John Fortune | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | John Courtney Wood (1939-06-30)30 June 1939 Bristol, England |
| Died | 31 December 2013(2013-12-31) (aged 74) Hampshire, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
John Courtney Fortune (bornJohn Courtney Wood; 30 June 1939 – 31 December 2013) was an English actor, writer and satirist, best known for his work withJohn Bird andRory Bremner on the television seriesBremner, Bird and Fortune.[1]
Fortune was born John Courtney Wood inBristol on 30 June 1939.[2] He was educated atBristol Cathedral School andKing's College, Cambridge, where he was to meet and form a lasting friendship with John Bird.[2]
Fortune's early work included contributions toPeter Cook'sEstablishment Club team[2] in 1962, and as a regular member of the cast of the BBC-TV satire showNot So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life, both alongsideEleanor Bron andJohn Bird. Fortune and Bird also worked together on the TV showA Series of Birds in 1967, and Fortune and Bron wrote and performed a series of sketches for TV inWhere Was Spring? in 1969. In 1971, withJohn Wells, he published the comic novelA Melon for Ecstasy, about a man who consummates his love affair with a tree. He appeared withPeter Sellers in aBarclays Bank television commercial in 1980, shortly before Sellers' death.
Along with writing several series for theBBC, in 1982 Fortune appeared in an episode of the BBC sitcomYes Minister, as an army officer who brings the minister's attention to British-made weapons getting into the hands of terrorists. In 1999, he starred withWarren Mitchell andKen Campbell inArt atWyndham's Theatre inLondon's West End.[2] He also appeared in the filmsTake A Girl Like You (1970), in which he shared a TV debate with John Bird,Kenny Everett's horror spoofBloodbath at the House of Death (1984),England, My England (1995),Maybe Baby (2000), andSaving Grace (2000), and had a guest part in the sitcomJoking Apart.
In 1993, Fortune and Bird began co-starring withRory Bremner in the sketch showRory Bremner...Who Else? onChannel 4. In 1999, the show changed its name toBremner, Bird and Fortune and continued until 2010, receiving severalBAFTA nominations along the way.[3][4]
Fortune's other work with John Bird included their series of satirical sketchesThe Long Johns, in which one interviewed the other, the latter being in the guise of a senior figure such as a politician, businessman or government consultant. The sketches earned several BAFTA award nominations, winning the Television Light Entertainment Performance award in 1997.[5] In one episode, they were two of the very first to predict the2007–2008 financial crisis during an episode ofThe South Bank Show broadcast on 14 October 2007.[6][7] In Fortune's latter years, he featured in theRadio 4 sitcomEd Reardon's Week, playing the head of a literary agency and as theatrical agent Mel Simons in a 2008 episode ofNew Tricks.
Fortune died on 31 December 2013, aged 74.[8][9] His agent Vivienne Clore said he died peacefully, with his wife Emma and dog Grizelle at his bedside.[8]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Take a Girl Like You | Sir Gerald Culthorpe-Jones | |
| 1982 | The Missionary | Schoolmaster's voice | Voice |
| 1984 | Bloodbath at the House of Death | John Harrison | |
| 1987 | Hardwicke House | Educational psychologist in Episode 3, "Interview Day" | Only the first two episodes of the series were shown, with the last five pulled. It was scheduled to be screened on ITV on 4 March 1987. In 2019, all seven episodes were uploaded toYouTube. |
| 1995 | England, My England | Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon | |
| 1999 | The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka: The Mystery of Chopin | Second official | |
| 2000 | Saving Grace | Melvyn | |
| 2000 | Maybe Baby | Acupuncturist | |
| 2001 | The Tailor of Panama | Maltby | |
| 2003 | Calendar Girls | Frank | |
| 2005 | Match Point | John the Chauffeur |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
