British comedian and actor Tony Slattery dead at 65
Tony Slattery, the British comedian and actor, has died aged 65 following a heart attack on January 12th.
Slattery’s death was confirmed on January 14th by his partner, actor Mark Michael Hutchinson. In a statement, Hutchinson shared, “It is with great sadness we must announce actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away today, Tuesday morning, following a heart attack on Sunday evening.”
Born in London in 1959, Slattery’s first taste of performing came at Cambridge University after he earned a scholarship to study medieval and modern languages.
During his time at Cambridge, he enrolled in the Cambridge Footlights after becoming friends with Stephen Fry, who encouraged him to join. Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Sandi Toksvig, and Jan Ravens were also members of the Cambridge Footlights during this time.
In 1981, Slattery won the inaugural Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe for the revue The Cellar Tapes alongside Fry, Laurie, Thompson and Toksvig.
After their triumph in Edinburgh, all five figures became household names in the United Kingdom and regular fixtures on both radio and television.
Slattery was best known for his appearances on the Channel 4 comedy show Who’s Line Is It Anyway? and was also frequently seen on the BBC One programme Have I Got News For You. Outside of comedy, Slattery appeared as a dramatic actor in films such as Peter’s Friends, The Crying Game and To Die For.
The late comic spoke openly about his mental health issues, which led to him taking a career break during the 1990s. In 2006, Slattery made the documentary, The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, which explored his diagnosis with bipolar disorder.
In the film, he said of his darkest period: “I rented a huge warehouse by the River Thames. I just stayed in there on my own, didn’t open the mail or answer the phone for months and months and months. I was just in a pool of despair and mania.”
Last October, Slattery began his podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club, which featured guest episodes with Robin Ince and Julian Clary.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.