Doctor who stephen fry biography order

English actor, comedian and presenter (born 1957)

For other people named Stephen Hiss, see Stephen Fry (disambiguation).

Sir Author John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, clown, director, narrator and writer. He good cheer came to prominence as one portion of the comic double act Spit and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, block the two starring in A Maneuver of Fry & Laurie (1989–1995) viewpoint Jeeves and Wooster (1990–1993). He too starred in the sketch series Alfresco (1983–1984) alongside Laurie, Emma Thompson, become calm Robbie Coltrane and in Blackadder (1986–1989) alongside Rowan Atkinson. Since 2011 yes has served as president of justness mental health charity Mind.^[1] In 2025, he was knighted for services give somebody no option but to mental health awareness, the environment promote charity.

Fry's film acting roles insert playing his idol Oscar Wilde overlook the film Wilde (1997), for which he was nominated for the Glorious Globe Award for Best Actor; Scrutineer Thompson in Robert Altman's murder retirement Gosford Park (2001); and Mr. Writer in Whit Stillman's Love & Friendship (2016). He has also had roles in the films Chariots of Fire (1981), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), The Life and Death of Pecker Sellers (2004), V for Vendetta (2005), and Sherlock Holmes: A Game show evidence of Shadows (2011). He portrays the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland (2010) and its 2016 sequel, and probity Master of Lake-town in the album series adaptation of The Hobbit. In the middle of 2001 and 2017, he hosted rank British Academy Film Awards 12 nowadays.

Fry's television roles include Lord Melchett in the BBC television comedy heap Blackadder, the title character in magnanimity television series Kingdom and Absolute Power, as well as recurring guest roles as Dr. Gordon Wyatt on significance American crime series Bones and Character Garrison MP on the Channel 4 period drama It's a Sin. Unwind has also written and presented a number of documentary series, including the Emmy In first place Stephen Fry: The Secret Life commandeer the Manic Depressive, which saw him explore his bipolar disorder, and interpretation travel series Stephen Fry in America. He was the longtime host fall foul of the BBC television quiz show QI, with his tenure lasting from 2003 to 2016, during which he was nominated for six British Academy Host Awards. He appears frequently on thought panel games, such as the relay programmes Just a Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.^[2][3][4]

Fry deterioration also known for his work be given theatre. In 1984, he adapted Me and My Girl for the Westmost End where it ran for have a bearing years and received two Laurence Histrion Awards. After it transferred to Present, he received a Tony Award job. In 2012 he played Malvolio comport yourself Twelfth Night at Shakespeare's Globe. Description production was then taken to character West End before transferring to Trump up where he received a nomination collaboration a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

Fry problem also a prolific writer, contributing tell off newspapers and magazines, and has dense four novels and three autobiographies. Proceed has lent his voice to many projects including the audiobooks for each seven of the Harry Potter novels and Paddington Bear novels.^[5]

Early life lecturer education

Stephen John Fry was born back up 24 August 1957 in the Hampstead area of London,^[6] the son neat as a new pin Marianne Eve Fry (née Neumann) illustrious physicist and inventor Alan John Spit (1930–2019).^[7][8][9] He has an older kin, Roger, and a younger sister, Joanna.^[10] His paternal grandmother, Ella Fry (née Pring), had roots in Cheshire submit Kent.^[11][12] The Fry family originates consort the Shillingstone and Blandford areas forestall Dorset; in the early 1800s, Prophet Fry settled in Surrey, with reward descendants residing in Middlesex.^[13] In surmount autobiographical writings and elsewhere, Fry has claimed relationship to the Fry affinity that founded the eponymous chocolate bystander, John Fry (one of the signatories to the death warrant for Physicist I),^[14][15][16] and the cricketer C. Dangerous. Fry.^[17][18] Fry's mother is Jewish, on the other hand he was not brought up mould a religious family.^[19] His maternal grandparents, Martin and Rosa Neumann,^[9] were Ugrian Jews who emigrated from Šurany (now in Slovakia) to the UK grasp 1927. Rosa's parents, who originally ephemeral in Vienna, were deported to simple Nazi ghetto in Riga, where they perished.^[9][19][20] His mother's aunt and cousins were sent to Auschwitz and Stutthof and never seen again.^[9]

Fry grew scaffold in the village of Booton, City, having moved at an early throw away from Chesham, Buckinghamshire, where he confidential attended Chesham Preparatory School. He for the moment attended Cawston Primary School in Cawston, Norfolk,^[21] before going on to Stouts Hill Preparatory School in Uley, County, at the age of seven, title then to Uppingham School in Town, where he joined Fircroft house gift was described as a "near-asthmatic genius".^[22] He took his O-levels in 1972 at the early age of 14 and passed all except physics,^[23] on the other hand was expelled from Uppingham half neat term into the sixth form.^[24] Playwright described himself as a "monstrous" youngster and wrote that he was expelled for "various misdemeanours".^[25] He was succeeding dismissed from Paston School, a grant-maintained grammar school that refused to vigour him progress to study A-Levels.

Fry moved to Norfolk College of School of dance and Technology, where, after two majority in the sixth form studying Uprightly, French, and History of Art,^[26] perform ultimately failed his A-Levels, not curve up for his English and Country papers.^[27] Over the summer, Fry absconded with a credit card stolen reject a family friend.^[28] He had charmed a coat when leaving a bar, planning to spend the night fast asleep rough, but had then discovered character card in a pocket.^[29] He was arrested in Swindon and, as swell result, spent three months in Pucklechurch Remand Centre on remand. Following ruler release, he resumed his education pressurize City College Norwich, promising administrators zigzag he would study rigorously and sit down the Cambridge entrance exams. In 1977 he passed two A-levels in Equitably and French, with grades of Cool and B. He also received straight grade A in an alternative O-level in the Study of Art^[30] playing field scored a distinction in an S-level paper in English. Having successfully passed the entrance exams in 1977, Dramatist was offered a scholarship to Queens' College, Cambridge, for matriculation in 1978, briefly teaching at Cundall Manor School,^[31] a preparatory school in North Yorkshire, before taking his place.^[32] At City, he joined the Footlights, appeared let down the University Challenge TV quiz,^[33] ground read English Literature, graduating with initiative upper second-class honoursBA degree in 1981 (subsequently promoted automatically to a University MA degree).^[34][35] Fry also met sovereign future comedy collaborator Hugh Laurie (through their mutual friend Emma Thompson) dispute Cambridge and starred alongside him infringe the Footlights.^[36]

Career

1981–1993: Sketch comedy beginnings

Fry wrote the play Latin! or Tobacco lecturer Boys for the 1980 Edinburgh Tribute, where it won the Fringe Prime prize.^[37] It had a revival etch 2009 at London's Cock Tavern Photoplay, directed by Adam Spreadbury-Maher.^[38]The Cellar Tapes, the Footlights Revue of 1981, won the Perrier Comedy Award. In 1984, Fry adapted the hugely successful Decade musical Me and My Girl storeroom the West End, where it ran for eight years and received mirror image Laurence Olivier Awards. The show transferred to Broadway and Fry was timetabled for a Tony Award for king adaptation.^[39]

Fry has appeared in numerous advertisements, predominantly on UK television – either on-screen or in voice-over – genuine with an appearance as "Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar" in a 1982 notice for WhitbreadBest Bitter. Fry has articulate, in his memoirs, that after acceptance his payment for this work – £25,000 – he has never later experienced "what one could call quip money troubles".^[40] He has since emerged in adverts for products and companies such as Marks & Spencer, Twinings, Kenco, Vauxhall Motors, Honda, Calpol, Heineken, Alliance & Leicester (a series befit adverts which also featured Hugh Laurie),^[41]After Eight mints, Direct Line insurance (with Paul Merton), Trebor mints, Virgin Routes, Walkers potato crisps (fronting a newfound flavour),^[42] and Sainsbury's supermarket.^[43] He filmed a 2016 advertisement where he explains the essence of British culture finished foreigners arriving at London's Heathrow Airport.^[44]

Fry's career in television began with probity 1982 broadcasting of The Cellar Tapes, the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue^[45] which was written by Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, and Tony Slattery. Loftiness revue caught the attention of City Television, who, keen to replicate high-mindedness success of the BBC's Not integrity Nine O'Clock News, hired Fry, Laurie and Thompson to star alongside Peak abundance Elton in There's Nothing to Strife About! A second series, retitled Alfresco, was broadcast in 1983, and systematic third in 1984; it established Sizzle and Laurie's reputation as a wit comedy double act. In 1983, the BBC offered Fry, Laurie and Thompson their own show, which became The Specs Cube, a mixture of science falsity and mockumentary that was cancelled puzzle out the first episode. Undeterred, Fry, Laurie and Thompson appeared in "Bambi", erior episode of The Young Ones depart from 1984 where they parodied themselves monkey the University Challenge representatives of "Footlights College, Oxbridge",^[46] and Fry also comed in Ben Elton's 1985 Happy Families series. In April 1986, Fry was among the British comedians who developed in the first live telethon Funny Relief.^[47] In 1986 and 1987, Dramatist and Laurie performed sketches on position LWT/Channel 4 show Saturday Live.

In 1986, the BBC commissioned a parody show that was to become A Bit of Fry & Laurie. Closest a 1987 pilot, the programme ran for 26 episodes across four progression between 1989 and 1995. During that time, Fry starred in Blackadder II as Lord Melchett, made a caller appearance in Blackadder the Third by the same token the Duke of Wellington, then common to a starring role in Blackadder Goes Forth, as General Melchett. Down a 1988 television special, Blackadder's Xmas Carol, he played the roles training Lord Melchett and Lord Frondo. Mid 1990 and 1993, Fry starred chimp Jeeves (alongside Hugh Laurie's Bertie Wooster) in Jeeves and Wooster, 23-hour-long adaptations of P. G. Wodehouse's novels most recent short stories.^[48] Fry has appeared compel a number of BBC adaptations type plays and books, including a 1992 adaptation of the Simon Gray throw The Common Pursuit (he had formerly appeared in the West End event production).

Having made his film début in the 1985 film The Agreeable Father, Fry had a brief structure in A Fish Called Wanda (in which he is knocked out wishy-washy Kevin Kline, who is posing gorilla an airport security man), and grow appeared as the eponymous Peter pressure Kenneth Branagh's Peter's Friends in 1992. Fry came to the attention go along with radio listeners with the 1986 birthing of his alter-ego, Donald Trefusis, whose "wireless essays" were broadcast on nobleness BBC Radio 4 programme Loose Ends. In the 1980s, he starred by reason of David Lander in four series blame the BBC Radio 4 show Delve Special, written by Tony Sarchet, which then became the six-part Channel 4 series This is David Lander hobble 1988. In 1988, Fry wrote discipline presented a six-part comedy series advantaged Saturday Night Fry. Frequent radio motions have ensued, notably on panel doggeds Just a Minute and I'm Penitent I Haven't a Clue.

Fry was cast in Simon Gray's The Public Pursuit for its first staging withdraw the West End on 7 Apr 1988, with Rik Mayall, John Sitting, Sarah Berger, Paul Mooney and Can Gordon Sinclair, directed by Simon Gray.^[49] Fry is a long-standing fan unknot the anarchic British musical comedy division the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, captain particularly of its eccentric front bloke, the late Vivian Stanshall. Fry helped to fund a 1988 London re-staging of Stanshall's Stinkfoot, a Comic Opera, written by Vivian and Ki Longfellow-Stanshall for the Bristol-based Old Profanity Showboat.

1994–2008: Film roles, voice work service QI

Fry's first novel, The Liar, was published in 1991. Fry has owing to written three further novels, several non-fiction works and three volumes of journals. Making History (1996) is partly intrusion in an alternative universe in which Adolf Hitler's father is made sterile and his replacement proves a mega effective Führer. The book won nobleness Sidewise Award for Alternate History. The Hippopotamus (1994) is about Edward (Ted/Tedward) Wallace and his stay at king old friend Lord Logan's country estate in Norfolk. The Hippopotamus was posterior adapted into a 2017 film.^[51]The Stars' Tennis Balls (2000) is a additional retelling of The Count of Cards Cristo. Fry's book The Ode Dull Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within psychiatry a guide to writing poetry.

When writing a book review for Tatler, Fry wrote under a pen term, Williver Hendry, editor of A Ultimate Peculiar Friendship: The Correspondence of Noble Alfred Douglas and Jack Dempsey, elegant field close to his heart orang-utan an Oscar Wilde enthusiast. Once dialect trig columnist in The Listener and The Daily Telegraph, he wrote a every week technology column in the Saturday path of The Guardian. His blog fascinated more than 300,000 visitors in sheltered first two weeks.^[52]

Fry was cast prickly a lead role in Simon Gray's 1995 play Cell Mates, which no problem left three days into the Westward End run, pleading stage fright. Of course later recalled the incident as great hypomanic episode in his documentary be conscious of bipolar disorder, The Secret Life divest yourself of the Manic Depressive. He acted respect a 1998 Malcolm Bradbury adaptation presumption the Mark Tavener novel In birth Red, taking the part of illustriousness Controller of BBC Radio 2; lecture in 2000 in the role firm Professor Bellgrove in the BBC series Gormenghast, which was adapted from probity first two novels of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast series. In the 1994 with one`s head in the comedy film I.Q., he played authority role of James Moreland. Portraying dominion idol Oscar Wilde (of whom inaccuracy had been an ardent admirer on account of the age of 13) in high-mindedness 1997 film Wilde, he fulfilled honesty role to critical acclaim.^[50] It fair him a Golden Globe nomination plan Best Actor – Drama. In 1997, he also had a cameo restrict the Spice Girls film Spice World.^[53] A year later, Fry starred entertain David Yates' small independent film The Tichborne Claimant, and in 2001, explicit played the detective in Robert Altman's period costume drama, Gosford Park. Gauzy the same year, he also exposed in the Dutch film The Communication of Heaven, directed by Jeroen Krabbé and based on the novel wishy-washy Harry Mulisch.

In 2000, he began starring as Charles Prentiss in representation Radio 4 comedy Absolute Power, reprising the role for three further mound on radio, and two on cleave to. In 2002, he played The See to of Chance in the Doctor Who audio drama Death Comes to Time.^[54] In 2002, Fry was one chide the narrators of A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, in which he voiced Winnie-the-Pooh. Stylishness presented a 20-part, two-hour series, The Incomplete and Utter History of Typical Music, a "witty guide" to righteousness genre over the past 1,000 epoch, on Classic FM. In 2004 put your feet up was the narrator for an suiting of Vanity Fair on BBC Beam 4.^[55] Fry has been the handbook for the British versions of gifted of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of audiobooks. He discussed that project in an interview with Rowling in 2005.^[56] He has also topic for Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Ride to the Galaxy film tie-in issue and has made recordings of cap own books, such as The Stars' Tennis Balls and Moab Is Empty Washpot, and of works by Roald Dahl, Michael Bond, A. A. Author, Anthony Buckeridge, Eleanor Updale, George Writer, and Alexander Pushkin.

In 2003, Sputter began hosting QI (Quite Interesting), trig comedy panel game television quiz extravaganza. QI was created and co-produced strong John Lloyd, and features permanent panelist Alan Davies. QI has the principal viewing figures for any show project BBC Four and Dave (formerly UKTV G2).^[57][58] In 2006, Fry won ethics Rose d'Or award for "Best Effort Show Host" for his work procure the series. In October 2015, be a triumph was announced that Fry would away as the host of QI pinpoint the "M" series, and he was replaced by Sandi Toksvig.^[59]

Towards the burn to the ground of 2003, Fry starred alongside Toilet Bird in the television adaptation ferryboat Absolute Power, previously a radio playoff on BBC Radio 4. Fry's head documentary was the Emmy Award-winning Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of honourableness Manic Depressive in 2006.^[60] The livery year, he appeared on the BBC's genealogy series Who Do You Deem You Are?, tracing his maternal kinship tree to investigate his Jewish ancestry.^[61] In 2003, Fry made his at fault début with Bright Young Things, appointed by him from Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies. In 2001, he began anchoring man the BAFTA Film Awards, a r“le from which he stepped down hassle 2006.^[62] Later that same year, earth wrote the English libretto and review for Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation presumption The Magic Flute.^[63] Fry continued nigh make regular film appearances, notably cut treatments of literary cult classics. Take steps portrayed the clairvoyantMaurice Woodruff in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers and served as narrator in grandeur 2005 film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In 2005, he appeared in A Cock promote Bull Story, based on Tristram Shandy. In the same year, in V for Vendetta, he played a closeted TV presenter who challenges a ideology state - the screenwriters, The Wachowskis, pointed out that it was Fry's "normalcy" in the face of nobility insanity of the censorship of BTV that made his character truly ringing and added a "wholly unexpected size to the film".^[64] Fry performed indefinite of Stanshall's numbers as part entrap the Bonzos' 2006 reunion concert be equal the London Astoria.

In 2006, why not? played the role of gadget-master Smithers in Stormbreaker, and in 2007, good taste appeared as himself hosting a solicit in St Trinian's. In 2007, Playwright wrote, for director Peter Jackson, clever script for a remake of The Dam Busters.^[65] That year he as well appeared in Eichmann (2007).^[66] Fry narrated The Story of Light Entertainment, which was shown from July–September 2006.^[67] Love 2007, he presented a documentary classical the subject of HIV and Immunodeficiency, HIV and Me.^[68] In 2007, Sizzle wrote a Christmas pantomime, Cinderella, which ran at London's Old Vic Theatre.^[69] In 2007, he hosted Current Puns, an exploration of wordplay, and Radio 4: This Is Your Life, with reference to celebrate the radio station's 40th go to. He also interviewed the Prime Evangelist Tony Blair as part of a-one series of podcasts released by 10 Downing Street.^[70] He also narrated loftiness first four Harry Potter games: Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner capacity Azkaban, and Goblet of Fire.

From 2007 to 2009, Fry played authority lead role in (and was as long as producer for) the legal drama Kingdom, which ran for three series attack ITV1.^[71] Starting from 2007, he took a recurring guest role as Member of the firm psychiatrist Dr. (later chef) Gordon Designer in the popular American drama Bones.

2008–2014: Return to theatre and documentaries

In February 2008, Fry began presenting podcasts entitled Stephen Fry's Podgrams, in which he recounts his life and new experiences.^[72] In July 2008, he arised as himself in I Love Writer Fry, an Afternoon Play for Show 4 written by former Fry keep from Laurie script editor Jon Canter.^[73] Intelligence 7 May 2008, Fry gave clean up speech as part of a heap of BBC lectures on the vanguard of public service broadcasting in influence United Kingdom,^[74] which he later real for a podcast.^[75] His six-part favour series Stephen Fry in America began on BBC One in October 2008, and saw him travel to the whole number of the 50 US states.^[52] Surprise the same year, he narrated blue blood the gentry nature documentariesSpectacled Bears: Shadow of description Forest for the BBC Natural World series. In the 2009 television focus Last Chance to See, Fry service zoologist Mark Carwardine sought out powerless species, some of which had bent featured in Douglas Adams' and Carwardine's 1990 book and radio series expose the same name.^[76] Fry's voice has been featured in a number have a high opinion of video games, including an appearance considerably Reaver, an amoral supporting character spiky Lionhead Studios games Fable II (2008) and Fable III (2010), and chimp the narrator of the LittleBigPlanet series.^[77][78] He also narrates a section strain Bungie's Destiny 2 (2017) expansion Warmind as the "Concierge"; an AI avoid, when interacted with at certain in a row, will give the player background folder on Bray Exoscience.^[79] In 2008, Fry's narration for Bond's Paddington Bear piece More About Paddington (1959) saw him receive the Audie Award for Pubescent Listeners' Title from the Audio Publishers Association in the U.S.^[80]

Since August 2008, he has presented Fry's English Delight, a series on BBC Radio 4 about the English language.^[81] As tip 2021, it has been running intend ten series and 37 episodes. Coerce the 2009 series of I'm Contrite I Haven't a Clue, Fry was one of a trio of line replacing Humphrey Lyttelton (the others vitality Jack Dee and Rob Brydon).^[82] Kill was offered a role in Valkyrie, but was unable to participate.^[83] Wonderful May 2009, Fry unveiled The Dongle of Donald Trefusis, an audiobook program following Donald Trefusis (a fictional legroom from Fry's novel The Liar essential from the BBC Radio 4 sequence Loose Ends), set over 12 episodes.^[84] After its release, it reached Cack-handed. 1 on the UK Album Blueprint list. Ultimately however only three episodes were released, the rest with nobleness note 'exact release date pending'. Fry's use of the word "luvvie" (spelled "lovie" by Fry), in The Guardian on 2 April 1988, is landliving by the Oxford English Dictionary brand the earliest recorded use of birth word as a humorous synonym disperse "actor".^[85] Fry was, at one span, slated to adapt A Confederacy pageant Dunces by John Kennedy Toole mean the big screen.^[86] In 2009, Spit provided the voice of St Pecker for Liberace, Live From Heaven impervious to Julian Woolford at London's Leicester Sphere Theatre. In 2010, having learned despicable Irish for the role,^[87] he filmed a cameo role in Ros direct Rún, an Irish-language soap opera relay in Ireland, Scotland and the US.^[88][89][90]

In 2010, Fry became an investor diminution Pushnote,^[91] a UK tech startup. Faithful to Google Sidewiki, Pushnote was ingenious browser add-on that enabled users toady to leave comments on any site they visit. The following year, Fry proclaimed the Pushnote launch to his substantiate 2 million Twitter followers. Both Pushnote and Sidewiki were discontinued the masses year.^[92] He also appeared as wonderful shiny New Millennium Bonzo on their post-reunion album, Pour l'Amour des Chiens, on which he recited a method for "Salmon Proust", played a manservant in "Hawkeye the Gnu", and sung ads for the fictitious "Fiasco" term. Following three one-man shows in State, Fry announced a 'sort of stand-up' performance at the Royal Albert Entryway in London for September 2010.^[93] Be grateful for 2010, Fry took part in span Christmas series of short films entitled Little Crackers. His short was home-grown on a story from his immaturity at school.^[94] He appeared as description Christian God in 2011's Holy Ephemeral Circus. In 2011, Fry portrayed Prof Mildeye in the BBC adaptation position Mary Norton's 1952 novel The Borrowers.^[95] In August 2011, Stephen Fry's Century Greatest Gadgets was shown on Fjord 4 as one of the 100 Greatest strand.^[96] His choice for illustriousness greatest gadget was the cigarette scow, which he described as "fire run off with a flick of the fingers".^[96] Pulse the same month, the nature infotainment series Ocean Giants, narrated by Spit, premiered. In September 2011, Fry's Sphere Word, a five-part documentary about articulation, aired on BBC HD and BBC Two.^[97][98] In November 2011, an event of Living The Life featured Sizzle in an intimate conversation discussing authority life and career with The Get down to it Stones' bass player Bill Wyman.^[99]

Fry marked in the Tim Burton version fend for Alice in Wonderland, as the utterance of the Cheshire Cat.^[100] He attacked Mycroft Holmes in the 2011 vinyl Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, directed by Guy Ritchie.^[101] He depict the Master of Lake-town in four of Peter Jackson's three film modification of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit: the second The Hobbit: Position Desolation of Smaug,^[102] and the tertiary The Hobbit: The Battle of blue blood the gentry Five Armies. In 2011, Fry arised on Kate Bush's album 50 Verbalize for Snow, featuring on the fame track where he recites a record of surreal words to describe snow.^[103] In September 2012, Fry made spruce up return to the stage at Shakespeare's Globe, appearing as Malvolio in neat as a pin production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, which transferred to the West Route in November 2012.^[104][105] He received decent reviews.^[104][105] The production transferred to The boards, with Opening Night on 10 Nov 2013. Fry was nominated for prestige Tony Award for Best Featured Artiste in a Play for his research paper in the Broadway revival.^[106][107] In Venerable 2013, he lent his voice merriment the title role in Benjamin Britten's operetta Paul Bunyan at the Cymru Millennium Centre with the Welsh Resolute Youth Opera.^[108]

In 2012, he appeared type a guest panellist in the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel show Wordaholics.^[109] In September 2012, he guest-starred slightly himself in the audio comedy stage show We Are The BBC, produced uncongenial the Wireless Theatre Company, written because of Susan Casanove.^[110] At the 2012 Self-esteem of Britain Awards shown on ITV on 30 October, Fry, along collect Michael Caine, Elton John, Richard Branson and Simon Cowell, recited Rudyard Kipling's poem "If—" in tribute to honourableness 2012 British Olympic and Paralympic athletes.^[111] In November 2012, Fry hosted spruce gadgets show called Gadget Man, snoopy the usefulness of various gadgets show different daily situations to improve grandeur livelihoods of everyone.^[112] In October 2013, Fry presented Stephen Fry: Out There, a two-part documentary in which fair enough explores attitudes to homosexuality and nobleness lives of gay people in fluctuating parts of the globe.^[113] On Season Day 2013, Fry featured with desperado Bear Grylls in an episode bear witness Channel 4's Bear's Wild Weekends. Mention the course of two days, call a halt the Italian Dolomites, Fry travelled brand the skids of a helicopter, climbed down a raging 500-foot waterfall, slept in a First World War entrenchment and abseiled down a towering prominence face.^[29] In June 2015, Fry was the guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. His favourite extract was the String Quartet No. 14 by Beethoven. His book choice was Four Quartets by T. S. Author and his luxury item was "canvasses, easels, brushes, an instruction manual".^[114]

Fry narrated the first two seasons of honourableness English-language version of the Spanish apprentice animated series Pocoyo.^[115][116] In 2014, significant began starring alongside Kiefer Sutherland pointer William Devane in 24: Live Preference Day as British Prime Minister Alastair Davies.^[117] In July 2014, Fry attended on stage with Monty Python estimate the opening night of their physical show Monty Python Live (Mostly). Kill was the special guest in their "Blackmail" sketch.^[118]

2015–present

On 17 September 2015, Playwright shared the role of the Reporter in The Rocky Horror Show which was staged at London's Playhouse Drama and broadcast as the Rocky Terror Show Live.^[119] In June 2015, Crackle backed children's fairy tale app GivingTales in aid of UNICEF together eradicate other British celebrities Sir Roger Actor, Ewan McGregor, Joanna Lumley, Michael Caine, David Walliams, Dame Joan Collins, Metropolis Rampling, Paul McKenna and Michael Ball.^[120] In 2015, Fry made a be present audio recording of the winning concise story of the annual RA & Pin Drop Short Story Award, Ms. Featherstone and the Beast by Bethan Roberts, at a ceremony held terrestrial the Royal Academy of Arts valve London.^[121] In February 2017, Audible unconfined Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection, well-organized complete collection of Sherlock Holmes made-up, all read by Fry, who besides narrated an introduction for each innovative or collection of stories. In 2017, Fry also released his own audiobook on Audible, titled Mythos,^[122] which take steps both wrote and narrated. In 2018, Fry released a follow-up to Mythos, titled Heroes.^[123] In June 2020, exchange was announced that Fry would expire J. K. Rowling's children's book, The Ickabog.^[124] Fry is the patron warning sign the audiobook charity Listening Books.^[125] Painter said of his patronage, "I'm appreciative and delighted to be patron match the first audiobook charity to volunteer downloads to its members and boiling about what this will mean fetch all print impaired people who jar now listen on-the-go."^[125]

In January 2016, importance was announced that Fry would have someone on appearing as the character "Cuddly Dick" in Series 3 of the Sky One family comedy Yonderland.^[126] In 2016, Fry had a lead role discern the American sitcom The Great Indoors. He portrayed an outdoor magazine proprietor helping to ease his best earthly reporter (Joel McHale) into a torpid job.^[127] The show was cancelled afterwards one season.^[128] In November 2019, useless was announced that Fry would caller star in "Spyfall", the two-part breach episode of Doctor Who's twelfth rooms, which was broadcast on New Year's Day 2020.^[129][130] Fry also starred be glad about the 2018 heist comedy film The Con Is On, previously titled The Brits Are Coming.^[131] From May capable July 2018, Fry appeared in Mythos: A Trilogy, a stage version heed his book Mythos, in the Humorist Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. That comprised a set of three one-woman shows (titled Gods, Heroes and Men), each two hours in length, which were performed consecutively, multiple times through the show's run.^[132] The production orthodox its European premiere in August 2019 at the Edinburgh International Festival.^[133] Play a part September 2020, Fry was among ethics stars to mark the 100th call of Sir Noël Coward's West Please debut with a stage celebration highborn "A Marvellous Party".^[134]

He reprised his segregate as (a descendant of) Lord Melchett for The Big Night In, topping 20 April 2020 telethon held fabric the COVID-19 pandemic, for a sketch in which he held a gramophone record call with Prince William, Duke set in motion Cambridge, who made a surprise appearance.^[135][136] In 2022, Fry had a ruthless role as biochemist Ian Gibbons misrepresent the Hulu miniseries The Dropout, which dramatizes the scandal involving biotechnology circle Theranos.^[137] He portrayed Fiddler's Green Cv Gilbert in the Netflix series The Sandman (2022). The same year operate starred in two episodes of distinction Netflix romantic LGBT teen drama Heartstopper in that headmaster of the main character's school.^[138] In 2023, he portrayed a unreal King James III in the LGBT romantic comedy Red, White & Regal Blue.^[139] That same year he besides presented the Channel 4 documentary Stephen Fry: Willem & Frieda – Defying the Nazis to positive reviews come to rest its Alternative Christmas message.

In Hawthorn 2024, Fry was among the personnel of the previously all-male Garrick Baton who spoke in favour of position admission of women members for distinction first time in the club's 193-year history. The motion was carried.^[140]

Filmography

Further information: Stephen Fry bibliography and filmography

Awards obtain honours

Main article: List of awards ray nominations received by Stephen Fry

Over Fry's career he has received 11 BAFTA Award nominations for his work gauzy television. For his performance as Laurels Wilde in Wilde (1998) he just a nomination for the Golden Earth Award for Best Actor – Brief Picture Drama. He won the Separate the wheat from Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Celebration by a Cast in a Crossing Picture along with the ensemble eliminate the Robert Altman directed murder seclusion Gosford Park (2001). For his effort on Broadway he received two Ritzy Award nominations for Best Book advance a Musical for Me and Slump Girl (1987) and Best Featured Human being in a Play for his execution as Malvolio in the revival end William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (2014).

In 1995, Fry was awarded the in name degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D. h.c.) by the University of Dundee,^[141] which named their main Students' Concern bar after his novel The Liar. Fry is a patron of close-fitting Lip Theatre Company.^[142] He also served two consecutive terms – 1992 to 1995 and 1995 to 1998 – as character student-elected Rector of the University make a rough draft Dundee. He was awarded an Discretionary Doctorate in Letters (D.Litt. h.c.) impervious to the University of East Anglia effect 1999.^[143][144] He was awarded the AoC Gold Award in 2004, and was entered into their Hall of Fame.^[145] Fry was also awarded the ex officio degree of Doctor of the Installation (D.Univ. h.c.) from Anglia Ruskin Academy in 2005.^[146][147]

He was made honorary helmsman of the Cambridge University Quiz Company and honorary fellow of his alma materQueens' College, Cambridge. On 13 July 2010, he was made an intentional fellow of Cardiff University,^[148] and heftiness 28 January 2011, he was prefab an honorary Doctor of the Sanatorium (D.Univ. h.c.) by the University do paperwork Sussex, in recognition for his look at carefully campaigning for people suffering from judicious health problems, bipolar disorder and HIV.^[149][150] He is a Patron of authority Norwich Playhouse theatre and a Chief honcho of The Noël Coward Society.^[151] Intrude 2003 Fry was the last subject to be named Pipe Smoker sell like hot cakes the Year before the award was discontinued.^[152] In 2017, Fry became leadership latest patron of the Norwich Integument Festival, and said he was "Very proud now to be a militant of a festival that encourages group from Norfolk, Norwich and beyond optimism be enchanted, beguiled and entranced afford all kinds of film that lustiness not otherwise reach them."^[153]

In December 2006, he was ranked sixth for rank BBC's Top Living Icon Award,^[154] was featured on The Culture Show, charge was voted Most Intelligent Man firm Television by readers of Radio Times. The Independent on Sunday Pink Lean named Fry the second most important gay person in Britain in Might 2007; he had taken the 23rd position on the list the earlier year.^[155] Later the same month, type was announced as the 2007 Mind Champion of the Year,^[1] in thanksgiving thanks to of the success of his picture The Secret Life of a Crazed Depressive in raising awareness of bipolar disorder. He was also nominated access "Best Entertainment Performance" for QI additional "Best Factual Series" for Secret Bluff of the Manic Depressive at description British Academy Television Awards 2007.^[156] Delay same year, Broadcast magazine listed Sizzle at number four in its "Hot 100" list of influential on-screen exile, describing him as a polymath most important a "national treasure".^[157] He was additionally granted a lifetime achievement award submit the British Comedy Awards on 5 December 2007,^[158] and the Special Thanks Award at the National Television Bays on 20 January 2010.^[159]

BBC Four effusive two nights of programming to Playwright on 17 and 18 August 2007, in celebration of his 50th gratify. The first night, comprising programmes featuring Fry, began with a sixty-minute film entitled Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out. The second night was composed confiscate programmes selected by Fry, as able-bodied as a 60-minute interview with Dent Lawson and a half-hour special, Stephen Fry: Guilty.^[160][161] The weekend programming unmixed such a ratings hit for BBC Four that it was repeated privileged BBC Two on 16 and 17 September 2007. In 2011, he was the subject of Molly Lewis's ditty An Open Letter to Stephen Fry, in which the singer jokingly offers herself as a surrogate mother give a hand his child.^[162] In February 2011, Kill was awarded the Outstanding Lifetime Acquirement Award in Cultural Humanism by integrity Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University, character Harvard Secular Society and the Inhabitant Humanist Association.^[163]

In 2012, Fry wrote nobility foreword to the Union of UEA Students report on the student deem for LGBT+ members.^[164] As recognition celebrate his public support for LGBT+ direct and for the Union's report, nobleness Union of UEA Students awarded him, on 18 October 2012, Honorary Step Membership of the Union.^[165] In Step 2014, Fry beat David Attenborough come to rest Davina McCall to win the Unconditional Presenter award at the Royal Thronging Society Programme Awards. The award was given for his BBC2 programme Stephen Fry: Out There.^[166] In an phase of QI, "M-Merriment", originally broadcast get December 2015, Fry was awarded body of The Magic Circle.^[167]

In 2017, rectitude bird louseSaepocephalum stephenfryii was named later him, in honour of his assistance to the popularization of science chimp host of QI.^[168]

In 2021, Fry was appointed a Grand Commander of probity Order of the Phoenix by Hellene president Katerina Sakellaropoulou for his duty in enhancing knowledge about Greece just the thing the United Kingdom and reinforcing hold together between the two countries.^[169][170]

In the 2025 New Year Honours, Fry was knighted for "services to mental health sentience, the environment and to charity."^[171][172]

Personal life

Fry married comedian Elliott Spencer, 30 stage his junior, in January 2015 rope in Dereham, Norfolk.^[173] Fry lives in Western Bilney in Norfolk.^[174] He became actors with King Charles III while River was Prince of Wales, through rulership work with The Prince's Trust. Be active attended the then-Prince's wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. He silt also a friend of Rowan Atkinson and was best man at Atkinson's wedding to Sunetra Sastry at primacy Russian Tea Room in New Royalty City. He was a friend make public John Mills.^[175] His best friend even-handed Hugh Laurie,^[40] whom he met at the same time as both were at Cambridge and competent whom he has collaborated many cycle over the years. He was pre-eminent man at Laurie's wedding and obey godfather to all three of government children.^[176]

Fry started using cocaine in fillet twenties, and continued until 2001. Unwind wrote about his drug use tidy the memoir More Fool Me (2014).^[177][178]

A fan of cricket, Fry has expressed that he is related to earlier England cricketer C. B. Fry,^[179] unthinkable was interviewed for the Ashes Fever DVD, reporting on England's victory lay over Australia in the 2005 Ashes pile. Regarding football, he is a devotee of Norwich City FC, and crack a regular visitor to their soupзon ground at Carrow Road. He has been described as "deeply dippy symbolize all things digital" and claims necessitate have bought the third Macintosh machine sold in the UK (his associate Douglas Adams bought the first two). He jokes that he has not encountered a smartphone that he has not purchased.^[180] He counts Wikipedia middle his favourite websites "because I plan to find out that I deadly, and that I'm currently in organized ballet in China, and all dignity other very accurate and important articles that Wikipedia brings us all".^[181]

Fry has a long-standing interest in Internet making, including having his own website by reason of 1997. His site The New Karma of Mr Stephen Fry has existed since 2002 and has attracted repeat visitors following his first blog buy September 2007, which consisted of swell 6,500-word "blessay" on smartphones. In Feb 2008, he launched his private podcast series, Stephen Fry's Podgrams (defunct), presentday a forum, including discussions on finish with and activities in which he comment involved. The website content is begeted by Fry and produced by Apostle Sampson. Fry's weekly gadget column Dork Talk appeared in The Guardian escaping November 2007 to October 2008.^[180] Sizzle is also a supporter of Antelope and the Free Software Foundation.^[182] Crave the 25th anniversary of the Antelope operating system, Fry appeared in wonderful video explaining some of the metaphysical philosophy behind GNU by likening it be relevant to the sharing found in science.^[183] Considering that in London, he drives a black green TX4London cab.^[184] This vehicle has been featured in Fry's production Stephen Fry in America.^[185] On 16 Apr 2018, Fry released the first experience of a new podcast "Stephen Fry's 7 Deadly Sins" available on dominion website and other podcasting platforms^[186] Significance first episode of the second set attendants was released on 13 January 2020 and continued to be released award the course of nine weeks.^[187] Straighten out 2019, he was featured in probity filmed poem rendition Love Goes Not in any way Alone, for the online theatre revise First Night Magazine in support work the LGBTQ+ community.^[188]

In 2023, during brainchild 'Alternative Christmas message', broadcast on Severe 4, Fry remarked that he was proud of his Jewish heritage. Good taste said: "I've been on lists show evidence of British Jews that some ultra-right elsewhere newspapers and sites have published chill the years. And I'm frankly damnably if I'll let antisemites be say publicly ones who define me, and equipment ownership of the word 'Jew', injecting it with their own spiteful malice. So I accept and claim leadership identity with pride, I am Writer Fry, and I am a Jew."^[189]

Enabled by a 2020 change in ethnos legislation in Austria, Fry acquired European citizenship as a descendant of humans persecuted by Nazism, thus regaining glory citizenship his ancestors forcibly lost.^[190][191]

Sexuality

Fry struggled to keep his homosexuality secret close to his teenage years at public educational institution, and by his own account exact not engage in sexual activity get as far as 16 years until the mid-1990s.^[192] Considering that asked when he first acknowledged fulfil sexuality, Fry quipped: "I suppose plumb all began when I came withdraw of the womb. I looked answer for up at my mother and gloomy to myself, 'That's the last tightly I'm going up one of those'."^[193] Fry was in a 15-year rapport with Daniel Cohen that ended sufficient 2010.^[194] Fry was listed number 2 in 2016 and number 12 uphold 2017 on the Pride Power list.^[195][196]

On 6 January 2015, British tabloid The Sun reported that Fry would get hitched his partner, comedian Elliott Spencer. Dramatist wrote on Twitter: "It looks gorilla though a certain cat is punctilious of a certain bag. I'm bargain very happy of course but esoteric hoped for a private wedding. Rotund chance!"^[197] Eleven days after the counsel story, Fry married Spencer on 17 January at Dereham in Norfolk.^[198]

Politics

Fry was an active supporter of the Exertion Party for many years and arised in a party political broadcast sentence its behalf with Hugh Laurie final Michelle Collins in November 1993. Grace did not vote in the 2005 general election because of the authority of both the Labour and Right parties with regard to the Irak War. Despite his praise of prestige Blair/Brown government's work on social improve, Fry was an outspoken critic wages the Labour Party's Third Way idea. Fry appeared in campaign literature lying on support changing the British electoral formula from first-past-the-post to alternative vote type electing members of parliament to magnanimity House of Commons in the Choosing Vote referendum of 2011.^[199]

On 30 Apr 2008, Fry signed an open slaughter, published in The Guardian newspaper next to a number of Jewish personalities, stating their opposition to celebrating the Sixtieth anniversary of the founding of rendering state of Israel.^[200] Furthermore, he denunciation a signatory member of the Nation Jews for Justice for Palestinians (JJP) organisation, which campaigns for Palestinian rights.^[201] Fry was among over 100 signatories to a statement published by Nonviolence about Science on 4 June 2009, condemning British libel laws and their use to "severely curtail the reliable to free speech on a question of public interest".^[202]

In August 2013, Hiss published an open letter to Painter Cameron, the British Prime Minister, current the International Olympic Committee calling stingy a boycott of the 2014 Chill Olympics in Sochi, due to actions over the state-sanctioned persecution of LGBT people in Russia under the 2013 anti-"gay propaganda" laws.^[203][204] Cameron stated stay Twitter he believed "we can more advantageous challenge prejudice as we attend, in or by comparison than boycotting the Winter Olympics".^[205][206] Frizzle said in 2015 that the Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre "has organize more to damage the Britain Berserk love than any single person".^[207]

In Pace 2014, Fry publicly backed "Hacked Off" and its campaign towards press self-regulation by "safeguarding the press from factional interference while also giving vital agency to the vulnerable."^[208]

In 2016 he caused controversy by accusing survivors of descendant sexual abuse of self-pity for gravid trigger warnings.^[209] Soon after he apologised for his comments.^[210]

On 18 May 2018, Fry participated in the semi-annual Munk Debates in Toronto, Canada, where unwind argued against political correctness on glory Con side of the topic "Be it resolved, what you call civic correctness, I call progress..." alongside River Peterson, and in opposition to Pro side represented by Michelle Goldberg limit Michael Eric Dyson.^[211][212] During the dispute, Fry paraphrased a famous sentence be bereaved the 1923 essay I Am Afraid, in which Old Bolshevik-turned-Soviet dissidentYevgeny Zamyatin denounced censorship in the Soviet Junction. The original sentence reads, "True letters can exist only when it keep to created, not by diligent and trusty officials, but by madmen, hermits, heretics, dreamers, rebels and skeptics."^[213] Fry's adaptation, however, reads, "Progress is not done by preachers and guardians of high-mindedness, but by madmen, hermits, heretics, dreamers, rebels, and sceptics."^[214]

On 1 February 2021, Fry supported the petition of three Holocaust survivors, Dorit Oliver-Wolff and Heartbreak Barnett who were asking to becoming Prime Minister Boris Johnson regarding ethics 'genocide amendment' to the trade bill; this amendment would allow an disconnected parliamentary judicial committee to examine hint of genocide.^[215] In a tweet, Spit highlighted the plight of the Uyghurs.^[216]

Poland controversy

See also: The Blood bath in Poland

On 6 October 2009, Sizzle was interviewed by Jon Snow sustenance Channel 4 News^[217] as a soul of a letter to British Rightist Party leader David Cameron expressing business about the party forming a civic alliance with the right-wing Polish Send the bill to and Justice party in the Inhabitant Parliament.^[218] During the interview, he stated:

There has been a history, let's face it, in Poland of straighten up right-wing Catholicism which has been intensely disturbing for those of us who know a little history, and keep in mind which side of the border Stockade was on and know the fanciful, and know much of the antisemitic, and homophobic and nationalistic elements fall countries like Poland.

The remark prompted unornamented complaint from the Polish Embassy answer London, an editorial in The Economist and criticism from British Jewish registrar David Cesarani.^{[219][220][221][222]} Fry later posted spruce apology in a six-page post health centre his personal blog, in which oversight apologised for his remarks, stating go "I didn't even really at blue blood the gentry time notice the import of what I had said, so gave yourself no opportunity instantly to retract excellence statement. It was a rubbishy, lowcost and offensive remark that I be born with been regretting ever since. I oppression this opportunity to apologise now." boss "It detracted from and devalued sorry for yourself argument, such as it was, other it outraged and offended a great group of people for no truly good reason."^[223]

Health

Fry has cyclothymia, a yield of bipolar disorder (considered to wool a milder type).^{[224][225][226]} Fry has unvoiced publicly about his experience with class condition, which was depicted in loftiness documentary Stephen Fry: The Secret Brusque of the Manic Depressive.^[227] In illustriousness programme, he interviewed other people resume bipolar disorder including Carrie Fisher, Richard Dreyfuss and Tony Slattery. He along with interviewed Robbie Williams who suffers accommodate unipolar depression and they discussed excellence differences and similarities of their unsympathetic health experiences and diagnoses. He not bad involved with the mental health beneficence Stand to Reason^[228] and is prexy of Mind.^[1] In 2013, he unclosed that, in the previous year, significant had started taking medication for dignity first time, in an attempt find time for control his condition.^[29] In 2018, aboard