The BBCBritish actor and comedian Tony Slattery has died aged 65 after suffering a heart attack, his partner has confirmed.
Since 1988, Slattery has starred in the popular Channel 4 show Whose Line Is It Anyway? I was known for my quick fixes.
The Londoner has also played comedic and serious roles in films such as The Crying Game, Peter’s Friends and How to Get in Advertising.
He received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Comedy Performance for his role as Gordon in Tim Firth’s drama Neville’s Island.
A statement from his partner, actor Mark Michael Hutchinson, said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, this Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack on Sunday evening. have passed away.”
Born in 1959 into a working-class family in north London, Slattery won a scholarship to study medieval and modern languages at Cambridge University.
It was here that he entered the world of showbiz, meeting a young Sir Stephen Fry who invited him to join Cambridge Footlights, the university’s famous amateur dramatic club.
Since then, Slattery once said: “Getting up on stage and getting laughs is manageable.”
At Cambridge, he was a contemporary of Dame Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie.
In 1981, his group won the inaugural Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Festival for their production of The Cellar Tapes.
And the following year, Slattery was named president of Footlights, following in the footsteps of Eric Idle, Clive Anderson and Peter Cook.
Slattery appeared on the London club circuit doing a “variety act with a weird twist” when he put it on.
He has made several TV appearances including hosting the children’s program TX.
But her big break came in 1986, when she played the lead role in the West End musical Me and My Girl. Before appearing in Radio Times, Private on Parade and Neville’s Island – to critical acclaim.
Her other on-screen credits include To Die For, Up N Under and The Wedding Tackle.
But he will be most fondly remembered for his work on Channel 4’s flagship comedy show Whose Line?
BBC/Sundog Pictures/Noel VaughnSlattery tickled the nation in 48 episodes from 1988 to 1995 alongside fellow Comedy Store Players members Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence and Sandy Toksweg, as well as Rory Bremner and his old friend Sir Stephen.
One of the show’s most popular actors, Slattery’s departure after series seven affected the show’s ratings.
The comedian took a break from performing for personal reasons before returning to film and TV – with a number of projects for the BBC.
He was recently touring a comedy show in England and launched a podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club, in October.
Like many lovers, Slattery had his demons. In 1996, at the age of 36, he suffered physical and mental breakdown.
In an interview with the Guardian in 2019, He said: “I had a great time until I got a bit barmy”.
The star, who had problems with alcohol and drugs, flipped between “terrible isolation and an almost senseless state, and then terrible agitation, constant speed, sitting in a circular spiral with thoughts”.
He admitted himself to the hospital several times.
He once locked himself in his flat for six months and threw all his furniture into the Thames.
He was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which helped explain his “mania, feeling very excited about things, then withdrawal, numbness and darkness.”
Slattery is survived by Hutchinson, his partner of more than three decades, whom he met while performing in Me and My Girl in the mid-1980s;
“He’s put up with me when my behavior has been so irrational and I can only think that it’s unconditional love,” she told the same publication. “He’s definitely not with me for my money – we don’t have any money. That’s the secret of love.”