Peter Cook

Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was a seminal English comedian, actor, satirist, playwright and screenwriter whose work defined the British satire boom of the 1960s. Born in Torquay, Devon, at his parents’ house “Shearbridge”, Cook was the only son of Alec Cook, a colonial civil servant, and Ethel Cook. He was educated at Radley College before reading French and German at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he quickly rose to become president of the famed Cambridge Footlights. While still a student he wrote sketches for Kenneth Williams and performed in the pioneering stage revue Beyond the Fringe alongside Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller and Alan Bennett, a performance that shocked audiences with its political impersonations, including a daring mockery of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. In 1961 he opened The Establishment, a members‑only club in Soho that became a crucible for the anti‑establishment comedy scene, hosting Lenny Bruce and a young Dudley Moore’s jazz trio. The partnership with Moore produced the landmark television series Not Only… But Also, where Cook’s dead‑pan E. L. Wisty contrasted with Moore’s exuberant buffoonery, earning them a 1966 BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance. Their film work, notably The Wrong Box (1966) and Bedazzled (1967), cemented their status as cultural icons, and their later, more anarchic recordings as Derek and Clive pushed the boundaries of comedic taste.

After the 1970s, Cook’s career was marked by both brilliance and turbulence. He financed the satirical magazine Private Eye, appeared on numerous chat shows, and contributed to Amnesty International’s Secret Policeman’s Balls, delivering some of his most potent monologues. His personal life was equally eventful: three marriages—first to Wendy Snowden (with whom he had two daughters), then to actress Judy Huxtable, and finally to Malaysian property developer Chiew Lin Chong—revealed a man struggling with alcoholism and the pressures of fame. Despite health challenges, he continued to work up until his death from a gastrointestinal haemorrhage in 1995. Cook’s legacy endures; he is hailed as “the father of modern satire,” influencing generations of British comedians and earning posthumous honors such as a green plaque at the former Establishment Club and a minor planet named 20468 Petercook.