A working class North Londoner, Slattery won a scholarship to study medieval and modern languages at Cambridge University where he met a young Sir Stephen Fry, who invited him to join the Cambridge Footlights. Slattery, who became Footlights president in 1982, and Fry were contemporaries of Dame Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie.
Slattery became a stand-up comedian before getting his big break in 1986, a starring role in the West End musical Me and My Girl. During that production, Slattery met his life partner, fellow actor Mark Hutchinson.
In 1988, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, which saw performers create comedic scenes from suggestions made by the host or the audience, made Slattery internationally known and opened the way for film roles. In 1992, he reunited with Fry, Thompson and Laurie in the comedy romance film Peter’s Friends, and also played opposite Richard E. Grant in How to Get Ahead in Advertising. Other credits included Robin Hood, Red Dwarf and Coronation Street.
However, in 1996, Slattery had a physical and mental breakdown. Addicted to alcohol and drugs and struggling with an at that point undiagnosed bipolar disorder, Slattery found work hard to come by and in 2020 was declared bankrupt. Tony Slattery died on January 14, aged 65. — Agencies
