R.I.P. Tony Slattery, Whose Line Is It Anyway? and The Crying Game actor

Tony Slattery, the British actor and comedian known for the original U.K. version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, has died. His partner confirmed his passing on Tuesday from complications of a heart attack, per 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 we must announce 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 attending Cambridge University when classmate Stephen Fry invited him to join the student sketch comedy group the Cambridge Footlights, where fellow members included Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Sandi Toksvig, Jan Ravens, and Richard Vranch (most of whom would go on to feature on Whose Line at one time or another). Slattery would eventually become president of the club—following in the footsteps of famed U.K. comics like Eric Idle, Peter Cook, and Clive Anderson (the eventual host of Whose Line). 

Slattery was a regular on Whose Line Is It Anyway? from its launch on the U.K.’s Channel 4 in 1988. He had roles in films such as How To Get Ahead In Advertising, Peter’s Friends, and The Crying Game. He also appeared on stage, earning 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 on shows such as long-running soap opera Coronation Street and Kingdom. Slattery struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues that impacted 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 ever knew. Not to mention a screamingly funny and deeply talented wit and clown. A cruel irony that fate should snatch him from us just as he had really begun to emerge from his lifelong battle 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. Lovely, at least, this past year for him to have found to his joyous surprise that he was still remembered and held in great affection. Love and condolences to Mark, his staunch, devoted life partner of almost 40 years.”