Whose Line Is It Anyway? comedian and actor dies aged 65

Sir Stephen Fry has led the tributes to British actor and comedian Tony Slattery, who has died aged 65 following a heart attack.

Slattery was known for his quick-witted improvisations on the popular Channel 4 show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, from 1988 onwards.

Sir Stephen, who also featured on the show as well as with Slattery in Cambridge University’s Footlights group, described his old friend on Instagram as “the gentlest, sweetest soul” and “a screamingly funny deeply talented wit and clown”.

Londoner Slattery also played comedic and serious roles in films such as crime thriller The Crying Game, Peter’s Friends and the dark comedy How to Get Ahead in Advertising.

He earned an Olivier Award nomination for best comedy performance for his role as Gordon in Tim Firth’s play Neville’s Island.

A statement on behalf of Slattery’s longstanding partner, actor Mark Michael Hutchinson, said: “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.”

In his tribute on Instagram, Sir Stephen noted the “cruel irony that fate should snatch him from us just as he had really begun to emerge from his lifelong battle with so many dark demons”.

Fellow comics Richard K Herring and Al Murray also paid tribute, along with Absolutely Fabulous actress and comedian Helen Lederer.

Murray wrote: “Really sad news about Tony Slattery. Such a dazzling talent,” while Herring simply posted: “Oh, Tony.”

Lederer offered on social media: “My best friend in laughter, wit, love, absurdity, being my best man (twice), we adored you – what will we do now.”

Another comedian, Arthur Smith wrote: “RIP Tony Slattery. Brilliant quick wit, kind, thoughtful.” Performer Tom Walker aka Jonathan Pie added: “Absolutely heartbreaking to hear about Tony Slattery. A genius.”

Comedian and writer David Baddiel described the news as “so sad”, while presenter and actor Les Dennis remembered Slattery as a “wonderful talent and a nice man”.

Born into a working class family in North London in 1959, Slattery won a scholarship to study medieval and modern languages at Cambridge University.

It was from here that he entered the world of showbiz, meeting a young Sir Stephen, who invited him to join the Cambridge Footlights – the university’s famous amateur dramatics club.

From then on, Slattery once said: “Getting up on stage and hearing laughter took over.”

At Cambridge, he was also a contemporary of Dame Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie.

In 1981, the 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 Footlights’ President, following in the footsteps of Eric Idle, Clive Anderson and Peter Cook.

Slattery went on to appear on the London club circuit doing “kind of a variety act with bizarre turns” as he put it.

He made several TV appearances, including a stint hosting children’s programme TX.

But his big break came in 1986, when he landed a starring role in the West End musical Me and My Girl; before going on to appear in Radio Times, Privates on Parade and Neville’s Island – to critical acclaim.

His 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 Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Channel 4’s flagship comedy show which saw performers conduct a series of short improvisation games, creating comedic scenes from suggestions made by the host or the audience.

Slattery tickled the nation, appearing alongside the likes of fellow Comedy Store Players members Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence and Sandi Toksvig, as well as Rory Bremner and Sir Stephen, in 48 episodes from 1988 to 1995.

The departure of Slattery – one of the show’s most popular performers – after series seven, affected the show’s ratings.

He featured once more alongside his old university comedy sparring partners, Sir Stephen, Dame Emma and Lawrie, in the 1992 comedy romance film Peter’s Friends; and opposite Richard E Grant in How to Get Ahead in Advertising.

Slattery also starred in the comedy spoof Tiger Bastable and sitcom Just A Gigolo, as well as making appearances in the final Carry On film, Robin Hood, Red Dwarf and Coronation Street.

The comic actor took a break from performing for personal reasons, before returning to film and TV – with a number of projects for the BBC.

He had recently been touring a comedy show in England and launched a podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club, in October.

Like many much-loved entertainers, Slattery had his demons. In 1996, aged 36, he had a physical and mental breakdown.

In an interview with the Guardian in 2019, he said: “I had a very happy time until I went slightly barmy”.

The star, who had problems with drink and drugs, flipped between “terrible isolationism and an almost comatose state, and then terrible agitation, constant pacing, sitting inside with thoughts whirling round and round”.

He admitted himself to hospital on several occasions.

Once, he locked himself in his flat for six months and threw all of his furniture into the Thames.

He was eventually diagnosed as being bipolar, which helped him to explain “the mania, finding things too exciting, then the withdrawal, apathy and bleakness”.

In 2020, Slattery told the Radio Times that his “fiscal illiteracy and general innumeracy” as well as his “misplaced trust in people” had led him to bankruptcy.

The same year he was the subject of the BBC Two Horizon documentary What’s The Matter With Tony Slattery?, which saw him and Hutchinson visit leading experts on mood disorders and addiction.

Slattery had previously spoken about his condition on the 2006 BBC Two programme The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive.

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 kept with me when my behaviour has been so unreasonable and I can only think it’s unconditional love,” Slattery told the Guardian. “He’s certainly not with me for my money – we don’t have any money. It’s the mystery of love.”