Stephen Fry is an English actor, comedian, author and television presenter. With Hugh Laurie, as the comedy double act Fry and Laurie, he co-wrote and co-starred in A Bit of Fry & Laurie, and the duo also played the title roles in Jeeves and Wooster. Fry played the lead in the film Wilde, played Melchett in the Blackadder television series, and was the host of celebrity comedy trivia show QI. He has contributed columns and articles for newspapers and magazines, and has written four novels and three autobiographies, Moab Is My Washpot, The Fry Chronicles, and More Fool Me: A Memoir.
Written works
[edit]Films and screenplays
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Bright Young Things | Nominated – British Independent Film Awards Nominated – Emden International Film Festival |
| 2006 | The Magic Flute | English translation of the libretto[1] |
Musicals
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Me and My Girl | Adapted from Lupino Lane's script |
Books
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Liar | |
| 1992 | Paperweight | Collection of Articles |
| 1994 | The Hippopotamus | |
| 1996 | Making History | Alternate History Won – Sidewise Award for Alternate History |
| 1997 | Moab Is My Washpot | Autobiography |
| 2000 | The Stars' Tennis Balls | Revenge: A Novel in the US Fry's take on The Count of Monte Cristo |
| 2002 | Rescuing the Spectacled Bear: A Peruvian Diary | |
| 2004 | Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music | Ghostwritten by Tim Lihoreau |
| 2005 | The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within | |
| 2008 | Stephen Fry in America | |
| 2010 | The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography[2] | Autobiography |
| 2014 | More Fool Me: A Memoir | |
| 2017 | Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece | Make up the trilogy Mythos. |
| 2018 | Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures | |
| 2020 | Troy: Our Greatest Story Retold | |
| 2021 | Fry's Ties |
Plays
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Latin! (or Tobacco and Boys.) | Included in Paperweight Won – Fringe First at the 1980 Edinburgh Festival. |
| 2007 | Pantomime Cinderella | Performed at the Old Vic at Christmas.[3] |
Published television scripts
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | A Bit of Fry & Laurie | A Bit of Fry and Laurie – Series One |
| 1991 | A Bit More Fry & Laurie | A Bit of Fry and Laurie – Series Two |
| 1992 | 3 Bits of Fry & Laurie | A Bit of Fry and Laurie – Series Three |
| 1995 | Fry & Laurie Bit No. 4 | A Bit of Fry and Laurie – Series Four |
Performances
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Chariots of Fire | Singer in H.M.S. Pinafore | Uncredited |
| 1985 | The Good Father | Creighton | |
| 1988 | A Handful of Dust | Reggie | |
| A Fish Called Wanda | Hutchison | ||
| 1992 | Peter's Friends | Peter Morton | |
| 1994 | IQ | James Moreland | |
| 1995 | Cold Comfort Farm | Mybug | |
| The Steal | Wimborne | ||
| 1996 | The Wind in the Willows | The Judge | |
| 1997 | Wilde | Oscar Wilde | Won – Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actor Nominated – Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama |
| Spice World | Judge | ||
| Live from the Lighthouse | Host | ||
| 1998 | The Tichborne Claimant | Hawkins | |
| A Civil Action | Pinder | ||
| 1999 | Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? | Dr. Peter Robinson | |
| The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything | Ambassador / Modern Man | ||
| 2000 | Best | Frazer Crane | |
| Relative Values | Frederick Crestwell | ||
| Sabotage | Lord Wellington | ||
| 2001 | Four Play | Nigel Steele | |
| The Discovery of Heaven | Onno | ||
| Gosford Park | Inspector Thompson | Won – Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards for Best Acting Ensemble Won – Florida Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Ensemble Cast Won – Online Film Critics Society Awards for Best Ensemble Won – Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards for Best Acting Ensemble Won – Satellite Award for Outstanding Motion Picture Ensemble Won – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | |
| 2002 | Thunderpants | Sir Anthony Silk | |
| 2003 | Bright Young Things | Chauffeur | Also director/writer/executive producer |
| Le Divorce | Piers Janely | ||
| 2004 | Tooth | Pedro | |
| The Life and Death of Peter Sellers | Maurice Woodruff | ||
| 2005 | MirrorMask | Librarian | |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Narrator/The Guide | Voice only | |
| A Cock and Bull Story | Patrick Curator/Parson Yorick | ||
| 2006 | V for Vendetta | Deitrich | |
| Stormbreaker | Smithers | ||
| 2007 | Eichmann | Minister Tormer | |
| St Trinian's | Himself | ||
| Snow White: The Sequel | The Narrator | Voice only: English language version | |
| 2008 | Tales of the Riverbank | Owl | |
| 2009 | House of Boys | Dr. Marsh | |
| 2010 | Alice in Wonderland | Cheshire the Cheshire Cat | Voice only |
| Animals United | Socrates | Voice only: English language version | |
| 2011 | Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins | The Narrator | Voice only |
| Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | Mycroft Holmes | ||
| Summer Night, Winter Moon | Rufus | ||
| 2012 | A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman | Oscar Wilde | Voice only |
| Clovis Dardentor | Mr. Eustache | ||
| 2013 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Master of Lake-town | |
| 2014 | The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | ||
| 2015 | The Man Who Knew Infinity | Sir Francis Spring | |
| 2016 | Alice Through the Looking Glass | Cheshire the Cheshire Cat | Voice only |
| Love & Friendship | Mr Johnson | ||
| 2018 | The Con Is On | Sidney | Direct-to-VOD |
| Duck Duck Goose | Frazier | Voice only | |
| 2019 | Missing Link | Lord Piggot-Dunceby | |
| Greed | Himself | ||
| 2023 | The Inventor | Leonardo da Vinci | Voice only |
| Red, White & Royal Blue | King James III | ||
| The Canterville Ghost | Sir Simon de Canterville | Voice only | |
| 2024 | Treasure | Edek | |
| TBA | The Enormous Crocodile | The Roly Poly Bird | Voice only |
Documentaries
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Bill Bryson: Notes from a Small Island | One episode[4] |
| 2005 | Comedy Connections: A Bit of Fry & Laurie | |
| 2006 | Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive | Won International Emmy Award for Best Documentary |
| Who Do You Think You Are? | One episode | |
| 2007 | Stephen Fry: HIV and Me | |
| Stephen Fry: Guilty | ||
| 2008 | Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments | |
| Blackadder: The Whole Rotten Saga | ||
| Blackadder Rides Again | ||
| The Machine That Made Us | Presenter; also known as Stephen Fry & the Gutenberg Press | |
| Stephen Fry in America | ||
| 2009 | Last Chance to See | Follow up to Douglas Adams' 1989 radio series and 1990 book, with Fry replacing Adams as presenter. |
| 2010 | Stephen Fry on Wagner | Also known as Wagner & Me |
| Fry and Laurie Reunited | ||
| 2011 | Stephen Fry's 100 Greatest Gadgets | One of the 100 Greatest strand |
| Fry's Planet Word | Five-part documentary series exploring language | |
| 2012 | Gadget Man | Replaced by Richard Ayoade after the first series |
| 2013 | Stephen Fry: Out There | |
| Stephen Fry's Key to the City | ||
| 2014 | Hidden Kingdoms | Narrator |
| 2015 | A Life On Screen - Stephen Fry | |
| Stephen Fry in Central America | ||
| 2016 | The Not So Secret Life of the Manic Depressive: 10 Years On | |
| 2017 | 50 Years Legal | Appear |
| 2017–2019 | EasyJet: Inside the Cockpit | Narrator[5] |
| 2020 | Stephen Fry's 21st Century Firsts | Presenter[6] |
| 2022 | Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History | Presenter[7] |
| A Year On Planet Earth | Presenter[8] | |
| 2023 | Dinosaur with Stephen Fry | Presenter[9] |
| Stephen Fry: Willem & Frieda - Defying the Nazis | Presenter[10] | |
| 2024 | Stephen Fry into Ukraine | [11] |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | University Challenge | Contestant | |
| 1982 | There's Nothing to Worry About! | Various | |
| Cambridge Footlights Revue | Various Characters | Also writer TV movie | |
| 1983 | The Crystal Cube | Dr. Adrian Cowlacey/Various Roles | |
| 1983–1984 | Alfresco | Various | |
| 1984 | The Young Ones | Lord Snot | |
| 1985 | Happy Families | Doctor De Quincy | |
| 1986–1999 | The Blackadder series:
|
Various members of the Melchett family throughout history, though he plays Arthur Wellesley (the Duke of Wellington) in Blackadder the Third and a couple scenes in Blackadder: Back & Forth. | |
| 1987 | Filthy Rich & Catflap | P'Farty | |
| The Laughing Prisoner | No. 2 | Also writer TV movie | |
| 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1996 | A Bit of Fry and Laurie | Himself, Various Roles | 4 seasons |
| 1988, 1997 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Himself | |
| 1988 | This is David Lander | David Lander | |
| 1989 | The New Statesman | Piers Lonsdale | |
| 1990–1993 | Jeeves and Wooster | Jeeves | |
| 1992 | The Common Pursuit | Humphrey Taylor | |
| 1993 | Stalag Luft | Wing Commander James Forrester | TV movie |
| 1995 | The Thin Blue Line | Brigadier Blaster Sump | Episode 6, Series 1, Kids Today |
| Laughter and Loathing | Juvenal | TV movie | |
| 1997 | They Think It's All Over | Himself (guest panellist) | |
| 1998 | In the Red | Controller, Radio 2 | |
| 1999–2000 | Watership Down | Cowslip (voice) | Series 1 and 2 only |
| 2000 | Gormenghast | Professor Bellgrove | Episodes 3 and 4 |
| 2002 | Surrealissimo: The Trial of Salvador Dalí | André Breton | TV movie |
| 2003–2016 | QI | Host | Fry was replaced by Sandi Toksvig |
| 2003, 2005 | Absolute Power | Charles Prentiss | |
| 2004 | A Bear Named Winnie | Protheroe the Zookeeper | |
| 2005 | Tom Brown's Schooldays | Dr. Thomas Arnold | TV movie |
| Pocoyo | Narrator | Animated children's programme
Series 1 and 2 only | |
| 2006 | Extras | Himself | |
| 2007 | Shrink Rap | Quasi-therapeutic interview conducted by Pamela Stephenson | |
| 2007–2009 | Kingdom | Peter Kingdom | |
| 2007–2017 | Bones | Dr. Gordon Gordon Wyatt | |
| 2010 | Little Crackers | Headmaster | 10 minute short film |
| 2011 | Derren Brown: The Experiments | ||
| March of the Dinosaurs | Narrator | ||
| 2012–2015 | Peter Rabbit | Mr. Tolly (voice) | |
| 2012 | Doors Open | Professor Gissing | TV movie Also executive producer |
| 2014 | 24: Live Another Day | Prime Minister Alastair Davies | |
| 2014, 2019 | American Dad! | Mr Cavendish / John Michael Heaton (voice) | |
| 2014–2018 | Lily's Driftwood Bay | Lord Stag (voice) | |
| 2015–2019 | Danger Mouse | Colonel K (voice) | |
| 2016–2017 | The Great Indoors | Roland | |
| 2016 | Yonderland | Cuddly Dick | |
| 2017 | The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show | Uncle Duke (voice) | Episode: "P-Bro/First Canine Police Force" |
| Veep | Nikolai Genidze | ||
| Neo Yokio | Principal (voice) | ||
| 2018 | Apple & Onion | Onion's Dad (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Mickey and the Roadster Racers | Dr Waddleton Crutchley (voice) | Episode: "Shennanygan" |
| The Big Narstie Show | Guest | Season 2, Episode 7 | |
| 2020 | Doctor Who | C | Episode: "Spyfall" |
| Sex Education | Quiz Host/Himself | Cameo appearance | |
| It's Pony | Marcello Marvello (voice) | Episode: "Delivery Pony/Magic Annie" | |
| The Big Night In | Lord Melchett | Part of Children in Need and Comic Relief's special, appearing alongside Prince William on a video call. | |
| 2021 | It's a Sin | Arthur Garrison | |
| The Simpsons | Terrance, Head of MI5, Terrance's Father, and Hazel (voice) | Episode: "The Man from G.R.A.M.P.A." | |
| 2022–present | Heartstopper | Headmaster Barnes (voice only) | |
| 2022 | The Dropout | Ian Gibbons | |
| The Sandman | Fiddler's Green / Gilbert | 3 episodes | |
| 2023 | The Morning Show | Leonard Cromwell | Season 3 |
| Everything Now | Dr Nell | Season 1 | |
| Stephen Fry's Alternative Christmas Message | Himself / Presenter | [12] | |
| 2024 | Jeopardy! | Host | British, and later Australian, versions[13] |
| 2025 | Star Wars: Skeleton Crew | Supervisor (voice) | 2 episodes |
| Harley Quinn | Brainiac (voice) | 3 episodes[14] |
Theatre
[edit]| Year | Play | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Common Pursuit | Humphrey Taylor |
| 1995 | Cell Mates | George Blake |
| 2012 | Twelfth Night | Malvolio |
Radio shows
[edit]- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Quandary Phase: Murray Bost Henson, BBC Radio 4
- Saturday Night Fry (1988, BBC Radio 4, six episodes)
- A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1994, BBC Radio Four, two half-hour programmes compiled from selected previously-seen sketches from the TV series)
- Absolute Power, BBC Radio Four
- Occasional guest panellist on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, BBC Radio Four
- Regular guest panellist on Just a Minute, BBC Radio Four
- Has a regular slot, The Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music on Classic FM
- Played the lead, David Lander, on Radio 4 series Delve Special
- A series of "wireless essays", supposedly by his alter ego, the elderly Cambridge philology professor Donald Trefusis, were featured in the BBC Radio 4 programme Loose Ends, hosted by Ned Sherrin
- Fry contributed regular parodies of BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat to the same station's arts programme Studio B15
- Afternoon Play: I Love Stephen Fry (2008, BBC Radio Four)
- Fry's English Delight (10 series, 2008–2019, BBC Radio Four)
- Stephen Fry on the Phone (2011, BBC Radio Four, five episodes)
- Warhorse of Letters, with Daniel Rigby (2011, BBC Radio Four, 12 episodes across 3 series)
Audiobooks
[edit]- Moab Is My Washpot (1997) ISBN 1-85686-268-2
- Paperweight Volume 1 (1998) ISBN 978-1-85686-296-7
- Harry Potter series, UK versions (1999–2007)
- The Hippopotamus (2000) ISBN 1-84197-129-4
- Montmorency (2004) ISBN 978-1-84440-025-6
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) ISBN 1-4050-5397-6
- Higher Ground Project (2005) ISBN 1-84458-643-X
- The Ode Less Travelled (2006) ISBN 1-85686-842-7
- Paperweight Volume 2 (2007) ISBN 978-1-85686-501-2
- The Best of Paddington on CD: Complete & Unabridged (2008) ISBN 0-00-716169-7
- Stephen Fry Presents a Selection of Anton Chekhov's Short Stories (Unabridged) (2008)
- Stephen Fry Presents a Selection of Oscar Wilde's Short Stories (Unabridged) (2008)
- The Dongle of Donald Trefusis (Podcasts, 2009)
- The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography (2010)
- The Enormous Crocodile (2013)
- Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection (2017)
- Paddington and the Christmas Surprise (2020)
- Paddington and the Grand Tour (2022)
- Paddington in the Garden (2022)
- Paddington: The Original Story of the bear from Peru (2022)
- Paddington at the Palace (2022)
- Paddington at the Circus (2022)
Audio dramas
[edit]- The Hound of the Baskervilles (2021) as Dr. Watson
Video games
[edit]- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2003)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
- Fable II (2008) – Reaver
- LittleBigPlanet (2008) – Narrator
- Fable III (2010) – Reaver
- LittleBigPlanet 2 (2011) – Narrator
- LittleBigPlanet PS Vita (2012) - Narrator
- LittleBigPlanet Karting (2012) - Narrator
- PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (2012) – Narrator (from LittleBigPlanet)
- LittleBigPlanet 3 (2014) – Narrator
- Destiny 2: Warmind (2018) – Concierge AI
Miscellaneous
[edit]- Fry has a guest appearance in a webcast of Doctor Who called Death Comes to Time, as Time Lord, the Minister of Chance.
- He does the voice of the telephone in the Direct Line adverts alongside Paul Merton, who voices the mouse.
- Fry introduced the television show Wildlife SOS.
- He provided voiceovers for Argos' Christmas adverts in 2007.
- He is the character in the Twinings Earl Grey tea adverts on British TV.
- He performs the voice of "Jeeves" for Voco Clocks' Clocks That Talk.
- He performs on the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band's 2007 album, Pour l'Amour des Chiens.
- Fry appeared in a video entitled Freedom Fry — "Happy birthday to GNU", celebrating the GNU's 25th birthday.
- He provided his voice for the outro of YouTube videos by Charlotte McDonnell, used since 2009.[failed verification]
- He recites "50 Words for Snow" off Kate Bush's 2011 album of the same name.
- Fry is also the narrator on the show Pocoyo for seasons 1–2. His first Pocoyo episode he narrated was the pilot episode "Umbrella, Umbrella" and his final Pocoyo episode he narrated was the season 2 finale "Remember When".
- Fry provided narration for the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts reunion special.
Directorial filmography
[edit]- Bright Young Things (director, 2003)
References
[edit]- ^ "Branagh to make Mozart opera film". 1 November 2005 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Fry, Stephen (2 January 2010). "Ave atque Vale".
- ^ "Douglas Adams Continuum Forum: webchat".
- ^ Bill Bryson:Notes from a Small Island, Series 1, Episode 1 (Documentary), 10 January 1999, retrieved 24 May 2024
- ^ EasyJet: Inside the Cockpit (Documentary), Stephen Fry, Iris De Kan, Emma Henderson, 14 August 2017, retrieved 13 September 2023
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Stephen Fry's 21st Century Firsts". itv.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "First look at BBC One's Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History With Stephen Fry". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "A Year on Planet Earth (ITVX)". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ "Dinosaur with Stephen Fry". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ "Stephen Fry: Willem & Frieda - Defying Nazis". channel4.com. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ Planet Fry (31 July 2024). Stephen Fry into Ukraine. Retrieved 8 August 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Stephen Fry's Alternative Christmas Message". channel4.com/press. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Jeopardy! Australia to begin filming next month with Stephen Fry as host". www.nine.com.au.
- ^ Rangel, Felipe (8 February 2025). "DC's Newest Brainiac Casting Is Actually Perfect And I Can't Believe It Took This Long". Screen Rant. Valnet. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
External links
[edit]- Stephen Fry at IMDb