Although considerably less likely to sleep with me than his comedy partner –and previous Monday Hotness– Hugh Laurie (and I can’t say with real honesty that the Laurie odds are incredibly high as it is) Stephen Fry might actually be my favorite of the two and for that reason, and many many more, he is today’s Monday Hotness.
I came across the rampant twitterer when I was but a wee lass when Jeeves and Wooster made its way onto public television, so it’s only fitting we start our Monday Hotness, coincidentally featuring three of my favorite things on earth: Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and cocktails.
He came up through the Cambridge Footlights, along with pretty much every other British comedy genius (including most of the Pythons, the Goodies, Mitchell and Webb, Punt and Dennis plus Douglas Adams, Emma Thompson and a bit surprisingly, Germaine Greer).
…admit it, he’s kind of working that outfit.
He’s also directly responsible for three of my favorite all-time series: the aforementioned J&W, Kingdom wherein he plays Peter Kingdom, (a solicitor in a small East Anglia fishing village full of eccentrics –think Gilmore Girls, but smarter and slightly darker– with a car even more bitchin’ than mine, the first season is available on Hulu)
He’s also the host of Q.I., the funniest panel show I’ve ever seen.
Q.I. stands for Quite Interesting, and although I could try to explain it, you really need to watch a clip for yourself, a surefire hit for all my beloved Pain-in-the-Ass Pedants.
(this might not work because of the New Evil WordPress)
Fun Fact: For fans of Emma Thompson’s Oscar-winning Sense and Sensibility screenplay, you have Stephen Fry to thank for that. Apparently the night before La Thompson was supposed to submit the screenplay, the file got corrupted. Knowing Fry was a technogeek, she jumped into a taxi in the middle of the night, wearing just her night things and hauled her entire entire computer to Fry’s house. It took him eight hours to fix it and the world was once again made safe for bonnet movies and puffy shirts.
Plus he has the best wryly amused charmingly supercilious gaze of all time:
If I could make this face, I’d never make any other.
Fry also has the good sense to be interested in my favorite eras, namely the late Victorian through the 1930s. He portrayed Oscar Wilde in the film Wilde (as pictured above. How have I not seen this movie?! Especially with the beautiful Jude Law as Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas his Special Gentleman Friend.)
He’s also responsible for adapting the screenplay of one of my favorite novels, Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh into the film Bright Young Things, which he also directed to great success. It really is such a gorgeous, engrossing, pathetic film. Plus you get David Tennant with a bristly mustache.
Plus, he loves his color. I love a big man who isn’t afraid to wear brights.
And just when I thought I couldn’t love him more, Stephen Fry joined Mark Cawardine, co-author with the late Douglas Adams of one of my favorite books of all time Last Chance to See to retrace 20 years on, the search for the endangered animals Adams and naturalist Cawardine set out to find in 1990.
Back in 1990, when Adams first started his adventures in the wilderness, Fry was living in Douglas Adam’s house and was an unseen part of the action, serving as home-base for the novelist’s communications. As you know Adams died entirely too young in 2001, so Fry’s follow-up and homage to his friend is an especially touching tribute.
He also had a recurring role on Bones as an FBI psychologist – I love the episodes when he is on.
My question: has he ever said how he broke his nose?
Comment by Grace — September 28, 2009 @ 1:43 pm
I’ve only ever SEEN “Bones” when he’s on, hehe. Dear me, but I love him—so much so that my friend Bethany and I refer to him as THE STEPHEN.
Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, and cocktails are three of my favorite things, as well. Especially a combination of all 3.
Comment by Emily — September 28, 2009 @ 2:01 pm
I adored him in Cold Comfort Farm, one of my families favorite “secret” movies… Joanna Lumley is amazing in it too.
Comment by mini_pixie — September 28, 2009 @ 3:00 pm
Stephen Fry’s voice is heard daily in our house. He narrates the English language version of the toddler show “Pocoyo.” As such things go, it’s pretty entertaining.
Comment by TeleriB — September 28, 2009 @ 3:28 pm
Grace, I don’t recall how he broke his nose, but I did read a quote from him once about the fact that he broke it as a fairly small child. The decision was made not to set it. He says that not too much later it became clear that he ‘like the nose’ was not going to grow up straight.
Plummy, go thou forth immediately if not sooner and see Wilde! Not only is Stephen beyond superfantastic, Jennifer Ehle kicks ass like nobody’s business as Constance.
mini_pixie, CCF is one of my all-time favorite films! One has but to mention the farewell to the cow in Casa Twistie to find three people rolling about on the floor helpless with mirth.
When I first discovered the wonders of the internet, oh so long ago, I found a website Stephen Fry ran devoted to lying creatively. You could make up and post your favorite lies on the site. I came up with one concerning George Washington, penguins, and a kumquat that I was quite proud of. Alas! I could never find it again, but I loved the reason: when you posted your lie, it was immediately credited to someone else at random. When I found the lie credited to me, I think it had something to do with the Brooklyn Bridge and Ghengis Khan. Kind of awesome, really.
I lost track of the site long, long ago, but I still have fond memories.
Comment by Twistie — September 28, 2009 @ 3:54 pm
I have met him, and he is the size of a redwood – I think I put my neck out stretching up to beam up at him (he beamed back, with a touch of The Gaze thrown in to bowl me over).
This ardent Wilde-ophile is not crazy about that particular movie, but it’s worth a watch. However, RUN don’t walk to read his brilliant autobiography – Moab is My Washpot. It’s a cracker.
Comment by Margo — September 28, 2009 @ 5:44 pm
Oh yes. But Fry’s hottest point EVER is probably in the Shakespeare sketch in the Cambridge Footlights review (available on YouTube and in the “A Bit of Fry & Laurie” boxed set). That turtleneck? Swoon.
Comment by Maureen — September 28, 2009 @ 6:41 pm
Good choices, but you didn’t mention Stephen Fry in America, one of my all-time favorite documentaries. The scene where he’s in Las Vegas is too much fun. And who knew that what makes the south so distinctive is football?
Much as I’ve enjoyed Kingdom (which I er, “obtained”) on the internet I tend to think it owes more to “Murder, she wrote” than “Gilmore Girls”…
Comment by zanthine — September 28, 2009 @ 6:58 pm
Ah but “Murder, She Wrote” was before my television time.
Comment by Plumcake — September 28, 2009 @ 7:45 pm
Oh, I do love Stephen Fry. And Hugh Laurie. Thank you for making him/them Monday’s Hotness, but I think Hugh needs one of his own. (Or maybe he has one and I missed it?)
Comment by ChristianeF — September 28, 2009 @ 10:14 pm
PS: I scrolled back up and saw the link to Hugh’s Hotness. Oh my. *swoon*
Comment by ChristianeF — September 28, 2009 @ 10:18 pm
Last Christmas my roommates gave me the compelete Jeeves and Wooster DVD collection. Needless to say, I have the best roommates of all time. We all three bewaill the sexual preferences of Mr. Fry.
Comment by Miriam — September 28, 2009 @ 11:32 pm
Thanks!! QI is hilarious. I love this site!! And exclamation marks!!
Comment by Amber — September 29, 2009 @ 8:16 am
BTW if you have problems finding the UK editions of his books, I highly recommend http://www.bookdepository.co.uk . They are usually cheaper than Amazon & have free shipping to anywhere in the world. I usually get items in under a week to VA. (The new “Last Chance” is $25.88 for example.)
Comment by Rach — September 30, 2009 @ 11:58 am