Stephen Fry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stephen Fry
|
|
|---|---|
Fry in 2024
|
|
| Born |
Stephen John Fry
24 August 1957 Hampstead, London, England
|
| Citizenship |
|
| Education | Uppingham School Paston College Norfolk College of Arts & Technology City College Norwich |
| Alma mater | Queens' College, Cambridge (MA) |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1980–present |
|
Works
|
Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Elliott Spencer
(m. 2015) |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is a famous English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator, and writer. He first became well-known as half of the comedy duo Fry and Laurie, with Hugh Laurie. They starred in shows like A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989–1995) and Jeeves and Wooster (1990–1993). He also appeared in the comedy series Alfresco (1983–1984) with Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, and Robbie Coltrane. He was also in Blackadder (1986–1989) with Rowan Atkinson.
Since 2011, Stephen Fry has been the president of Mind, a charity that helps people with mental health issues. In 2025, he was made a knight for his important work in raising awareness about mental health, protecting the environment, and supporting charities.
Fry has acted in many films. He played his hero Oscar Wilde in the movie Wilde (1997), which earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. He was also Inspector Thompson in the mystery film Gosford Park (2001). Other film roles include Chariots of Fire (1981), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), V for Vendetta (2005), and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011). He voiced the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland (2010) and its 2016 sequel. He also played the Master of Lake-town in The Hobbit film series. From 2001 to 2017, he hosted the British Academy Film Awards 12 times.
On television, Fry played Lord Melchett in the BBC comedy series Blackadder. He was the main character in the series Kingdom. He also had guest roles as Dr. Gordon Wyatt on the American crime show Bones and Arthur Garrison MP on the drama It's a Sin. He has written and presented many documentaries, including the Emmy Award-winning Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, where he talked about his bipolar disorder. He also hosted the travel series Stephen Fry in America. He was the host of the BBC quiz show QI from 2003 to 2016, and was nominated for six British Academy Television Awards for this role. He often appears on radio shows like Just a Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.
Fry is also well-known for his work in theatre. In 1984, he adapted Me and My Girl for the West End, where it was performed for eight years and won two Laurence Olivier Awards. When it moved to Broadway, he was nominated for a Tony Award. In 2012, he played Malvolio in Twelfth Night at Shakespeare's Globe. This show also went to the West End and then Broadway, where he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
Stephen Fry is a very active writer. He writes for newspapers and magazines. He has written four novels and three autobiographies, which are books about his own life. He has also lent his voice to many projects, including reading the audiobooks for all seven Harry Potter novels and the Paddington Bear books.
Contents
Early Life and Education
.jpg)
Stephen John Fry was born on 24 August 1957 in Hampstead, London. His mother was Marianne Eve Fry, and his father was Alan John Fry, a physicist and inventor. He has an older brother, Roger, and a younger sister, Joanna. His family has roots in different parts of England. His mother's parents were Hungarian Jews who moved to the UK in 1927. Some of his mother's relatives were sent to concentration camps during World War II and were never seen again.
Fry grew up in Booton, Norfolk. He went to several schools, including Stouts Hill Preparatory School and Uppingham School. He passed most of his exams early, at age 14. However, he was expelled from Uppingham School and later from Paston School for various reasons.
After this, Fry went to Norfolk College of Arts and Technology. He later got into some trouble and spent three months in a remand centre. After his release, he went to City College Norwich. He worked hard and passed his A-levels, which are important exams for university.
In 1977, Fry was offered a scholarship to Queens' College, Cambridge. Before starting university, he briefly taught at a preparatory school. At Cambridge, he studied English Literature and graduated in 1981. He joined the Footlights, a famous comedy group, and appeared on the TV show University Challenge. It was at Cambridge that he met his good friend and comedy partner, Hugh Laurie.
Career Highlights
Starting in Comedy and Theatre
Fry began his career writing plays. His play Latin! or Tobacco and Boys won an award at the 1980 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In 1981, a comedy show he wrote with Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson called The Cellar Tapes also won an award.
In 1984, Fry adapted the musical Me and My Girl for the West End in London. It was very successful and ran for eight years, winning two awards. When the show moved to Broadway in New York, Fry was nominated for a Tony Award for his adaptation.
Fry also appeared in many TV commercials. He once said that after earning a good amount of money from an early advert, he never had serious money problems again. He has been in ads for many well-known brands.
His TV career really started with The Cellar Tapes in 1982. This led to him, Laurie, and Thompson starring in Alfresco (1983–1984), which made them famous as a comedy team. They also appeared in an episode of The Young Ones.
In 1986, the BBC created a sketch show for Fry and Laurie called A Bit of Fry & Laurie, which ran until 1995. During this time, Fry also starred in the popular comedy series Blackadder as Lord Melchett. From 1990 to 1993, Fry played Jeeves (with Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster) in Jeeves and Wooster, based on the books by P. G. Wodehouse.
Fry also started working in radio. In 1986, he created a character called Donald Trefusis for the BBC Radio 4 show Loose Ends. He has often appeared on popular radio panel games like Just a Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.
Film Roles and Voice Work
Stephen Fry's first novel, The Liar, was published in 1991. He has written three more novels and several non-fiction books, as well as three autobiographies. His novel Making History (1996) won an award for alternate history. The Hippopotamus (1994) was later made into a film in 2017. His book The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within is a guide to writing poetry.
Fry also wrote a weekly technology column for The Guardian newspaper. His online blog became very popular, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors quickly.
In 1995, Fry was in a play called Cell Mates. He left the show early due to a difficult period, which he later discussed in his documentary about bipolar disorder.
He played Oscar Wilde in the 1997 film Wilde, a role he loved because he had admired Wilde since he was 13. This performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He also appeared in the Spice Girls film Spice World in 1997. In 2001, he played a detective in the film Gosford Park.
In 2003, Fry started hosting QI (Quite Interesting), a popular comedy panel game TV show. The show is very successful and has high viewing figures. In 2006, Fry won an award for "Best Game Show Host" for his work on QI. He left the show in 2016 and was replaced by Sandi Toksvig.
Fry's first documentary, Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive (2006), won an Emmy Award. In this film, he talked about his own experience with bipolar disorder and interviewed others who have it. He also traced his family history in the TV series Who Do You Think You Are?.
In 2003, Fry directed his first film, Bright Young Things. He also hosted the BAFTA Film Awards from 2001 to 2006. He continued to appear in films like The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), and V for Vendetta (2005).
From 2007 to 2009, Fry played the main character in the TV drama Kingdom. He also had a recurring role as Dr. Gordon Wyatt in the American show Bones.
Later Career and Documentaries
In 2008, Fry started a series of podcasts called Stephen Fry's Podgrams, where he shared stories about his life. His six-part travel series Stephen Fry in America began in October 2008, showing him visiting all 50 US states. He also narrated nature documentaries like Spectacled Bears: Shadow of the Forest. In the 2009 series Last Chance to See, Fry and zoologist Mark Carwardine looked for endangered species.
Fry has lent his voice to many video games, including Fable II (2008), Fable III (2010), and the LittleBigPlanet series. He also narrated the Paddington Bear story More About Paddington, which won an award in the U.S.
Since 2008, he has presented Fry's English Delight on BBC Radio 4, a series about the English language. In 2010, he had a cameo role in Ros na Rún, an Irish-language soap opera.
In 2011, Fry played Professor Mildeye in the BBC adaptation of The Borrowers. In August 2011, Stephen Fry's 100 Greatest Gadgets was shown on Channel 4. His choice for the greatest gadget was the cigarette lighter. In September 2011, Fry's Planet Word, a five-part documentary about language, aired on BBC Two.
Fry voiced the Cheshire Cat in the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland. He also played Mycroft Holmes in the 2011 film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. He portrayed the Master of Lake-town in two of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit films.
In September 2012, Fry returned to the stage at Shakespeare's Globe, playing Malvolio in Twelfth Night. The production was very well-received and later moved to Broadway, where Fry was nominated for a Tony Award.
In November 2012, Fry hosted a show called Gadget Man, where he explored how different gadgets could improve daily life. In October 2013, Fry presented Stephen Fry: Out There, a documentary where he explored attitudes towards homosexuality and the lives of gay people around the world. In December 2013, Fry appeared with adventurer Bear Grylls in an episode of Bear's Wild Weekends, where they had adventures in the Italian Dolomites.
In 2014, he starred as British Prime Minister Alastair Davies in 24: Live Another Day. He also appeared on stage with Monty Python for their live show Monty Python Live (Mostly).
Recent Work
In 2015, Fry was the Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show live performance. He also supported the children's fairy tale app GivingTales to help UNICEF, along with other celebrities. In 2017, Audible released a full collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, all read by Fry. He also wrote and narrated his own audiobooks, Mythos (2017) and Heroes (2018), which are about Greek myths. In 2020, he read J. K. Rowling's children's book, The Ickabog.
In 2016, Fry had a main role in the American sitcom The Great Indoors. In 2019, he guest-starred in "Spyfall", the opening episode of Doctor Who's twelfth series. He also appeared in the 2018 film The Con Is On. From 2018 to 2019, Fry performed a stage version of his book Mythos in a series of one-man shows.
In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fry appeared in a sketch with Prince William for a charity show called The Big Night In. Fry played a descendant of his Blackadder character, Lord Melchett. In 2022, Fry had a role in the Hulu miniseries The Dropout. He also played Fiddler's Green / Gilbert in the Netflix series The Sandman (2022). The same year, he appeared in two episodes of the Netflix romantic LGBT teen drama Heartstopper as the headmaster. In 2023, he played a fictional King James III in the LGBT romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue.
That same year, he presented the Channel 4 documentary Stephen Fry: Willem & Frieda – Defying the Nazis. In May 2024, Fry supported the decision for the previously all-male Garrick Club to admit women members for the first time.
Awards and Recognition
Stephen Fry has received many awards and honors throughout his career. He has been nominated for 11 BAFTA Awards for his television work. For his role as Oscar Wilde in the film Wilde (1998), he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama. He won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture with the cast of Gosford Park (2001). For his work on Broadway, he received two Tony Award nominations.
Many universities have given him honorary degrees, including the University of Dundee and the University of East Anglia. He is also an honorary fellow of his old college, Queens' College, Cambridge. In 2011, he received an honorary degree from the University of Sussex for his work campaigning for people with mental health problems.
In 2007, he was named the Mind Champion of the Year for raising awareness about bipolar disorder with his documentary The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive. He also received a lifetime achievement award at the British Comedy Awards in 2007 and a Special Recognition Award at the National Television Awards in 2010.
In 2017, a type of bird louse was named Saepocephalum stephenfryii after him, to honor his efforts in making science popular as the host of QI. In 2021, he was given the title of Grand Commander of the Order of the Phoenix by the Greek president for helping people in the UK learn more about Greece. In 2025, he was made a knight for his services to mental health awareness, the environment, and charity.
Personal Life
Stephen Fry married comedian Elliott Spencer in January 2015. They live in Norfolk, England. Fry is friends with King Charles III and was best man at his friend Rowan Atkinson's wedding. His best friend is Hugh Laurie, whom he met at Cambridge University. Fry was best man at Laurie's wedding and is godfather to his three children.
Fry is a big fan of cricket and supports the Norwich City FC football team. He loves digital technology and jokes that he buys every new smartphone. He enjoys Wikipedia because he finds interesting (and sometimes funny) information there.
He has had his own website since 1997. In 2008, he started a podcast series called Stephen Fry's Podgrams. He also wrote a weekly column about gadgets for The Guardian. Fry supports GNU and the Free Software Foundation, which promote free software. When in London, he drives a dark green TX4 London cab. In 2018, he launched a new podcast series called "Stephen Fry's 7 Deadly Sins."
In 2023, during an 'Alternative Christmas message' on Channel 4, Fry proudly spoke about his Jewish heritage. He said he would not let people who dislike Jewish people define him. In 2020, Fry gained Austrian citizenship because his ancestors were persecuted by the Nazis.
Health and Well-being
Stephen Fry has cyclothymia, which is a type of bipolar disorder. He has openly talked about his experiences with this condition, especially in his documentary Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive. He is involved with the mental health charity Mind and is its president. In 2013, he started taking medication to help manage his condition.
In 1995, while in a play called Cell Mates, Fry had a difficult time and left the production. He later said this was a hypomanic episode. He once had a very serious moment where he tried to end his life, but he was helped and recovered.
In 2008, Fry broke his arm while filming in Brazil. He slipped and broke his right arm bone. He also has prosopagnosia, which means he has difficulty recognizing faces.
In February 2018, Fry announced that he had surgery for prostate cancer. He said the cancer was aggressive, but early treatment saved his life. In 2020, he had more treatment for it. In March 2021, he received the COVID-19 vaccine. In September 2023, Fry was taken to hospital after falling about 6 feet from a stage, injuring his ribs and legs. He recovered and returned to work.
Views on Religion
Fry has often spoken about his views on religion. He identifies as an atheist and humanist. He has said that he could not believe in God because he has a more ancient Greek way of looking at the world. However, he also believes that religion can sometimes inspire people.
In 2009, Fry and Christopher Hitchens debated against the idea that the Catholic Church was a force for good. Fry argued that the church caused more harm than good, and they were declared the winners of the debate. In 2010, Fry became a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association.
In a 2015 interview, when asked what he would say to God, Fry questioned why there is so much suffering, like bone cancer in children, if God is good. He said that if God created the universe, that God must be "utterly, utterly evil" and a "maniac." He later clarified that he was not talking about any specific religion. In 2017, a complaint was made about his comments in Ireland, but the case was dropped because not enough people were offended. The next year, the law on blasphemy was removed from the Irish Constitution.
Ventures and Interests
Narration Work
Fry is well-known for his voice-over work. He read all seven Harry Potter novels for the UK audiobooks. He also narrated Paddington Bear audiobooks and the video game series LittleBigPlanet. He has narrated animations explaining the laws of cricket and a series about humanism.
Twitter Influence
Stephen Fry has a very large following on Twitter. He often uses his influence to promote charities and good causes. Sometimes, this causes websites to crash because so many people try to visit them at once. He also recommends lesser-known musicians and authors, which often helps them gain popularity. He uses Twitter to raise awareness about important issues in media and politics.
In November 2009, Fry reached one million followers on Twitter, and later two million. He has sometimes taken breaks from Twitter due to criticism, but he usually returns. In 2016, he deleted his account after receiving criticism for a comment about an outfit at an awards show, but he returned later that year. In November 2022, he left Twitter again and joined Mastodon.
Sports and Business
In August 2010, Fry joined the board of directors at Norwich City Football Club. He is a lifelong fan of the team. He stepped down from the board in 2016 to become a "Norwich City Ambassador." In 2014, he became the honorary president of Proud Canaries, a supporters' group for Norwich City's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender fans.
Fry became the president of Marylebone Cricket Club in October 2022, a role he held for one year.
In 2008, Fry started a company called SamFry Ltd with Andrew Sampson to create new projects and manage his website. He is also a co-owner of Sprout Pictures, a film and television company. In 2016, Fry launched Pindex, an online platform that provides educational videos and infographics for students and teachers.
Charity Work
In 2008, Fry appeared in a film for the Free Software Foundation to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the GNU Project, explaining the idea of software freedom. For the Comic Relief telethon in 2011, Fry helped promote a new flavor of Walkers crisps. In 2014, Fry designed a Paddington Bear statue for an event in London. The statue was auctioned to raise money for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
Fry is a strong supporter of nature and wildlife conservation. He has been the president of the Great Fen Project since 2006 and a vice-president of Fauna and Flora International since 2009. He also supports action on climate change and the activist group Extinction Rebellion.
In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fry appeared in a comedy sketch with Prince William for a charity show called The Big Night In to raise money for Comic Relief and Children in Need. In March 2021, Fry narrated a short film for Cambridge Children's Hospital. He has been the patron of the UK audiobook charity Listening Books since 2005.
See also
In Spanish: Stephen Fry para niños
