Stephen Fry is a comedian, writer, actor, presenter, and activist. He was born in London in 1957. Fry’s maternal grandparents were Hungarian Jews, and many of his relatives were killed by the Nazi regime. He claims that he does not follow Judaism but considers himself a Jew. In an interview he stated: “Sometimes one has to stand up against homophobia and similarly against anti-Semitism. But there is so much to celebrate in each” (Jewish Business News 2014).

Fry studied English literature at Queens’ College, Cambridge and while at university became involved in on-campus drama clubs such as the famous Cambridge Footlights. After his first year at university he wrote his debut play Latin! or Tobacco and Boys (1979). Together with fellow actor and friend Hugh Laurie, he formed the comedy duo Fry and Laurie and later co-wrote and co-starred in the sketch show A Bit of Fry and Laurie. After graduation, he revised the script of Noel Gay’s 1937 musical Me and My Girl which became a great success. Since 2003, Fry has been hosting the TV game show QI (Quite Interesting). Aside from his television work Fry appeared in a number of movies such as the Golden Globe nominated Wilde (1997). He made his Broadway debut as an actor playing Malvolio in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (2013).

Fry has published numerous books, most notably the novels The Liar (1991), The Hippopotamus (1994), and Making History: A Novel (1996), as well as a multi-volume autobiography.
He won an Emmy Award for the production of the documentary Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive (2006), describing his experience of battling mental illness.