Fans can most recently hear Stephen Fry's voice as Headmaster Barnes in Hearstopper, but, with his varied career, Stephen Fry has demonstrated that he is one of the most gifted actors of his generation. Equally at home in both comedy and drama, he always manages to bring out the richness and depth of even seemingly simple characters.
He is as adept in television comedy as he is in blockbuster cinema, and his appearance in a particular property is always guaranteed to give it a touch of class. Fortunately for both new and established fans, the Internet Movie Database has helpfully curated his best roles.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2011) - 7.4
Guy Ritchie brought his own unique touch to the famous character Sherlock Holmes with A Game of Shadows. Fry was notable for portraying Sherlock’s elder brother, Mycroft.
Though he brings a certain level of hauteur to the character, Fry’s brilliance lies in his ability to show the audience just how much Mycroft truly cares about his younger brother. Just as importantly, perhaps, Fry is also physically close in appearance to the character as he appeared in the original books.
The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (2014) - 7.4
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is, in many ways, one of the best fantasy movies, bringing to a close the saga that began with Peter Jackson and The Fellowship of the Ring. In this movie, Fry continues in his role as the Master of Lake-town.
As was the case with the previous movie, Fry imbues this character with a smarmy yet unpleasant charm. He’s a man who is always after the main chance and his own advancement. Unfortunately for him, he is crushed to death by the body of Smaug the dragon.
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (2013) - 7.8
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is an action-packed adventure story, and it leans into this aspect of Tolkien’s original novel. When he first appears in the second half of the movie, it’s immediately clear that Fry’s Master of Lake-town is an unpleasant sort of character, both physically and in terms of his personality.
He immediately sees in Thorn and Company someone that he can exploit, and is clearly the type of ruler who only cares about what he can gain, no matter what it takes to do so.
Absolute Power (2003-2005) - 8.1
Throughout his career, Fry has excelled at playing a wide variety of characters, but one to which he has returned time and again is the unscrupulous man, the type of person who has ambitions and will stop at nothing to get them. That is certainly the case with the character of Charles Prentiss in Absolute Power.
Prentiss is one of the partners at a public relations firm and, in Fry’s capable hands, he emerges as someone who is somehow both very charming and yet utterly repugnant in terms of his utter lack of morals.
V For Vendetta (2005) - 8.2
V for Vendetta is, in some ways, a forgotten blockbuster of the 2000s, and even now it has the power to shock and disturb. Set in a dystopian future where authoritarianism has taken over the UK, it features a powerful cast and story.
Though he appears in a relatively minor role as a talk show host who has a number of forbidden items in his home and who is secretly gay. As is so often the case with Fry, he makes the most out of his appearance, and his eventual execution is, for this reason, all the more shocking.
A Bit Of Fry & Laurie (1987-1995) - 8.3
There’s no doubt that one of Fry’s most productive and hilarious collaborations has been with Hugh Laurie (who has, himself, been in many notable roles). This sketch series saw the two of them putting their considerable comedic talents to good use, and it was clear that they had a great deal of chemistry.
There is something more than a little absurd about the series and its conceits–particularly in those moments when characters break the fourth wall–but that is precisely what makes it such an entertaining project for these two actors.
Jeeves And Wooster (1990-1993) - 8.4
Fry and Laurie would follow up their collaboration with the series Jeeves and Wooster, with Fry in the former role and Laurie in the latter. Once again, it’s clear that the two men have a great deal of on-screen chemistry, and Fry in particular does a superb job bringing out the subtleties in his character, who serves as Wooster’s valet.
Given how hilarious the series often is, and how much the two actors bring out the best in one another, it’s no surprise that it is often regarded as one of the best British comedies.
Blackadder The Third (1987) - 8.6
Though his later career has been marked by an appearance in many dramas, in his early years Fry excelled at various comedic turns, particularly in the Blackadder series. In Blackadder the Third, for example, he made a guest appearance as the Duke of Wellington.
Though it is a relatively small part, and it only occurs in one episode, it’s still clear that Fry has a particular knack for comedy, bringing out the sublime and the ridiculous in equal measure.
Blackadder II (1986) - 8.6
Fry also made a very memorable series of appearances in Blackadder II, in which he appears as Lord Melchett, one of the courtiers living in the time of Elizabeth I.
Typical for Fry, he brings out the absolute silliness of this character, someone who is so obsessed with maintaining his position at court that he is willing to go along with whatever the queen proposes. Despite the fact that he is not especially likable as a character, Fry still manages to imbue him with a strange charisma.
Blackadder Goes Forth (1989) - 8.8
In Blackadder Goes Forth, yet another installment in the enormously popular British series, Fry returns as Melchett, though this time the character is a general in World War I.
Typically, however, Fry’s character is a bit of a buffoon, though one who doesn’t quite realize that that is what he is. As ridiculous as he often is, however, there’s also no question that General Melchett remains one of the highlights of the series and, as such, is a testament to Fry’s skills as an actor.