Rowan Atkinson Biography (1955-)

Full name, Rowan Sebastian Atkinson; born January 6, 1955, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England; son of Eric (a farm owner) and Ella May Atkinson; married Sunetra Sastry (a makeup artist), 1990; children: Benjamin, Lily. Addresses: Agent: Mike Simpson, William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.; Manager: Peter Bennett-Jones, PBJ Management, Ltd., 7 Soho St., London W1D 3DQ, England.

Nationality: British
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, comedian, writer, producer
Birth Details: January 6, 1955; Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom

Famous Works

CREDITS
Television Appearances
Series
Reporter and various characters, Not the Nine O'Clock News, BBC-2,1979-1980 and 1982
Prince Edmund (the Duke of Edinburgh [title role]), The Black Adder (also known as Blackadder), BBC, 1983
Lord Edmund Blackadder, Blackadder II (also known as Black-Adder II), BBC, 1986
Edmund Blackadder, Esquire (butler to the prince), Blackadder the Third (also known as Blackadder III), BBC, 1987
Captain Edmund Blackadder, Blackadder Goes Forth (also known as Blackadder IV), BBC, 1989, then Arts and Entertainment
Title role, Mr. Bean (also known as Dr. Bean), ITV, 1990-1995, then CBC, HBO, and PBS
Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin, Full Throttle (also known as Heroes andVillains: Full Throttle), BBC, 1995
Inspector Raymond C. Fowler, The Thin Blue Line, BBC, 1995-1996, later PBS
Himself, The Nose at Ten, [Great Britain], beginning 1996
Voice of Mr. Bean, Mr. Bean (animated), CBC, 2002-2003
Movies
Robert Box, Dave Perry, and Mr. Marshall, Canned Laughter, 1979
Himself, Weekend in Wallop, ITV, 1984
Sir Edmund Blackadder, Blackadder: The Cavalier Years, 1988
Charles Pinkworth, Bernard and the Genie, BBC, 1992
Specials
Various characters, Peter Cook & Co., [Great Britain], 1980
Himself, Comic Relief (also known as The Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live), BBC, 1986
"Just for Laughs II" (also known as "Juste pour rire"), Showtime Comedy Spotlight, Showtime, 1987
Lord Knock of Alton, The Grand Knockout Tournament, BBC, 1987
(Uncredited) Mr. R, Hysteria! Hysteria! Hysteria!, [Great Britain], 1988
Himself, "Live! From London," HBO Comedy Hour, HBO, 1988
Ebenezer Blackadder, Commodore Edmund Blackadder, Lord Edmund Blackadder,and Edmund Blackadder, Esquire, Blackadder's Christmas Carol, BBC, 1988, Arts and Entertainment, 1989
Dr. Schooner, Steven Wright in the Appointments of Dennis Jennings(also known as The Appointments of Dennis Jennings), HBO, 1989
Shakespeare's manager, Hysteria 2!, [Great Britain], 1989
"Montreal International Comedy Festival," HBO Comedy Hour, HBO, 1989
Mr. Bean, Merry Christmas Mr. Bean, 1992
"Rowan Atkinson: Not Just Another Pretty Face" (also known as "Rowan Atkinson Live," "Rowan Atkinson: Not Just a Pretty Face," and "Rowan Atkinson onLocation in Boston"), HBO Comedy Hour, HBO, 1992
Mr. Bean, Comic Relief: The Invasion of the Comic Tomatoes, BBC, 1993
Presenter, Laughing Matters (also known as Funny Business),Showtime, 1993
Himself, The Driven Man, [Great Britain], 1993
Mr. Bean, Comic Relief: Behind the Nose, BBC, 1995
Himself and Mr. Bean, Reflections of Mr. Bean, 1996
Himself and Mr. Bean, The Story of Bean, 1997
Himself, The Fine Art of Separating People from Their Money (alsoknown as Wie man die Leute von ihrem Geld trennt), Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen and Bravo, 1998
Sir Edmund Blackadder, A Royal Birthday Celebration, ITV, 1998
The ninth doctor, Comic Relief: Doctor Who and the Curse of Final Death (also known as Doctor Who: The Curse of the Final Death), BBC, 1999
Performer, The Royal Variety Performance 2000, BBC, 2000
Edmund Blackadder (in archive footage), The 100 Greatest TV Characters, Channel 4, 2001
Neville, Comic Relief Short Pants, 2001
Himself, Comic Relief: Say Pants to Poverty, BBC, 2001
(In archive footage) I Love Christmas, BBC, 2001
Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder, The Jubilee Girl, BBC, 2002
Martin Bashir, Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do, BBC, 2003
Episodic
The Innes Book of Records, BBC, 1980
Himself, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, BBC, 1990
Himself, Talkshowet, 1993
Mr. Bean, Ohh Nooo! Mr. Bill Presents, Fox Family Channel, 1998
(In archive footage) Himself and various characters, The Sketch Show Story (also known as Victoria Wood's Sketch Show Story), BBC, 2001
Himself, "Wetten, das ... aus Luzern," Wetten, dass...?, 2003
Himself, Parkinson, BBC, 2003
Judge, Pet Star, Animal Planet, 2003
Himself, Sen kvaell med Luuk, 2003
Himself, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 2003
Appeared as a guest in Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC.
Other
Edmund Blackadder, Laughter in the House: The Story of British Sitcom (miniseries), [Great Britain], 1999
Appeared as the narrator in the unaired pilot Boohbah.
Television Work
Series
Creator, Not the Nine O' Clock News, BBC-2, 1979-1980 and 1982

Creator, The Black Adder (also known as Blackadder), BBC, 1983
Cocreator, Blackadder the Third (also known as Blackadder III), BBC, 1987
Co-executive producer, Mr. Bean (animated), CBC, 2002-2003
Specials
Director, Comic Relief (also known as The Utterly Utterly RudeVideo Live), BBC, 1986
Creator, Laughing Matters (also known as Funny Business), Showtime, 1993
Film Appearances
Monty Python Meets Beyond the Fringe (also known as Pleasure atHer Majesty's), 1977
Various characters, The Secret Policeman's Ball (also known as The 1979 Amnesty International Comedy Gala), Tigon/Amnesty International/Island, 1979
Himself, Fundamental Frolics, 1981
Various characters, The Secret Policeman's Other Ball, United International Pictures, 1981
Bernard Fripp, Dead on Time, 1982
Nigel Small-Fawcett, Never Say Never Again (also known as Warhead and James Bond 007--Sag niemals nie), Warner Bros., 1983
Ron Anderson, The Tall Guy, Virgin Vision, 1989
Mr. Stringer, The Witches, Warner Bros., 1990
Two Mikes Don't Make a Wright, 1992
Dexter Hayman, Hot Shots! Part Deux (also known as Hot Shots! 2), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1993
Father Gerald, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Gramercy, 1994
Voice of Zazu, The Lion King (animated; also known as King of the Jungle), Buena Vista, 1994
Mr. Bean (title role), Bean (also known as Bean: The Movie, Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie, and Dr. Bean), Ascot EliteEntertainment Group, 1997
Lord Edmund Blackadder, King Edmund III, and Blackaddercus, BlackadderBack & Forth (short), VCI Distribution, 1999
Mr. James, Maybe Baby, USA Films, 2000
Enrico Pollini, Rat Race (also known as Course folle), Paramount, 2001
Emile Mondavarious (owner of Spooky Island), Scooby-Doo, Warner Bros., 2002
Title role, Johnny English, Universal, 2003
Rufus, Love Actually, Universal, 2003
(Uncredited) Voice of Zazu, Mickey's PhilharMagic (animated), Buena Vista, 2003
Film Work
Executive producer and character creator, Bean (also known as Bean: The Movie, Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie, and Dr. Bean), Ascot Elite Entertainment Group, 1997
Character creator, Blackadder Back & Forth (short), VCI Distribution, 1999
Stage Appearances
Beyond a Joke, Hampstead, England, 1978
The Secret Policeman's Ball (comedy gala; also known as The 1979 Amnesty International Comedy Gala), Her Majesty's Theatre, London, 1979
Rowan Atkinson in Revue, Globe Theatre, London, 1981
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (comedy gala), Drury Lane Theatre, London, 1981
Not in Front of the Audience, Drury Lane Theatre, 1982
Rick Steadman, The Nerd, Aldwych Theatre, London, 1984
Rowan Atkinson at the Atkinson, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New YorkCity, 1986
Rowan Atkinson: The New Revue, Shaftesbury Theatre, London, 1986
Mime Gala, London International Mime Festival, Bloomsbury Theatre,London, 1987
The Sneeze, Aldwych Theatre, 1988
Appeared in Oxford University Revues, Oxford Playhouse, Oxford, England,c. 1977; and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1977.
Major Tours
Has appeared in solo shows that have toured the United States, Canada, Australia, and Asia.
RECORDINGS
Videos
Oh What the Hell, Part I, Video Arts Production, 1984
Oh What the Hell, Part II, Video Arts Production, 1984
Mr. Bean, The Amazing Adventures of Mr. Bean, 1989
Mr. Bean, The Exciting Escapades of Mr. Bean, 1990
Mr. Bean, The Trouble with Mr. Bean, 1991
Mr. Bean, The Merry Mishaps of Mr. Bean, 1992
Mr. Bean, The Perilous Persuits of Mr. Bean, 1992
Mr. Bean, The Final Frolics of Mr. Bean, 1994
Voice of Zazu, Disney Sing-along-Songs: The Lion King Circle of Life, 1994
Mr. Bean, Unseen Bean, 1995
Mr. Bean, The Best Bits of Mr. Bean, 1997
Himself, Making "Rat Race," Paramount/Fireworks Pictures, 2001
Video Games
Voice, Legacy of Kain: Defiance (also known as Legacy of Kain:Soul Reaver II), Eidos Interactive, 2003
Music Videos
(As Mr. Bean) "Picture of You," by Boyzone, 1997
Audiobooks
Rowan Atkinson Reads Tom Brown's Schooldays, Listen for Pleasure,1981
Singles
Recorded the singles (with Kate Bush) "Do Bears..." and (with Bruce Dickinson) "Elected."
WRITINGS
Teleplays
Series
(With others) Not the Nine O'Clock News, BBC-2, 1979-1980 and 1982
(With Richard Curtis) The Black Adder (also known as Blackadder), BBC, 1983
Blackadder II (also known as Black-Adder II), BBC, 1986
Blackadder the Third (also known as Blackadder III), BBC, 1987
Blackadder Goes Forth (also known as Blackadder IV), BBC, 1989, then Arts and Entertainment
(With Robin Driscoll, Richard Curtis, and Ben Elton) Mr. Bean (also known as Dr. Bean), ITV, 1990-1995, then CBC, HBO, and PBS
Ohh Nooo! Mr. Bill Presents, Fox Family Channel, 1998
Movies
Canned Laughter, 1979
Specials
(With Richard Curtis) Merry Christmas Mr. Bean, 1992
"Rowan Atkinson: Not Just Another Pretty Face" (also known as "Rowan Atkinson Live," "Rowan Atkinson: Not Just a Pretty Face," and "Rowan Atkinson onLocation in Boston"), HBO Comedy Hour, HBO, 1992
The Driven Man, [Great Britain], 1993
(With others) Laughing Matters (also known as Funny Business), Showtime, 1993
Screenplays
The Secret Policeman's Ball (also known as The 1979 Amnesty International Comedy Gala), Tigon/Amnesty International/Island, 1979
Writings for the Stage
The Secret Policeman's Ball (comedy gala; also known as The 1979 Amnesty International Comedy Gala), Her Majesty's Theatre, London, 1979
(With Richard Curtis) Rowan Atkinson in Revue, Globe Theatre, London, 1981
(With Curtis and Ben Elton) Rowan Atkinson at the Atkinson, BrooksAtkinson Theatre, New York City, 1986
(With Curtis and Elton) Rowan Atkinson: The New Revue, ShaftesburyTheatre, London, 1986
With Richard Curtis, writer for Oxford University Revues, Oxford Playhouse, Oxford, England, c. 1977, and for work performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1977.
Videos
The Best Bits of Mr. Bean, 1997
Nonfiction
Columnist for Car magazine.

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals

Entertainment Weekly, November 21, 1997; March 27, 1998; July 25,2003
Maclean's, October 20, 1997
People Weekly, November 24, 1997; December 1, 1997
Times (London), April 11, 2003
Variety, June 23, 1997

Electronic

Rowan Atkinson Information Gateway, http://www.rowanatkinson.org,August 29, 2003

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