Tony Gordon is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by actor Gray O'Brien.
He appeared as a regular character for two years before departing on 11 December 2009 after being imprisoned for the murder of Liam Connor (Rob James-Collier).
He returned on 28 May 2010 after managing to break out of prison with the help of his cellmate Robbie Sloan (James Fleet), whom Tony later betrayed by shooting him dead.
Planning to expand the Underworld factory, Tony attempts to convince shopkeeper Rita Sullivan (Barbara Knox) and mechanic Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) to sell their properties to him.
He also bullies elderly resident Jed Stone (Kenneth Cope) out of his home, wanting to redevelop the site.
In revenge, he hires Jimmy as a hitman to kill Liam, running him over on Tony's stag night.
Upon discovery of Carla's affair with Liam, his widow Maria (Samia Ghadie) begins to suspect Tony's involvement in his death.
Liam's parents disapprove of the developing relationship, leading Tony to threaten that if they do not leave Maria alone, they will never see their grandson again.
Carla returns to Weatherfield, and instructs Tony to sell his shares in Underworld to her and leave the country; or she will tell the police what he did.
Carla escapes from Jimmy by knocking him unconscious but Tony makes her think she has murdered him, leading them to call a temporary truce.
When Maria comes looking for answers, Hayley tells her everything, unaware Tony is hiding behind the café counter with a knife.
Tony appears, taking the tape off Carla's mouth allowing her to speak, announces his intention to kill them, double-crosses Robbie by revealing that he never intended to pay him the full amount that he promised, and after tricking Robbie into giving him his gun; shoots him dead.
In August 2007, it was announced that actor Gray O'Brien had been cast as Tony, with The Mirror's Brian Roberts heralding him as the new Coronation Street "heartthrob".
"[3] In June 2009, it was reported O'Brien had been asked by producers to return to the show at a later date to complete Tony's storyline.
Tony's initial exit aired in November 2009 and O'Brien performed in pantomime before resuming filming in Spring 2010 for the conclusion to the story, which involved the character taking several others hostage in a siege at the factory, before killing himself in an explosion.
"[5] When interviewed by BBC News O' Brien spoke of the feasible length that his bad-boy character could remain on the show: "Coming in to play the Coronation Street villain has a life span, so I was aware of that.
"[6] ITV publicity describe him as liking having power and making a lot of money but hating the competition that goes with it.
[10] Gareth McLean of the Radio Times has described Tony as "the sort of man who would steal your teeth and come back for your gums" and commented that his friendship with Maria Connor softened his character.
[11] In an advance press screening of the Liam Connor murder episodes, soaps editor for Digital Spy Kris Green applauded Gray O' Brien for his portrayal of Tony by saying that both he and co-star Alison King "steal the show.