Performer Tony Slattery dies aged 65

The actor, presenter and comedian passed away following a heart attack…

Tony Declan James Slattery was born on the 9th of November 1959 in Stonebridge, north London, the fifth and last child of Catholic Irish immigrants, Michael and Margaret Slattery.

He was educated at Gunnersbury Boys’ Grammar School in West London and won a scholarship to study Modern and Medieval Languages at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, specialising in French literature and poetry. Slattery held black belt in judo and represented England internationally for under-15s. At the University of Cambridge, Slattery discovered his love for performing arts, finding joy in making people laugh. He met Stephen Fry, who invited him to the Cambridge Footlights. Other members at that time included Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Sandi Toksvig, Jan Ravens, and Richard Vranch.

Wendy Richard and Tony Slattery, Just a Minute / BBC

Whose Line is it Anyway? / Channel 4

In 1981, Cambridge Footlights won the inaugural Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Festival, for their production of The Cellar Tapes. His break into mainstream entertainment came in 1986, following a number of years performing as a comedian on the London pub scene, when he took a leading role in Me and My Girl. Several other stage productions followed, all to great critical acclaim. He gained an Olivier Award nomination for ‘best comedy performance’ for his role in the play Neville’s Island.

The 1980s also saw Tony on television initially on children’s programming but as the decade moved on, he became frequent in prime time. Programmes included as a regular on Channel 4’s Whose Line Is It Anyway?, as host of their quiz Music Game and on ITV hosting Saturday Night at the Movies. In the 1990s presenting roles continued with such shows as Channel 5’s game show Tibs and Fibs.

Tony Slattery / Channel 4 / HTV

There were also across the 80s and 90s several acting roles for television – both humorous and serious – including on BBC Two’s Murder Most Horrid, Central Television’s Just A Gigolo and TVS’ That’s Love. Movies included Up ‘N Under, Peter’s Friends and The Wedding Tackle to note just a few.

At the peak of his career Tony slipped out of the spotlight for a time, revealing he’d suffered a mental and physical breakdown at the age of 36.

In April 2019 Slattery revealed that he had been repeatedly sexually abused by a priest at the age of eight but had never told his parents. This early trauma he noted he felt contributed to his unstable character later in life. “I had a very happy time until I went slightly barmy” he told The Guardian newspaper six years ago. This period saw Tony check-in to rehab a number of times as drink and drugs consumed his life and his mental decline continued.

In 2020 Slattery and his partner Mark Hutchinson featured in an edition of the Beeb documentary series Horizon in an edition, What’s the Matter with Tony Slattery? In a detailed examination of his mental health, childhood trauma and substance addictions, medical professionals concluded that Slattery continued to experience the effects of trauma relating to childhood abuse; was on the bi-polar spectrum; and suffered alcohol dependence. The professionals advised Slattery on measures to enhance his mental health and physical well-being.

Going for a song, BBC

Murder Most Horrid / BBC

Battling these issues saw Tony appear less on television and in movies from the mid-1990s, but by the 2000s there were a number of ‘returns’ to the big screen, in theatre and on television including in May 2006 he was the first voice of the narrator in the 35th anniversary theatre production of Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Tribute Show and across 2017–2018 he was the eponymous star of Slattery Night Fever, an improvised comedy show on London’s off-West End.

It was announced today that Tony had died aged 65 from a heart attack.  A statement 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. 

“A graduate and former president of Cambridge Footlights, where he was a contemporary with Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson, Tony was known and loved for his appearances on comedy improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? as well as many other TV series and films. He had recently been touring a comedy show in England and launched a podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club, in October.

“One of five siblings, Tony had previously lost a sister to cancer and one of his brothers to a heart attack only last year. Interviewer and producer of his latest shows, Erica Lear, said today, “I will miss my mischievous partner in crime.  They say you should never meet your heroes, but I met mine and he became my best friend”. Tony is survived by his longtime partner, actor Mark Michael Hutchinson, and Molly, a ferocious cat. Tony Slattery, Born November 9, 1959, died January 14, 2025.”

Sir Stephen Fry led the tributes, noting “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.”

Tony Slattery is survived by Mark Hutchinson, his partner since 1986.