“The pen is mightier than the sword and considerably easier to write with.”

Mike Myers thinks he was ‘a genius’, while John Cleese regards him as ‘a true cultural icon’. A pioneer of comedy, he died aged only 48. His name was Marty Feldman, and here, at last, is the first ever biography (Titan Books, October 25, 2011 $25.99).

Paving the way for Monty Python, then becoming a major Hollywood star, Marty will be forever remembered as Igor in Mel Brook’s Young Frankenstein.

Acclaimed author Rob Ross draws from previously unpublished interviews with Marty, taped in preparation for an autobiography he never wrote, alongside new interviews with many of Marty’s friends, including Michael Palin and Terry Jones, and his closest surviving relatives. No one before or since has had a career quite like Marty’s, from the dying days of variety theatre, via the behind-the-scenes scriptwriting triumphs of Round the Horne and The Frost Report to onscreen stardom in At Last the 1948 Show and his own hit series Marty, which led to transatlantic success, his work with Mel Brooks, and a five-picture deal to write and direct his own movies.

From his youth as a tramp on the streets of London, to the height of his fame in America – where he encountered everyone from Orson Welles to Kermit the Frog, before his Hollywood dream became a nightmare – this is the fascinating story of a key figure in the history of comedy, fully told for the first time.

‘When you’re a comedy writer you pray for Marty Feldman. He not only met your material, he lifted it. He gave it that magic touch.” – Mel Brooks

I love British comedy. I learnt from it. Marty Feldman was a genius. Crossed eyes are funny!” – Mike Myers

“Every Saturday evening I would watch “The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine”. Igor in Young Frankenstein was written for Marty. I was thinking of him all the time. No-one else could have played that part.” – Gene Wilder

Please note that the final version of the book will have an index and picture section.

Robert Ross has been a writer for ten years and his work varies from books on the Carry On films to Doctor Who audio plays. He is also a prolific moderator for DVD audio commentaries.

Purchase Marty Feldman: The Biography of a Comedy Legend here.