Tony Anthony (evangelist)
Tony Anthony (born Andonis Andreou Athanasiou; 30 July 1971) is a British Christian evangelist and author. He became well known after publishing his autobiography, Taming The Tiger, in 2004. In the book he described being trained in kung fu as a child, becoming a world champion, working as a bodyguard, and later converting to Christianity after a prison visit by a missionary.
The book was popular within Christian circles and helped him start Avanti Ministries in 2003, which later received charitable status and carried his evangelistic work.
In 2013, an independent investigation for the Evangelical Alliance concluded that large parts of Taming The Tiger and related materials were not true. The findings raised serious questions about Anthony’s early life and other claims. Avanti Ministries was closed the same year, and his publisher pulled the book from sale.
Anthony acknowledged that there were some errors in the book about his childhood, though he said the main message remained true. A revised edition of Taming The Tiger appeared in 2015, but media and Christian groups continued to scrutinize his biography and claims.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:42 (CET).