On June 13, 1955, Tony Knowles was born in Bolton. At the age of nine, he started playing snooker on the tables of his father Kevin’s Tonge Moor Conservative Club.
In 1972 and 1974, he went on to win the UK Junior Championship twice.
After being rejected in November 1979, he applied to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) in 1980 to become a professional player.
After going through two qualification rounds and making it to the 1981 World Snooker Championship first round, where he lost 8–10 to Graham Miles, he did not win a match in his first year.
After eliminating Geoff Foulds, Fred Davis, and Doug Mountjoy from the competition, he advanced to the UK Championship quarterfinals where Terry Griffiths defeated him 5–9.
Knowles made headlines later that season when he defeated reigning champion Steve Davis 10-1 in the opening round of the 1982 World Snooker Championship.
That was after Knowles spent the night out at a nightclub after the first day of play when he had taken an 8-1 lead.
In the second round, he defeated Miles 13–7; however, in the quarterfinals, he lost to Eddie Charlton 11–13.
Outside of the game, he stirred up controversy with pictures of himself with nude women, media exposés, and a £5,000 fine from the WPBSA for defaming snooker.
He has been running a wine bar in the Lake District for 20 years, having retired at the age of 65.
Knowles has drawn a lot of inspiration from his close buddy and fellow 80s icon Jimmy White, who continues to perform professionally.
The 59-year-old is well-known for being the greatest player to have lost six World Championship finals and never won one.
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