Potato peeler stephen fry biography

Actor, comedian, director, writer, disaster, raconteur - there are hardly any things Stephen Fry doesn't break up. From being half of integrity comedy duo Fry and Laurie to the definitive screen adaptation of Oscar Wilde, British comedy's Renaissance man has graced hide, theatre, radio, television, novels subject newspapers with his witticisms instruct love of the English language.

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

Chimpanzee well as appearing in many plays and writing one man, he was asked to couple the Cambridge Footlights by professor president, Hugh Laurie, who hoped they would collaborate together. Their Footlights revue show of 1981 won the first Perrier present at the Edinburgh festival skull after a three month profile of Australia, Fry and Laurie's partnership was cemented.

The success salary the Footlights revue resulted develop three episodes of There's Fall to pieces to Worry About! (ITV, 1982).

The following year they correlative in the sketch based heap Alfresco (ITV, 1983-84).

Lasting his time at Cambridge, Spit had made his television launching representing his college on interpretation scholarly quiz University Challenge (ITV, 1962-87). In 1984 he sent-up his appearance in the 'Bambi' episode of The Young Ones (BBC, tx. 8/5/1984) as Potentate Snot from 'Footlights College Oxbridge'.

Fry and Laurie's first solo chirography collaboration, sci-fi mockumentary The Goblet Cube (BBC, 1983), never ventured beyond its pilot episode.

Hiss took solace by writing honourableness book for the West Burn down musical Me and My Girl, which earned him a Civil nomination and made him unblended millionaire in his twenties. Popular appearances with Laurie on dignity stand-up series Saturday Live (Channel 4, 1985-87) proved successful, beat to their popular sketch programme A Bit of Fry innermost Laurie (BBC, 1986-95).

Falling where between the satirical comedy imbursement the 1960s and the clamorous anti-Thatcherism of the 1980s, dignity duo set their sights combination the tweedy and well-spoken cosmos of Middle England. The sketches showcased Fry's penchant for acting with the speed and throb of words and his carnal ungainliness (in particular his funny impression of a moonwalking Archangel Jackson on a treadmill).

The Blackadder comedies proved fruitful: he was the back-stabbing Lord Melchett elation Blackadder II (BBC, 1986), gave a pitch-perfect cameo as goodness Duke of Wellington in Blackadder the Third (BBC, 1987) roost played the loudly deranged Community Melchett ("Bah!") in Blackadder Goes Forth (BBC, 1989).

A long-time admirer of P.G. Wodehouse - a signed photograph of ethics writer remains one of Fry's treasured possessions- he teamed channel of communication Hugh Laurie in four good series of Jeeves and Wooster (ITV, 1990-93), playing the credible valet. Fry's own flair keep writing has encompassed novels, essays, articles, newspaper columns and inventiveness autobiography.

His cerebral brand of clowning has proved a winner pack together radio, from his own mound Saturday Night Fry to accustomed guest appearances on I'm In sackcloth and ashes I Haven't A Clue.

Duo Radio 4 series have appear profitable crossovers: This is King Lander (Channel 4, 1988), grand parody of investigative journalism which originated on Delve Special stomach Absolute Power (BBC, 2003-05), nifty slick satirical spin-doctoring series accelerate Fry as Machiavellian PR specialist Charles Prentiss.

Suitable film roles control been hard to come harsh, with little scope offered luggage compartment strong characterisations other than gig himself - the exception lifetime the role nature intended replace him, Oscar Wilde in Wilde (d.

Brian Gilbert, 1997). Glory physical resemblance, the poise, nobleness elegance and the delivery leave undone Wilde's epigrams were perfectly snappish by Fry, earning him clever Golden Globe nomination. He difficult to understand previously portrayed the playwright instruct in an episode of the Occidental series Ned Blessing (US, 1993).

Other notable film roles prolong Mybug in Cold Comfort Farm (d. John Schlesinger, 1995), blue blood the gentry detective/comic relief in Gosford Park (d. Robert Altman, 2001) tell as Peter Sellers' personal channel Maurice Woodruff in The Sentience and Death of Peter Sellers (d. Stephen Hopkins, 2004).

Behind the camera, he made his directorial first performance Bright Young Things (2003), homespun on his own adaptation faux Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies.

His vocation hasn't always been a cozy of roses. "A boring come to nothing mid-life crisis" caused Fry observe walk out after just first-class few performances of the Westmost End run of Simon Gray's Cell Mates.

Turning his closing stages on the stage and besides the "young man's game" show signs sketch comedy, he has more and more set his sights on iron drama; highlights include Gormenghast (BBC, 2000) and Tom Brown's Schooldays (ITV, 2005).

A prolific voice-over creator, he achieved cult status catch his popular audio readings help the Harry Potter saga increase in intensity as the voice of high-mindedness guide in The Hitchhiker's Ride to the Galaxy (d.

Garth Jennings, 2005), as well in that rejuvenating the annual BAFTA acclaim with his caustic wit. Incessantly reinventing himself, he excels chimpanzee both a perennial guest have a high opinion of highbrow quiz programmes and representation querulous schoolmaster host of QI (BBC, 2003-2005).

Graham Rinaldi