Today marks the day that everyone’s favourite Englishman turns 57!
Stephen Fry is a legendary comedian, actor, author, television presenter and all around genius.
Fry first rose to fame in the comedic double act Fry & Laurie, alongside fellow Cambridge alumni Hugh Laurie, who went on to play Doctor House in the popular television series, ‘House’.
Fry quickly secured a spot as a fixture of the English comedy scene in ‘Blackadder’, ‘A Bit of Fry and Laurie’, alongside Laurie once again in ‘Jeeves and Wooster’, as well as appearing on cult favourite ‘The Young Ones’.
Stephen Fry’s career is so extraordinarily prolific that it would take pages to appropriately convey its brilliance, but you will likely remember him from ‘V for Vendetta’, his various documentary series including ‘Stephen Fry in America’, ‘Last Chance to See’, ‘Stephen Fry’s 100 Greatest Gadgets’ and ‘Fry’s Planet Word’, and most especially his popular television series ‘QI’, a quiz show celebrating obscure knowledge that toured its live production all the way to Perth in 2011.
For this journalist, Stephen Fry has been such an ever present figure in my existence that I have come to regard him as somewhat of a distant uncle, frequently popping in for visit through various mediums since my childhood.
My first memory of Stephen Fry is via cassette tape, when he read the audio books of the Harry Potter series. For every long car drive to see relatives or go down south on school holidays, Mr. Fry reliably staved off boredom and that special brand of nauseous cabin fever particular to seven hours inside of a Subaru Forrester.
The experience had not only saved us from otherwise inevitable familial tension but also taught me the correct pronunciation of ‘Hermione’, which I would smugly bestow upon my classmates at any given opportunity. When the first Harry Potter film came out I distinctly remember being disappointed that the actors didn’t do the voices like the man on the tapes.
Mr. Fry continued to pop up on television and in films over the years, his presence being a draw card for any mini-series or documentary regardless of its content.
The quality that I believe fanned the flames of my adoration for Stephen Fry was not his sharp wit or excellent vocabulary (though I admire both), but his conviction that kindness is important above all else. Although he is undoubtedly cleverer than most, he is always eager to share that knowledge, and doesn’t seem to think himself superior to anyone else because of it.
Stephen Fry has also become an advocate for gay rights and has worked to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness, bravely discussing his own history with the subject in ‘Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive’. He also exhibited extraordinary patience interviewing homophobic leaders from around the world in ‘Out There’.
I was fortunate enough to read Stephen Fry’s memoir ‘Moab is My Washpot’ when I was 19, and wished I had read it sooner. His experiences being same sex attracted in a single-sex private school so much mirrored my own that I believe a lot of mental anguish could have been avoided if I’d read it at age fourteen.
Stephen Fry has selflessly and publicly examined and shared his own experience in the hope of reducing stigma around homosexuality and mental illness, and continues to use his powers of intellect, charm and public profile for good.
So I wish a happy birthday to Stephen Fry, my favourite person I’ve never met. And for anyone who is lacking in Stephen Fry goodness, revel in his loveliness for a delightful minute:
Sophie Joske
