British Comedian Peter Cook Dies

Peter Cook, the acerbic comedian credited with founding contemporary British satire, died Monday. He was 57.

Cook died of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage at the Royal Free Hospital, where he had been admitted Jan. 3, his family said.

Cook achieved fame in the 1960s in the comedy review “Beyond the Fringe,” which also starred his long-time comedy partner Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller. After a long run in London, the show moved to Broadway.

Cook’s films included “A Dandy in Aspic” (1968), “The Hound of the Baskervilles” (1979), and “Whoops Apocalypse” (1987).