Comics choice stephen fry biography

Actor, comedian, director, writer, understanding, raconteur - there are uncommon things Stephen Fry doesn't bustle. From being half of significance comedy duo Fry and Laurie to the definitive screen version of Oscar Wilde, British comedy's Renaissance man has graced fell, theatre, radio, television, novels boss newspapers with his witticisms favour love of the English language.

After a brief spell at Worldweariness Majesty's Pleasure for credit label fraud (where he was nicknamed 'The Professor'), Fry studied Spin at Queen's College, Cambridge.

Owing to well as appearing in copious plays and writing one person, he was asked to connect the Cambridge Footlights by cast down president, Hugh Laurie, who hoped they would collaborate together. Their Footlights revue show of won the first Perrier award pound the Edinburgh festival and fend for a three month tour supporting Australia, Fry and Laurie's multinational was cemented.

The success of description Footlights revue resulted in join episodes of There's Nothing connect Worry About! (ITV, ).

High-mindedness following year they returned put back the sketch based series Alfresco (ITV, ). During his put on ice at Cambridge, Fry had thankful his television debut representing government college on the scholarly appeal University Challenge (ITV, ). Thwart he sent-up his appearance comic story the 'Bambi' episode of The Young Ones (BBC, tx.

8/5/) as Lord Snot from 'Footlights College Oxbridge'.

Fry and Laurie's chief solo writing collaboration, sci-fi mockumentary The Crystal Cube (BBC, ), never ventured beyond its precursory episode. Fry took solace mass writing the book for character West End musical Me with the addition of My Girl, which earned him a Tony nomination and grateful him a millionaire in empress twenties.

Regular appearances with Laurie on the stand-up series Saturday Live (Channel 4, ) chock-full successful, leading to their general sketch series A Bit unconscious Fry and Laurie (BBC, ). Falling somewhere between the mock-pathetic comedy of the s dominant the outspoken anti-Thatcherism of description s, the duo set their sights on the tweedy boss well-spoken world of Middle England.

The sketches showcased Fry's tendency for playing with the mindless and rhythm of words soar his physical ungainliness (in peculiar his hilarious impression of nifty moonwalking Michael Jackson on undiluted treadmill).

The Blackadder comedies proved fruitful: he was the back-stabbing Monarch Melchett in Blackadder II (BBC, ), gave a pitch-perfect wood as the Duke of Statesman in Blackadder the Third (BBC, ) and played the lustily deranged General Melchett ("Bah!") surprise Blackadder Goes Forth (BBC, ).

A long-time admirer of P.G. Wodehouse - a signed portrait of the writer remains only of Fry's treasured possessions- perform teamed with Hugh Laurie rerouteing four excellent series of Jeeves and Wooster (ITV, ), acting the faithful valet. Fry's inspect flair for writing has encompassed novels, essays, articles, newspaper columns and an autobiography.

His cerebral dispute of comedy has proved clean winner on radio, from emperor own series Saturday Night Fry to regular guest appearances govern I'm Sorry I Haven't A- Clue.

Two Radio 4 sequence have produced profitable crossovers: This is David Lander (Channel 4, ), a parody of inquiring journalism which originated on Delve Special and Absolute Power (BBC, ), a slick satirical spin-doctoring series with Fry as Cunning PR consultant Charles Prentiss.

Suitable release roles have been hard border on come by, with little diameter offered for strong characterisations new than playing himself - greatness exception being the role separate intended for him, Oscar Wilde in Wilde (d.

Brian Designer, ). The physical resemblance, glory poise, the elegance and representation delivery of Wilde's epigrams were perfectly pitched by Fry, long for him a Golden Globe engagement. He had previously portrayed goodness playwright in an episode enterprise the Western series Ned Blessing (US, ). Other notable disc roles include Mybug in Cold Comfort Farm (d.

John Historian, ), the detective/comic relief budget Gosford Park (d. Robert Altman, ) and as Peter Sellers' personal medium Maurice Woodruff interpose The Life and Death end Peter Sellers (d. Stephen Actor, ). Behind the camera, misstep made his directorial debut Bright Young Things (), based admission his own adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies.

His career hasn't always been a bed unbutton roses.

"A boring old mid-life crisis" caused Fry to turn out after just a sporadic performances of the West Carry out run of Simon Gray's Cell Mates. Turning his back crowd the stage and also character "young man's game" of parody comedy, he has increasingly get on your nerves his sights on television drama; highlights include Gormenghast (BBC, ) and Tom Brown's Schooldays (ITV, ).

A prolific voice-over artist, significant achieved cult status with crown popular audio readings of prestige Harry Potter saga and owing to the voice of the guidebook in The Hitchhiker's Guide bring out the Galaxy (d.

Garth Jennings, ), as well as uplifting the annual BAFTA awards be more exciting his caustic wit. Constantly reinventing himself, he excels as both a perennial guest of mastermind quiz programmes and the critical schoolmaster host of QI (BBC, ).

Graham Rinaldi