Tony Slattery whose line is it anyway? star, dead at age 65

Tony Slattery, the British actor and comedian known for the original British version of Whose line is it anyway?is dead. His partner confirmed his death on Tuesday from complications of a heart attack, sore The Guardian. He was 65 years old.

A statement on behalf of Slattery’s partner of more than 30 years, Mark Michael Hutchinson, said, “It is with great sadness that we have to announce that actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away today Tuesday morning following a heart attack on Sunday evening.”

Slattery got his start in comedy while at Cambridge University when classmate Stephen Fry invited him to join the student sketch comedy group Cambridge Footlights, whose colleagues included Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Sandi Toksvig, Jan Ravens and Richard Vranch (of whom most would continue to participate whose line at some point). Slattery would eventually become president of the club – following in the footsteps of famous British comics such as Eric Idle, Peter Cook and Clive Anderson (the eventual host of whose line).

Slattery was a regular at Whose line is it anyway? from the launch on the British Channel 4 in 1988. He had roles in films such as How to get ahead with advertising, Peter’s friendsand The crying game. He also appeared on stage and earned an Olivier nomination for Best Comedy Performance in 1995 for his role in the Tim Firth play Neville’s Island. In his later career, he appeared in shows such as long-running soap operas Kroningsgade and Kingdom. Slattery struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues that affected him professionally and (something he opened up about in the 2020 documentary What’s the matter with Tony Slattery?).

“So very sad to have lost the wonderful Tony Slattery, just about the gentlest, sweetest soul I have ever known. Not to mention a screamingly funny and deeply talented wit and clown. A cruel irony that fate should tear him away from us, just as he was really starting to come out of his lifelong struggle with so many dark demons,” Fry, who featured Slattery in his 2006 documentary. The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, posted on Instagram. “He had started live ‘evenings with’ and his own podcast series. Nice, at least the last year for him to have found to his pleasant surprise that he was still remembered and held in great affection. Love and condolences to Mark, his faithful, devoted life partner of nearly 40 years.”