Stephen John Fry is a popular English comedian, actor, television host and author. He came to the public's attention as part of a double act with Hugh Laurie and is currently best known for displaying lashings of wit and knowledge as the host of the BAFTA nominated comedy panel show QI.
Early life
Fry was born in Hampstead, London on the 24th August 1957 to Marianne Eve and Alan John Fry. His Slovakian Jewish ancestry was recently uncovered in the BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are' genealogy programme, as was the tragic discovery that distant members of his family were killed in Auschwitz.
After moving to Norfolk at a young age, Fry would attend and subsequently be expelled from a number of boarding schools. He would eventually serve three months in Pucklechurch Prison for credit card fraud, but managed to get his life back on track in order to earn a scholarship to Queens' College, Cambridge, where he studied English Literature.
Fry and Laurie
Much of Stephen Fry's time at Cambridge would be spent treading the boards as part of the Cambridge Footlights; an amateur theatre club that also boasted Emma Thompson and Tony Slattery as members. It was as a member of the Footlights that Fry would meet his long standing comedy partner Hugh Laurie.
After performing in more than 30 plays and writing his own piece entitled Latin! Fry, Laurie and Thompson were spotted by Granada after their production of the Perrier Award winning stage show 'The Cellar Tapes' was broadcast on television. Fry, Laurie and Thompson starred alongside Ben Elton in Granada's 'There's Nothing to Worry About', which was later renamed 'Alfresco' for a second and third series.
With the moderate success of 'Alfresco' helping to establish their partnership, Fry and Laurie would appear as a double act in a number of sketch shows and sitcoms, including 'The Young Ones', 'Blackadder' and their ill-fated BBC sci-fi mockumentary show entitled 'The Crystal Cube', which was cancelled after just one episode.
Despite the flop that was 'The Crystal Cube', Fry and Laurie were offered a second chance to shine in 1986; the result was the hugely successful 'A Bit of Fry and Laurie' - a BBC sketch show which lasted for 26 episodes from 1989 – 1995, following the pilot that was made in 1987.
Fry and Laurie's BBC tenure was interspersed with another successful television show on ITV, with a three year run as 'Jeeves and Wooster' from 1990 to 1993. The 23, hour long episodes were based on P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves stories.
Highs, lows and solo success
Fry's talents weren't limited to performing and he wrote his first novel in 1992, entitled 'The Liar'. 'The Liar' was followed by 'Paperweight', 'The Hippopotamus' and 'Making History', as well as 'The Stars' Tennis Balls', which is heavily influenced by 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. Fry's debut novel 'The Liar' would feature a homosexual Cambridge student, who had grown up in boarding schools. In many respects 'The Liar' was a prelude to Fry's actual autobiography 'Moab is My Washpot'; this was published in 1997.
Fry's own sexuality would suffer as a result of years of self doubt and a lack of confidence. It wasn't until 1995 that Fry would become more comfortable with his homosexuality after meeting his partner Daniel Cohen, and ending his 16 year bout of celibacy.
However, the mid-nineties also sparked the revelation that Fry suffered with the bipolar condition cyclothymia, following a very public nervous breakdown, which saw him flee to Belgium and contemplate suicide. Following a poor review for West End play 'Cell Mates', which co-starred Rik Mayall, Fry went AWOL and quit the UK. The episode still haunts Fry, but he now claims that his "depression has faded to embarrassment and the anger to forgiveness."
The late nineties would see Stephen Fry rebuild his career, leading to the dizzying heights of success he enjoys to this day. Fry would play one of his greatest influences Oscar Wilde in the 1996 film biopic 'Wilde'. The film would be followed by appearances in 'Spiceworld', 'A Civil Action', 'Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?' 'Relative Values', 'Gosford Park' and 'The Discovery of Heaven'. 2003 saw Fry make his directorial debut with 'Bright Young Things'. The film, which Fry also penned, is based on the novel 'Vile Bodies' by Evelyn Waugh. It features an ensemble cast made up of acting luminaries such as Peter O' Toole, Jim Broadbent and Michael Sheen, as well as a young James McAvoy.
Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde in the film Wilde
Fry continues to be involved in the film industry to this day and has had further roles in 'A Cock and Bull Story', 'V for Vendetta' and 'St. Trinian's'. Fry has also been drafted in to write the script for the upcoming remake of 'The Dam Busters', which is to be produced by Peter Jackson.
In addition to his directorial debut, 2003 also saw Fry bought in to host 'QI', an obscure trivia panel show, which is set to enter its seventh series in 2009. The success of 'QI' has seen it bumped up from BBC Two to BBC One, and has earned Fry the reputation of being a fountain of knowledge. Comedian Russell Howard once joked that "having a conversation with Stephen Fry was like talking to Google.
"Fry has also made a number of documentaries for television, including 'Stephen Fry: HIV and Me' as well as the highly entertaining 'Stephen Fry in America', which saw him travel across all 50 states. The 'Fry in America' series is set to be followed up with 'More Fry in America' at some point in the future.
Fry and the digital age
Fry is also well known for his voiceover work in the 'Harry Potter' video games, as well as 'Fable II' and 'LittleBigPlanet'. Fry embraces modern technology with great gusto and has a popular podcast series, as well as being one of the most followed people and social networking site Twitter. With his business partner Andrew Sampson, Fry set up his website 'The New Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry' in 2002. Fry reveals on his site that his greatest achievements in life are passing his Cambridge entry exams following his stint in prison, as well as winning the Perrier Prize at the Edinburgh fringe. Fry signs off by admitting that he is a man content.
Early life
Fry was born in Hampstead, London on the 24th August 1957 to Marianne Eve and Alan John Fry. His Slovakian Jewish ancestry was recently uncovered in the BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are' genealogy programme, as was the tragic discovery that distant members of his family were killed in Auschwitz.
After moving to Norfolk at a young age, Fry would attend and subsequently be expelled from a number of boarding schools. He would eventually serve three months in Pucklechurch Prison for credit card fraud, but managed to get his life back on track in order to earn a scholarship to Queens' College, Cambridge, where he studied English Literature.
Fry and Laurie
Much of Stephen Fry's time at Cambridge would be spent treading the boards as part of the Cambridge Footlights; an amateur theatre club that also boasted Emma Thompson and Tony Slattery as members. It was as a member of the Footlights that Fry would meet his long standing comedy partner Hugh Laurie.
After performing in more than 30 plays and writing his own piece entitled Latin! Fry, Laurie and Thompson were spotted by Granada after their production of the Perrier Award winning stage show 'The Cellar Tapes' was broadcast on television. Fry, Laurie and Thompson starred alongside Ben Elton in Granada's 'There's Nothing to Worry About', which was later renamed 'Alfresco' for a second and third series.
With the moderate success of 'Alfresco' helping to establish their partnership, Fry and Laurie would appear as a double act in a number of sketch shows and sitcoms, including 'The Young Ones', 'Blackadder' and their ill-fated BBC sci-fi mockumentary show entitled 'The Crystal Cube', which was cancelled after just one episode.
Despite the flop that was 'The Crystal Cube', Fry and Laurie were offered a second chance to shine in 1986; the result was the hugely successful 'A Bit of Fry and Laurie' - a BBC sketch show which lasted for 26 episodes from 1989 – 1995, following the pilot that was made in 1987.
Fry and Laurie's BBC tenure was interspersed with another successful television show on ITV, with a three year run as 'Jeeves and Wooster' from 1990 to 1993. The 23, hour long episodes were based on P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves stories.
Highs, lows and solo success
Fry's talents weren't limited to performing and he wrote his first novel in 1992, entitled 'The Liar'. 'The Liar' was followed by 'Paperweight', 'The Hippopotamus' and 'Making History', as well as 'The Stars' Tennis Balls', which is heavily influenced by 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. Fry's debut novel 'The Liar' would feature a homosexual Cambridge student, who had grown up in boarding schools. In many respects 'The Liar' was a prelude to Fry's actual autobiography 'Moab is My Washpot'; this was published in 1997.
Fry's own sexuality would suffer as a result of years of self doubt and a lack of confidence. It wasn't until 1995 that Fry would become more comfortable with his homosexuality after meeting his partner Daniel Cohen, and ending his 16 year bout of celibacy.
However, the mid-nineties also sparked the revelation that Fry suffered with the bipolar condition cyclothymia, following a very public nervous breakdown, which saw him flee to Belgium and contemplate suicide. Following a poor review for West End play 'Cell Mates', which co-starred Rik Mayall, Fry went AWOL and quit the UK. The episode still haunts Fry, but he now claims that his "depression has faded to embarrassment and the anger to forgiveness."
The late nineties would see Stephen Fry rebuild his career, leading to the dizzying heights of success he enjoys to this day. Fry would play one of his greatest influences Oscar Wilde in the 1996 film biopic 'Wilde'. The film would be followed by appearances in 'Spiceworld', 'A Civil Action', 'Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?' 'Relative Values', 'Gosford Park' and 'The Discovery of Heaven'. 2003 saw Fry make his directorial debut with 'Bright Young Things'. The film, which Fry also penned, is based on the novel 'Vile Bodies' by Evelyn Waugh. It features an ensemble cast made up of acting luminaries such as Peter O' Toole, Jim Broadbent and Michael Sheen, as well as a young James McAvoy.
Fry continues to be involved in the film industry to this day and has had further roles in 'A Cock and Bull Story', 'V for Vendetta' and 'St. Trinian's'. Fry has also been drafted in to write the script for the upcoming remake of 'The Dam Busters', which is to be produced by Peter Jackson.
In addition to his directorial debut, 2003 also saw Fry bought in to host 'QI', an obscure trivia panel show, which is set to enter its seventh series in 2009. The success of 'QI' has seen it bumped up from BBC Two to BBC One, and has earned Fry the reputation of being a fountain of knowledge. Comedian Russell Howard once joked that "having a conversation with Stephen Fry was like talking to Google.
"Fry has also made a number of documentaries for television, including 'Stephen Fry: HIV and Me' as well as the highly entertaining 'Stephen Fry in America', which saw him travel across all 50 states. The 'Fry in America' series is set to be followed up with 'More Fry in America' at some point in the future.
Fry and the digital age
Fry is also well known for his voiceover work in the 'Harry Potter' video games, as well as 'Fable II' and 'LittleBigPlanet'. Fry embraces modern technology with great gusto and has a popular podcast series, as well as being one of the most followed people and social networking site Twitter. With his business partner Andrew Sampson, Fry set up his website 'The New Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry' in 2002. Fry reveals on his site that his greatest achievements in life are passing his Cambridge entry exams following his stint in prison, as well as winning the Perrier Prize at the Edinburgh fringe. Fry signs off by admitting that he is a man content.
