ABOUT PETER COOK

Peter Cook was born November 17, 1937 in Torquay, Devon, England.  Contrary to the anti-establishment style that he would later become famous for, he grew up in a very conservative, quiet family.  One of his most famous characters, EL Wisty, was inspired by the caretaker at Radley, which he attended as a young boy. He attended Pembroke College at Cambridge University (becoming President in 1960) and was instantly recognized as an amazing talent.  He wrote and performed in the famous Cambridge Footlights, and while still attending university, he wrote sketches for Kenneth Williams.  After he graduated, he found success on both sides of the Atlantic with Beyond the Fringe, along with partners Jonathan Miller, Alan Bennett, and Dudley Moore.

Peter Cook is famous not only for his tremendous wit, but for encouraging and supporting the careers of others, including Eleanor Bron and Barry Humphries.  His nightclub, the Establishment, introduced many of comedy's brightest stars.  In 1962 Peter became the proprietor of the famous satirical newspaper Private Eye.  He also was featured as his hilarious character EL Wisty on On The Braden Beat.  Peter's own star continued to rise and audiences were delighted with his and Dudley Moore's sketches on the hit variety show Not Only... But Also..., starting in 1965.  The comedy duo continued working on the show through to the 1970s, with breaks every few years.  They also found time to make the fantastic Bedazzled, which for some blasphemous reason was remade in the 1990s.  Unfortunately the pair later went their separate ways, but not before one last wheeze as Derek and Clive, the foul-mouthed version of their cuddly pair of "deep thinkers" Pete and Dud.  Dudley went on to forge a successful career in Hollywood while Peter stayed on the down-low, popping up every so often in films and on television shows.  He continued to write and perform, but not nearly as much as his early years.

Peter Cook was married three times, and had two children with his first wife.  He suffered from alcoholism and many see this as one of the reasons why his output decreased in the last half of his life.  However, what he did produce was almost always brilliant and his worst was better than anything your average comic could write at the best of times.  He made a memorable cameo in the first episode of The Black Adder as King Richard III, attempted to host a talk show, and wrote a hilarious column for a newspaper (you can read it in Tragically I Was An Only Twin).  No matter what is said about Cookie, it's obvious that he enjoyed his life to the fullest and gave the world a legacy that should always be treasured. :)

Peter Cook died on January 8, 1995, from internal hemorrhaging.  The world lost a brilliant man, and he will be missed.