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Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957 ) is an English Comedian , Writer , Actor , Novelist , Filmmaker and Television Personality . The former Comedy Collaborator of Hugh Laurie , he is also the host of the television Panel Game '' QI ''. CHILDHOOD AND EDUCATION Fry was born in Hampstead, London , the son of Alan Fry, an English Physicist , and Marianne Neuman, an Austrian of Jew ish descent.1 He has an elder brother, Roger, and a younger sister, Joanna. Fry grew up in the village of Booton near Reepham , Norfolk , having moved from Hampstead when very young. Fry briefly attended Gresham's School , Holt , before going on to Stouts Hill Preparatory School, Uppingham School , Rutland , where he joined Fircroft house. He was Expelled from Uppingham when he was fourteen, and subsequently from the Paston School. At seventeen, following his failure at Norfolk College of Arts and Technology, Fry absconded with a Credit Card stolen from a family friend, and as a result spent three months in Pucklechurch Prison on grounds of Fraud . Following his release he resumed education at Norwich City College , promising administrators that he would study rigorously to sit the Cambridge Entrance Exams. He passed well enough to gain a scholarship before going on to Queens' College, Cambridge . At Cambridge, Fry gained a in English Literature , joined the Cambridge Footlights , and appeared on both '' University Challenge ''2 and '' The Young Ones ''. As a member of the Footlights he also met his future comedy collaborator, Hugh Laurie . CAREER Fry came to the attention of the public in the mid-1980s with appearances on '''', led to the development of character General Melchett, with whom Fry would make a career-defining performance in the 1989 series '' Blackadder Goes Forth ''. In 1987, whilst starring in ''Blackadder the Third'', Fry made the first series of comedy Sketch Show '' A Bit Of Fry And Laurie '' with his long-time comedy partner. Their elaborate and eclectic mix of word-play and innuendo was greatly successful, running for 26 episodes spanning four series. In 1988 Fry became a regular contestant on popular Improvisational Comedy programme '' Whose Line Is It Anyway? '', as well as featuring in his own six-part BBC Radio 4 series, '' Saturday Night Fry ''. Fry has often expressed great admiration for three authors in particular: (alongside Hugh Laurie's Bertie Wooster ) in the Granada adaptations of Wodehouse's novels and short stories entitled '' Jeeves And Wooster '' ; as the voice of The Guide in The Film Adaptation of Adams' novel '' The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy ''; and as the narrator in a BBC radio reading of Buckeridge's Jennings Stories . He has also been a fan of Oscar Wilde since he was 13, finding Wilde to be someone with whom he could "fiercely and proudly identify". Fry portrayed Wilde in the 1997 film '' Wilde '', fulfilling to critical acclaim a role that he has said that he was "born to play". Since the fourth and final series of '''', the panel game of which Fry himself is host, has become one of the most-watched entertainment programmes on British television.3 In 2006 he won the Rose D'Or award for Best Game Show Host for his work on the series. IMDB: Stephen Fry — Awards In recent years many of Fry's projects have differed from those of his early comedy and acting career. Since the publication of his first novel, '''', has closely associated Fry with poetry. In early 2006 he became the patron of Norfolk-based literature group Centre Poets, following the death of journalist John Timpson . Fry's first foray as a film director was the 2003 release entitled '' and dialogue for Kenneth Branagh 's film adaption of '' The Magic Flute ''. In television, Fry has most recently appeared in, and been executive producer for, a six-part legal drama entitled '''', Fry has been involved in making further documentaries for the BBC. A programme on the subject of HIV and AIDS is due to air as part of BBC Two 's autumn programming schedule, followed by a five-part series entitled ''Stephen Fry in America''. DigitalSpy: "Fry docs lead Iostar line-up" Fry is well-known in the '', '' Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets '', '' Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban '' and '' Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire ''. Besides the ''Harry Potter'' books Fry has recorded audio versions of works by Roald Dahl , Michael Bond , A. A. Milne and Douglas Adams, as well as several of his own books. He is also the narrator of award-winning animated programmes '' Pocoyo '' and ''The Transporters'', the latter being part of an Autism research initiative supported by the University Of Cambridge . In 2007, Fry interviewed Tony Blair (then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) as part of a series of podcasts available from the 10 Downing Street website.4 They discussed British social and cultural changes since the general election of 1997, at which Blair's Labour Party was voted into government. PERSONAL LIFE Fry struggled to keep his Homosexuality secret during his teenage years at Public School , and was Celibate for 16 years. He once joked, "I suppose it all began when I came out of the womb. I looked back up at my mother and thought to myself, 'That's the last time I'm going up one of those'". Fry currently lives in London with his partner, Daniel Cohen, whom he met in 1995. He also has a second home in West Bilney near King's Lynn , Norfolk. Fry suffered a . He subsequently walked out of the production, prompting its early closure and incurring the displeasure of co-star Rik Mayall and playwright Simon Gray . Fry went missing for several days while contemplating Suicide . He abandoned the idea and left the United Kingdom by ferry, eventually resurfacing in Belgium . BBC News: Comedian Fry reveals suicide bid Fry has spoken publicly about his experience with bipolar disorder and has presented his documentary about it, ''Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic-Depressive''. Cardiff University: Genetic research into mood disorders In the documentary he interviewed sufferers of the illness including celebrities Carrie Fisher , Richard Dreyfuss , and Tony Slattery . Also interviewed were chef Rick Stein , whose father committed suicide, Robbie Williams , who talks of his experience with Unipolar Depression , and comedienne Jo Brand . The two-part series was broadcast on BBC Two in September 2006 and repeated in March 2007 as part of the BBC's programming in aid of Comic Relief . Fry was an active supporter of the ''), through his work with the Prince's Trust . He attended the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker-Bowles in 2005. Fry is a friend of British comedian and actor Rowan Atkinson and was best man at Atkinson's wedding to Sunetra Sastry at the Russian Tea Room in New York City . He was also a friend of British actor John Mills .http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4476875.stm He was best man at the wedding of Hugh Laurie and is godfather to all three of Laurie's children. A great fan of Cricket (he is related to legendary England cricketer and jack of all trades C.B. Fry ), he was recently interviewed for the ''Ashes Fever'' DVD, reporting on England 's victory against Australia in the 2005 Ashes series. In Football he is a supporter of Norwich City (as mentioned in ''Ashes Fever''). 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