“Who owns this line, anyway?” » The actor was 65 years old

Tony Slattery, a British actor and comedian known for his improvisation skills on the show “Whose Line Is It Any?” of Channel 4, died on Tuesday. He was 65 years old.

Slattery’s long-time partner Mark Michael Hutchinson confirmed the news to the BBC and said the cause of death was a heart attack. “It is with great sadness that we must announce that actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, passed away today, Tuesday morning, following a heart attack on Sunday evening,” Hutchinson said in a press release.

Slattery was a regular on “Whose Line Is It Anywhere?”, which features artists playing abbreviated improv games based on suggestions from a live audience, from 1988 to 1995. He also played roles in films such as the comedies “How to Get Ahead in Advertising” (1989) and “Peter’s Friends” (1992), as well as the crime thriller “The Crying Game” (1992).

Born on November 9, 1959 in Stonebridge, north London, Slattery got his start in theater while studying at Cambridge University. It was there that he met Stephen Fry, who invited him to join the student sketch comedy group Cambridge Footlights. During his time with the group, of which he eventually became president, Slattery’s contemporaries included Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Sandi Toksvig, Jan Ravens and Richard Vranch.

Slattery’s television breakthrough came in 1983 on Chris Tarrant’s late-night comedy show, “Saturday Stayback,” where he became a regular performer before gaining recognition on “Whose Line Is It Any?” in 1988. In the 1990s, he also appeared on the comedy show “Have I Got News for You” and the quiz show “Just a Minute.” He hosted his own film review show, “Saturday Night at the Movies,” and appeared on sitcoms such as “That’s Love” and “Red Dwarf.” From 1993 to 1994, he hosted “Trivial Pursuit” on the Family Channel.

Slattery made his final regular appearance in “Whose Line Is It Anywhere?” » in 1995, and remained quiet for the next decade due to health problems. In 2005 his career began to pick up again and he made appearances in the TV movie “Ahead of the Class” as well as the ITV drama series “Bad Girls” and “Life Begins” and was cast in the soap opera ” Coronation Street.” » He was also a regular on the ITV series “Kingdom” until 2009. In 2011, he took part in a show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” » reunion special.

His last television appearance was in 2020, when he appeared on the BBC series “Horizon” to examine his mental health, childhood trauma and struggle with addiction. Slattery had been open about this in the past, discussing the “midlife crisis” that followed after leaving “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” ”, during which he struggled with cocaine and alcohol addiction and was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Fry remembered Slattery in a heartfelt Instagram post alongside a photo of them from their days at Cambridge, writing: “So sad to have lost the wonderful Tony Slattery, just about the sweetest soul gentle and the sweetest I have ever known. Not to mention an incredibly funny and deeply talented wit and clown. It is a cruel irony that fate snatched him from us just as he was truly beginning to emerge from his lifelong battle against so many dark demons. He had started live “evenings with” and his own podcast series. It was nice, at least, last year for him to have discovered, to his joyful surprise, that he was still remembered and held in great affection. Love and condolences to Mark, her faithful and devoted life partner of almost 40 years.

Slattery is survived by Hutchinson, his partner of nearly four decades.