Tony Hendra, the British satirist and comedian whose roles included high enhancing positions at magazines akin to National Lampoon and Spy and an element in musical mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap,” died on Thursday in Yonkers, N.Y. He was 79.
His spouse, Carla Meisner, told the New York Times the reason for dying was Lou Gehrig’s illness, which the author was first recognized with in 2019.
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In Rob Reiner’s 1984 mockumentary “This Is Spinal Faucet,” he performed Ian Religion, the bumbling band supervisor who tells Michael McKean’s character that having a gig in Boston canceled isn’t a giant deal as a result of “It’s not a giant school city.”
Hendra started writing and performing comedy whereas a scholar at Cambridge College, working alongside future members of the Monty Python troupe. In 1964, he and his performing associate, Nick Ullett took their stage act to america, the place he frequently started performing stand-up comedy, writing and enhancing for numerous publications, in addition to performing and publishing books.
Searching for a extra common revenue, Hendra pivoted to tv writing in 1969. He wrote for Hugh Hefner-hosted “Playboy After Darkish” and “Music Scene.” However following these successes, he inadvertently sabotaged his profession. Taking out commercials in Selection and The Hollywood Reporter within the type of an open letter to James Roche, chairman of Common Motors, he scolded him for the corporate’s file on air pollution, which broken his writing gig alternative for a coming particular sponsored by Chevrolet..
By 1970 he started writing on the newly based Nationwide Lampoon, created by alumni of The Harvard Lampoon. The next 12 months, he was made managing editor, remaining with the journal for the higher a part of the last decade. It was the Lampoon’s most profitable interval, spawning a franchise, full with books, file albums, movie sequence and extra, akin to “Nationwide Lampoon’s Lemmings.” The theatrical manufacturing grew to become an Off Broadway hit that includes forged members Chevy Chase and John Belushi.
Amongst different notable initiatives, Hendra co-penned the screenplay for 1996 boxing comedy “The Nice White Hype” with Ron Shelton, which featured Samuel L. Jackson, Damon Wayans and Jeff Goldblum. In 2004 he printed his critically lauded memoir, “Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul,” which recounted his relationship with a monk who he wrote helped him overcome private setbacks and ethical corruption, main him again to the Roman Catholic religion of his childhood. Within the e-book, he mentioned he contemplated suicide earlier than “Spinal Faucet” started filming, however that engaged on the manufacturing gave him a brand new lease on life.
Nevertheless, following the e-book’s launch, Jessica Hendra, Hendra’s daughter from his first marriage, submitted an op-ed essay to The New York Instances stating that Hendra had sexually abused her on a number of events when she was a lady, which was not talked about in his e-book. Whereas the Instances didn’t publish the essay, it assigned an investigative reporter to look into the accusation. A month later the Instances printed an account of Hendra’s story. A 12 months later, Hendra printed a memoir of her personal, “How you can Prepare dinner Your Daughter,” the place she detailed the abuse. Hendra denied her accusations.
Following the allegations, Hendra prevented the highlight, although he printed a novel in 2006 known as “The Messiah of Morris Avenue.”
Born in Willesden, England, he resided in america for many of his life. He married Judith Hilary Christmas in 1964. After divorcing her within the 1980s, he married Meisner in 1986. Along with her, he’s survived by his daughter Jessica and one other daughter from his first marriage, Katherine; three youngsters from his second marriage, Lucy, Sebastian and Nicholas; a brother, Martin; two sisters, Angela Hendra and Celia Radice; and 4 grandchildren.
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