Slattery was a regular performer on the UK’s original incarnation of the popular improv comedy show. The comedian suffered a heart attack two days ago.
The comedy improv game show Whose Line is it Anyway? became a big hit in the States in the late 90s. So much so that ABC was confident enough to put up against the sitcom juggernaut Friends at one point. The show continued on with a revival on The CW, but some audiences may remember its origin in the UK that was shown on Channel 4, which also played on Comedy Central before it was remade on this side of the pond. One of the standout comedians in the UK version was British comedian Tony Slattery. Deadline is now reporting that Slattery has died at the age of 65 due to a heart attack.
His passing would be confirmed by his family to the BBC. His partner, Mark Michael Hutchinson, would release a statement that reads, “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 is survived by Hutchinson, who was his partner for more than three decades.
American audiences may be familiar with the Whose Line cast, which includes Ryan Stiles, Colin Mocherie, Brad Sherwood and Greg Proops. These cast members would also appear in the original Whose Line incarnation, which was hosted by English chat show host Clive Anderson. For those who are familiar with the performers’ talent at improv, Slattery was a comedian who could match his wits with them in every chaotic scenario in any given game. He was a frequent “host” of the Party Quirks segment, where his confusion from the other performers’ prompts would elicit large laughs from the audience. Slattery had appeared on Britain’s version of Whose Line is it Anyway? for seven seasons.
Slattery was on a path to success as he joined the comedy Footlights group when he attended Cambridge University and eventually became the president. He would work with notable names in that group, which included Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson. Slattery would break into TV work on shows like O.T.T., Saturday Stayback and also went on to appear on a number of panel shows before becoming a regular performer on Whose Line is it Anyway? He also made appearances in films like The Crying Game, To Die For, Peter’s Friends, The Wedding Tackle and How to Get Ahead in Advertising.
The comedian had also garnered an Olivier Award nomination for Best Comedy Performance, thanks to his role as Gordon in Tim Firth’s Neville’s Island. Slattery had recently been touring with a comedy show and hosting a podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club.
