Hardy was born inFarnborough, Hampshire on 17 July 1961,[1][2] the fifth and youngest child of rocket scientist Donald D. Hardy (1925–2016) and Sheila Stagg (1924–2012).[3] He attendedFarnham College and studiedmodern history and politics at theUniversity of Southampton.[1] He subsequently failed to obtain a place on a journalism course, and considered becoming an actor or poet.[4]
Hardy wrote a regular column forThe Guardian until 2001.[13] He then wrote a column in theLondon Evening Standard's magazine.[4] His first book,When Did You Last See Your Father, was published byMethuen in 1992.My Family and Other Strangers, based on his research into hisfamily history, was published byEbury Press on 4 March 2010.[14]
An anthology of Hardy's writing,Jeremy Hardy Speaks Volumes, was published in February 2020.[15] It was edited by his wife Katie Barlow and his long-time radio producerDavid Tyler.[16]
Hardy was a committed socialist, and a supporter of theLabour Party. He performed at Labour Party rallies and Labour leaderJeremy Corbyn considered him a "dear, lifelong friend".[17] His comedy embodied his radical politics, including outspoken opposition to former Labour leaderTony Blair[18] – he was conflicted during the Blair andGordon Brown leadership period, quoted as saying "To me, voting Labour is like wiping your bottom: I can't say I like doing it but you've got to – because you're in a worse mess if you don't."[19] Hardy was banned from voting in Labour internal elections in 2015 because he had also raised funds for theGreen Party.[20] He strongly supported Corbyn in the leadership election of 2015.[21] He was also an outspoken opponent of theTrident programme.[22]
Hardy supported Irish nationalistRóisín McAliskey, the then-pregnant daughter ofBernadette Devlin McAliskey, when the former was accused of involvement in an IRA mortar attack in Germany, and put up part of the bail money to free her.[8] He also supported the campaign to freeDanny McNamee, whose conviction for involvement in theProvisional Irish Republican Army's (IRA)Hyde Park bombing on 20 July 1982 was quashed in 1999, after several years of prison.[23]
In an edition ofJeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation on BBC Radio 4 "How to be Afraid", broadcast in September 2004, Hardy said during one of his comedy routines that "if you just took everyone in theBNP and everyone who votes for them and shot them in the back of the head, there would be a brighter future for us all."[24] This sparked complaints and causedBurnley Borough Council to cancel a show in the town over fears that it could be "disruptive" in an area with a recent history of racial tension.[25]
In September 2016 Hardy performed at the Keep Corbyn rally inBrighton in support ofJeremy Corbyn's campaign in theLabour Party leadership election.[26] On Hardy's death, Corbyn said "He always gave his all for everyone else and the campaigns for social justice."[17]
In 1986 Hardy married the actress and comedianKit Hollerbach[2] and in 1990 they adopted a daughter. He later married the photographer and filmmaker Katie Barlow.[27]
Hardy was a close friend of the comedianLinda Smith; when she died ofovarian cancer on 27 February 2006 he wrote about her in many media outlets[28] and wrote her obituary inThe Guardian.[29]
Hardy died at St Christopher’s Hospice inSydenham, London of cancer on 1 February 2019, at the age of 57.[2][27] Julia McKenzie, the head of Radio team at BBC Studios, said of Hardy "I will remember him as someone who could convulse an audience with laughter at a comic image whilst at the same time making a point of substance that reverberated on a much deeper level and spoke to his principles and unflinching concern for the less fortunate."[30]Miles Jupp, then-host ofThe News Quiz and a longtime friend, wrote his obituary inThe Guardian.[1]
A 2-part look back at the life and work of Jeremy Hardy, calledWhen Jeremy Hardy Spoke to the Nation, aired onBBC Radio 4 in May 2019.[31] The show was narrated bySandi Toksvig, his close friend, and produced byDavid Tyler, his longest-term collaborator.[32][33]
The University of Kent holds a collection of Hardy's work as part of the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive.[34] The archive is composed of audio-visual material from Hardy's career, including recordings of live performances.[34]
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