John Fortune

Biography

John Fortune (born John Wood on June 30, 1939 in Bristol) is a British satirist, comedian writer and actor, best known for his work with John Bird and Rory Bremner on the TV series Bremner, Bird and Fortune. He was educated at King's College, Cambridge, where he was to meet and form a lasting friendship with John Bird. His early career included contributions to Peter Cook's Establishment Club team, which included Eleanor Bron and John Bird in 1962. Fortune and Bird also worked together on the TV show A Series of Birds in 1967. In 1971, with John Wells, he published the comedy classic A Melon for Ecstasy, about a man who consummates his love affair with a tree. Along with writing several series for the BBC, in 1982 he appeared in an episode of the BBC situation comedy Yes Minister as an army officer who brings the minister's attention to British-made weapons getting into the hands of terrorists. His work with John Bird is most notable for their series of satirical sketches The Long Johns, in which one of the Johns interviews the other in the guise of a senior figure such as a politician, businessman or government consultant, invariably named "George Parr" (after the English cricketer, rather than the US politician). In 1999, Fortune starred with Warren Mitchell and Ken Campbell in 'Art' at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End. He has also appeared in the films Maybe Baby and Saving Grace, and had a guest part in the sitcom Joking Apart. He has also in recent years been starring in the award-winning Radio 4 sitcom Ed Reardon's Week, in which he plays the head of a literary agency. He sometimes gets mistaken to be John Cleese as they both similar look-a-like.