Rowan Atkinson

Personal life

Marriage and children

Rowan Atkinson first met Sunetra Sastry in the late 1980s, when she was working as a make-up artist with the BBC.Sastry is of mixed descent, being the daughter of an Indian father and a British mother.The couple married at the Russian Tea Room in New York City on 5 February 1990. They have two children and live in Oundle, Northamptonshire as well as in Ipsden , Oxfordshire and in Highbury, London .^{[citation needed]}In October 2010, hisBlackadderco-star Stephen Fry confessed onThe Rob Brydon Showand in his second autobiography (The Fry Chronicles) that, although he was already openly homosexual at the time, he had considered asking Sastry (who was his make-up artist) out. However, when Rowan came to him one day and asked if he could swap make-up artists because he wanted to ask Sastry out, 'all idea of [his] asking out Sunetra left [him]'.Fry was best man at Atkinson's wedding in 1990. Atkinson was formerly in a relationship with actress Leslie Ash .

Politics

In June 2005, Atkinson led a coalition of the UK's most prominent actors and writers, including Nicholas Hytner , Stephen Fry , and Ian McEwan , to the British Parliament in an attempt to force a review of the controversial Racial and Religious Hatred Bill , which they felt would give overwhelming power to religious groups to impose censorship on the arts.In 2009, he criticised homophobic speech legislation, saying that the House of Lords must vote against a government attempt to remove a free speech clause in an anti-gay hate law.

Cars

With an estimated wealth of £100 million, Atkinson is able to indulge his passion for cars that began with driving his mother's Morris Minor around the family farm. He has written for the British magazinesCar,Octane,Evo, and "SuperClassics", a short-lived UK magazine, in which he reviewed the McLaren F1 in 1995.

Atkinson holds a category C+E (formerly 'Class 1') lorry driving licence , gained in 1981, because lorries held a fascination for him, and to ensure employment as a young actor. He has also used this skill when filming comedy material.

A lover of and participant in car racing, he appeared as racing driver Henry Birkin in the television playFull Throttlein 1995. In 1991, he starred in the self-pennedThe Driven Man, a series of sketches featuring Atkinson driving around London trying to solve his car-fetish, and discussing it with taxi drivers, policemen, used-car salesmen and psychotherapists.

Atkinson has raced in other cars, including a Renault 5 GT Turbo for two seasons for its one make series . He owns a McLaren F1, which was involved in an accident in Cabus, near Garstang , Lancashire with an Austin Metro in October 1999. It was damaged again in a serious crash in August 2011 when it caught fire after Atkinson reportedly lost control and hit a tree.He also owns a Honda NSX . Other cars he owns include an Audi A8 ,and a Honda Civic Hybrid .

The Conservative Party politician Alan Clark , himself a devotee of classic motor cars, recorded in his publishedDiariesthis chance meeting with a man he later realised was Atkinson while driving through Oxfordshire in May 1984: "Just after leaving the motorway at Thame I noticed a dark red DBS V8 Aston Martin on the slip road with the bonnet up, a man unhappily bending over it. I told Jane to pull in and walked back. A DV8 in trouble is always good for a gloat." Clark writes that he gave Atkinson a lift in his Rolls-Royce to the nearest telephone box, but was disappointed in his bland reaction to being recognised, noting that: "he didn't sparkle, was rather disappointing and chétif ."

One car Atkinson has said he will not own is a Porsche : "I have a problem with Porsches. They're wonderful cars, but I know I could never live with one. Somehow, the typical Porsche people—and I wish them no ill—are not, I feel, my kind of people. I don't go around saying that Porsches are a pile of dung, but I do know that psychologically I couldn't handle owning one."

He appeared in episode 4, series 17 ofTop Gearin the "Star in a reasonably priced car" section, where he drove the Kia Cee'd on the test track in 1"42.2, taking first place on the board, but was later beaten by Matt LeBlanc during the second episode of the eighteenth series, with a lap time of 1"42.1.

He attended the inaugural Indian Grand Prix as a guest of McLaren .

Television appearances

• Canned Laughter(1979), an experimental sitcom pilot for LWT
• The Secret Policeman's Ball(1979), a charity special for Amnesty International
• Not the Nine O'Clock News(1979–1982)
• Peter Cook & Co(1980)
• The Innes Book of Records(1980), guest appearance
• Never Say Never Again(1983)
• Blackadderas Prince Edmund (The Black Adder), Lord Blackadder (Blackadder II), Edmund Blackadder (Blackadder III), Ebenezer Blackadder (Blackadder's Christmas Carol) & Captain Blackadder (Blackadder Goes Forth) (1983–1989)
• Saturday Liveas guest host (1986)
• Mr. Beanas Mr. Bean (1990–2009 various times)
• Rowan Atkinson Liveas assorted characters (1992) (VHS of live sketches)
• Bernard and the Genieas Bernard's Boss (1991) (TV movie)
• Funny Business(1992), a documentary about the craft of comedy
• A Bit Of Fry And Laurie(1992), guest appearance
• The Thin Blue Lineas Inspector Raymond Fowler (1995–1996)
• The Story of Beanas himself (1997)
• Blackadder: Back and Forthas Blackadder (2000)
• Mr. Bean (animated TV series)as Mr Bean, voice (2002)
• The Comic Relief Red Nose Day telecasts, including appearing in:
  • Blackadder: The Cavalier Yearsas Edmund Blackadder (1988)
  • Nosenight sketches(1989)
  • Mr Bean's Red Nose Dayas Mr Bean (1991)
  • (I Wanna Be) Electedas Mr Bean (1992)
  • Blind Date with Mr Beanas Mr Bean (1993)
  • Torvill and Beanas Mr Bean (1995)
  • Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Deathas The Doctor (1999)
  • Popstersas Nasty Neville (2001)
  • Lying to Michael Jacksonas Martin Bashir (2003)
  • Spider-Plant Manas Peter Piper and Spider-Plant Man (2005)
  • Mr Bean's Weddingas Mr Bean (2007)
  • The Greatest Worst Bits of Comic Reliefas Himself (2007)
• We Are Most Amused(2008), a special show to celebrate Prince Charles ' 60th birthday
• Blackadder Rides Againas himself (2008)
• Not Again: Not the Nine O'Clock Newsas himself (2009)

Guest appearances

• Wogan(1988, 1991)
• Children in Need(1988), guest appearance as Mr E. Blackadder
• Noel's House Party, guest appearance as Blackadder
• Going Live, guest appearance as Mr Bean
• This Morning(1995), guest appearance as Mr Bean
• Big Breakfast
• Parkinson(2003)
• Blue Peter(2004, 2007), guest appearance as Mr Bean
• London Tonight(2005)
• BBC Breakfast(2007)
• Richard & Judy(2007)
• The Dame Edna Treatment(2007), guest appearance as Mr Bean
• Top Gear(2011)

Live comedy albums

• Live in Belfast(1980)
• Not Just a Pretty Face(1987)

Comedic style

Best known for his use of physical comedy in his trademark character of Mr. Bean, Atkinson's other characters rely more heavily on language. Atkinson often plays authority figures (especially priests or vicars) speaking absurd lines with a completely deadpan delivery.

One of his better-known trademark comic devices is over-articulation of the "B" sound, such as his pronunciation of " Bob " in aBlackadderepisode. Atkinson suffers from stuttering ,and the over-articulation is a technique to overcome problematic consonants.

Atkinson's often visually based style, which has been compared to Buster Keaton ,sets him apart from most modern television and film comedies, which rely heavily on dialogue, as well as stand-up comedy which is mostly based on monologues. This talent for visual comedy has led to Atkinson being called "the man with the rubber face": comedic reference was made to this in an episode ofBlackadder the Third, in which Baldrick ( Tony Robinson ) refers to his master, Mr. E. Blackadder , as a "lazy, big nosed, rubber-faced bastard".

Career

Radio

Atkinson had starred in a series of comedy shows for BBC Radio 3 in 1978 calledThe Atkinson People. It consisted of a series of satirical interviews with fictional great men, who were played by Atkinson himself. The series was written by Atkinson and Richard Curtis , and produced by Griff Rhys Jones .

Television

After university, Atkinson toured with Angus Deayton as his straight man in an act that was eventually filmed for a television show. After the success of the show, he did a one-off pilot for London Weekend Television in 1979 calledCanned Laughter. Atkinson then went on to doNot the Nine O'Clock Newsfor the BBC , produced by his friend John Lloyd . He starred on the show along with Pamela Stephenson , Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith , and was one of the main sketch writers.

The success ofNot the Nine O'Clock Newsled to his starring in the medieval sitcomThe Black Adder, which he also co-wrote with Richard Curtis , in 1983. After a three-year gap, in part due to budgetary concerns, a second series was written, this time by Curtis and Ben Elton , and first screened in 1986.Blackadder IIfollowed the fortunes of one of the descendants of Atkinson's original character, this time in the Elizabethan era . The same pattern was repeated in the two sequelsBlackadder the Third(1987) (set in the Regency era ), andBlackadder Goes Forth(1989) (set in World War I). TheBlackadderseries went on to become one of the most successful BBC situation comedies of all time, spawning television specials includingBlackadder's Christmas Carol(1988) andBlackadder: The Cavalier Years(1988).

Atkinson's other famous creation, the haplessMr. Bean, first appeared on New Years Day in 1990 in a half-hour special for Thames Television . The character of Mr. Bean has been likened somewhat to a modern-day Buster Keaton .During this time, Atkinson appeared at theJust for Laughscomedy festival in Montreal in 1987 and 1989. Several sequels toMr. Beanappeared on television in the 1990s, and it eventually made into a major motion picture in 1997. EntitledBean, it was directed by Mel Smith, his former co-star fromNot the Nine O'Clock News. A second movie was released in 2007 entitledMr. Bean's Holiday. In 1995 and 1997, Atkinson portrayed Inspector Raymond Fowler in the popularThe Thin Blue Linetelevision series, written by Ben Elton, which takes place in a police station located in fictitious Gasforth.

Atkinson has fronted campaigns for Kronenbourg , Hitachi electrical goods,^{[citation needed]}Fujifilm , and Give Blood . Atkinson appeared as a hapless and error-prone espionage agent in a long-running series for Barclaycard , on which character his title role inJohnny EnglishandJohnny English Rebornwas based.

He also starred in a comedy spoof ofDoctor Whoas the Doctor , for a red nose day benefit.

Atkinson has also starred as theStar in a Reasonably Priced Carin the motoring show,Top Gearin July 2011, where he recorded the second fastest lap in the Kia Cee'd with a time of 1:42.2.

Film

Atkinson's film career began in 1983 with a supporting part in the 'unofficial' James Bond movieNever Say Never Againand a leading role inDead on Timewith Nigel Hawthorne . He appeared in formerNot the Nine O'Clock Newsco-star Mel Smith's directorial debutThe Tall Guyin 1989. He also appeared alongside Anjelica Huston and Mai Zetterling in Roald Dahl 'sThe Witchesin 1990. In 1993 he played the part of Dexter Hayman inHot Shots! Part Deux, a parody ofRambo III, starring Charlie Sheen .

Atkinson gained further recognition with his turn as a verbally bumbling vicar in the 1994 hitFour Weddings and a Funeral. That same year he was featured in Disney 'sThe Lion Kingas the voice of Zazu the Red-billed Hornbill . Atkinson continued to appear in supporting roles in successful comedies, includingRat Race(2001),Scooby-Doo(2002), andLove Actually (2003).

In 2005, he acted in the crime/comedyKeeping Mum, which also starred Kristin Scott Thomas , Maggie Smith and Patrick Swayze .

In addition to his supporting roles, Atkinson has also had success as a leading man. His television character Mr. Bean debuted on the big screen in 1997 withBeanto international success. A sequel,Mr. Bean's Holiday, was released in March 2007 and this, as recently mentioned by Atkinson in 2011, was the last time he played the character.He has also starred in the James Bond parodyJohnny Englishin 2003. Its sequel,Johnny English Rebornwas released on 7 October 2011.

Theatre

Rowan Atkinson did live on-stage skits – also appearing with members of Monty Python – in The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979) .

Rowan Atkinson appeared in the 2009 revival of the West End musicalOliver!as Fagin .The production was directed by Rupert Goold. A year prior he starred in a pre-West End run of the show in Oxford, directed by Jez Bond .

Early life and education

Atkinson, the youngest of four brothers, was born in Consett , County Durham , England.His parents were Eric Atkinson, a farmer and company director , and Ella May (née Bainbridge), who married on 29 June 1945.His three older brothers were Paul, who died as an infant, Rodney , a Eurosceptic economist who narrowly lost the United Kingdom Independence Party leadership election in 2000, and Rupert.Atkinson was brought up Anglican ,and was educated at Durham Choristers School , St. Bees School , and Newcastle University .In 1975, he continued for the degree of MSc in Electrical Engineering at The Queen's College, Oxford , the same college his father matriculated at in 1935,which made Atkinson an Honorary Fellow in 2006.First achieving notice at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1976,while at Oxford, he also acted and performed early sketches for the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS), the Oxford Revue and the Experimental Theatre Club (ETC), meeting writer Richard Curtis and composer Howard Goodall , with whom he would continue to collaborate during his career.

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979	The Secret Policeman's Ball	Various roles	Solo skits, plus with Monty Python
1982	Fundamental Frolics	Himself
1982	The Secret Policeman's Other Ball	Himself & Various Roles
1983	Dead on Time	Bernard Fripp
	Never Say Never Again	Nigel Small-Fawcett	a spy film on theJames BondNovelThunderball
1989	The Appointments of Dennis Jennings	Dr. Schooner	Short Film
	The Tall Guy	Ron Anderson
1990	The Witches	Mr. Stringer
1991	The Driven Man	Himself	TV Also Writer
1993	Hot Shots! Part Deux	Dexter Hayman
1994	Four Weddings and a Funeral	Father Gerald
	The Lion King	Zazu	Voice Only
1997	Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie	Mr. Bean	Also Writer/Executive Producer
2000	Maybe Baby	Mr. James
2001	Rat Race	Enrico Pollini
2002	Scooby-Doo	Emile Mondavarious
2003	Johnny English	Johnny English
	Love Actually	Rufus	Nominated –Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Acting
2005	Keeping Mum	Reverend Walter Goodfellow
2007	Mr. Bean's Holiday	Mr. Bean	Also Writer
2011	Johnny English Reborn	Johnny English	Also Executive Producer

• Canned Laughter(1979), an experimental sitcom pilot for LWT
• The Secret Policeman's Ball(1979), a charity special for Amnesty International
• Not the Nine O'Clock News(1979–1982)
• Peter Cook & Co(1980)
• The Innes Book of Records(1980), guest appearance
• Never Say Never Again(1983)
• Blackadderas Prince Edmund (The Black Adder), Lord Blackadder (Blackadder II), Edmund Blackadder (Blackadder III), Ebenezer Blackadder (Blackadder's Christmas Carol) & Captain Blackadder (Blackadder Goes Forth) (1983–1989)
• Saturday Liveas guest host (1986)
• Mr. Beanas Mr. Bean (1990–2009 various times)
• Rowan Atkinson Liveas assorted characters (1992) (VHS of live sketches)
• Bernard and the Genieas Bernard's Boss (1991) (TV movie)
• Funny Business(1992), a documentary about the craft of comedy
• A Bit Of Fry And Laurie(1992), guest appearance
• The Thin Blue Lineas Inspector Raymond Fowler (1995–1996)
• The Story of Beanas himself (1997)
• Blackadder: Back and Forthas Blackadder (2000)
• Mr. Bean (animated TV series)as Mr Bean, voice (2002)
• The Comic Relief Red Nose Day telecasts, including appearing in:
  • Blackadder: The Cavalier Yearsas Edmund Blackadder (1988)
  • Nosenight sketches(1989)
  • Mr Bean's Red Nose Dayas Mr Bean (1991)
  • (I Wanna Be) Electedas Mr Bean (1992)
  • Blind Date with Mr Beanas Mr Bean (1993)
  • Torvill and Beanas Mr Bean (1995)
  • Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Deathas The Doctor (1999)
  • Popstersas Nasty Neville (2001)
  • Lying to Michael Jacksonas Martin Bashir (2003)
  • Spider-Plant Manas Peter Piper and Spider-Plant Man (2005)
  • Mr Bean's Weddingas Mr Bean (2007)
  • The Greatest Worst Bits of Comic Reliefas Himself (2007)
• We Are Most Amused(2008), a special show to celebrate Prince Charles ' 60th birthday
• Blackadder Rides Againas himself (2008)
• Not Again: Not the Nine O'Clock Newsas himself (2009)

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