes his interest in boxing to a new level. He decides to take on John, which annoys Rachel. She becomes more annoyed because Tony starts a women's boxing class.
Rachel is later offered a job in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Tony refuses to go saying Summer Bay is his home. Tony later became more furious when Rachel bought a ticket without telling him. Later Rachel figures out that the reason he does not want to go is because Jack is buried in Summer Bay. Rachel tell Tony she will stay for him. After that Tony says that he will go with her to America. Their last scene is shown with Tony, Rachel and Harry at Jacks grave to say goodbye and they leave.
Reception
Soap opera reporting website Holy SoapHoly Soap
Holy Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas Home and Away and Neighbours, which are broadcast on the channel...
recall Tony's most memorable scenes as being when he reversed his vasectomy so Rachel and he could have kids. Upon Tony and Rachel's departure, the website stated they were fans of their romantic relationship adding: "If anyone deserves true love, then it's these two! There were sighs of relief all round when they finally tied the knot (their first attempt having been ruined by another pesky kidnapping) and they later welcomed beautiful baby son Harry."
External links
- Character profile at the Official Home and Away websiteYahoo!7Yahoo!7 is a 50-50 partnership between the Seven Network and Yahoo! Inc. in Australia.As part of the Yahoo! Inc. and the Seven Media Group, Yahoo!7 brings together the online assets of Yahoo! Inc. and the television and magazine content of the Seven Network and Pacific Magazines...
- Character profile at the 'Raidió Teilifís Éireann' websiteRaidió Teilifís ÉireannRaidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
- Character profile at Holy SoapHoly SoapHoly Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas Home and Away and Neighbours, which are broadcast on the channel...