John Sessions, Comedian and ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway’ Actor, Dies at 67

© PA Wire/Press Association Images

John Sessions, a Scottish actor and comedian best known for his role on the U.K. version of “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” died on Monday at his home in South London, his agency Markham, Froggatt & Irwin confirmed to Variety. He was 67.

Sessions appeared on several other British comedy shows, including “Have I Got News for You,” “QI,” “Stella Street” and “Spitting Image.” A noted character actor, he appeared in a wide variety of TV shows and films from the 1980s through the 2010s.

Born on Jan. 11, 1953, in Ayrshire, Scotland, Sessions trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, studying alongside director Kenneth Branagh. The two would go on to work together on “Henry V” in 1989 and “Five Children and It” in 2004.

In the late 1980s, Sessions was part of the cast of the original radio broadcast of the improv comedy series “Whose Line Is It Anyway.” He performed alongside fellow regular cast member Stephen Fry, a rotating panel of comedians and host Clive Anderson. Sessions became a recurring cast member in the second and third season of the show, before departing the series ahead of the fourth season in 1992.

Throughout his career, Sessions appeared on shows like “Doctor Who,” “Sherlock,” “Skins,” “Shameless” and “Outlander.” He played two former prime ministers, Harold Wilson in the 2010 film “Made in Daggenham” and Edward Heath in “The Iron Lady” in 2011. His other film credits include “Loving Vincent,” “Florence Foster Jenkins” and “Mr. Holmes,” in which he played Mycroft Holmes, the elder brother of famous detective Sherlock Holmes.