Danny Dyer plunged into a 'spiral of madness' after Harold Pinter's death

Perth Now

12-05-2025

Danny Dyer plunged into a "spiral of madness" following the death of his mentor Harold Pinter.
The 'Human Traffic' star struck up a close relationship with the legendary playwright when he was cast in his play 'Celebration' - which debuted in London in 2000 - and Danny went on to appear in two more Pinter plays over the years but he was left totally devastated when his pal passed away aged 78 in 2008.
Danny has now confessed he hit rock bottom after the loss after reading about it in a newspaper. During an appearance on BBC Radio 4's 'Desert Island Discs', he explained: "I hadn't spoke to him in a while. I did go off the rails for many years and I found out by looking on the front of a newspaper.
"Again, I'd been on a bender and I was coming home and I was going, I think I was going to buy cigarettes at the petrol garage, and I see it in the paper: 'Pinter dead'.
"This really sent me on a spiral of madness, really. The guilt of not being around him any more and just being lost, I was a bit of a lost soul, and again, angry at the world."
It comes after Danny revealed he's working on a play based on his friendship with Pinter with the working title 'When Harry Met Danny' .
Danny told Deadline.com: "I really like it [the play idea] and am excited about it. I'd love to explore it more. I'm grateful for the years I spent with Harold and he was a real mentor to me."
The actor previously hosted a 2020 documentary about his friendship with the late writer called 'Danny Dyer on Pinter'.
Speaking to the Guardian in 2013, Danny said his late pal taught him a lot about being an actor and set him up for a successful career in showbusiness.
He said: "I miss him, you know, he was a good influence on me. He was the only person who I feared but loved.
"He had faith in me, he suffered all my s*** because he knew I was a talented actor. He was a f****** tyrant, too, you know, but he could get away with it because he was so enchanting. He was a poet ...
"If he didn't like [something] he'd tell me straight; there were no airs and graces about him. I learned so much from him that set me up for the rest of my career."