Atkinson at the premiere for Johnny English Reborn in September 2011
Birth name
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson
Born
(1955-01-06) 6 January 1955 (age 69) Consett, County Durham, England
Medium
Television
film
stand-up
Alma mater
Newcastle University (BSc)
The Queen's College, Oxford (MSc)
Years active
1978–present
Spouse
Sunetra Sastry
(m. 1990; div. 2015)
Partner(s)
Louise Ford (2014–present)[1]
Children
3
Relative(s)
Rodney Atkinson (brother)
Signature
Rowan Atkinson's voice
from the BBC programme Front Row Interviews, 8 January 2012[2]
Rowan Sebastian AtkinsonCBE (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles in the sitcoms Blackadder (1983–1989) and Mr. Bean (1990–1995), and in the film series Johnny English (2003–2018). Atkinson first came to prominence on the BBC sketch comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–1982), receiving the 1981 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance.
Atkinson has appeared in various films, including the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983), The Witches (1990), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Rat Race (2002), Scooby-Doo (2002), Love Actually (2003), and Wonka (2023). He played the voice role of Zazu in the Disney animated film The Lion King (1994). Atkinson portrayed Mr. Bean in the film adaptations Bean (1997) and Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007). He also featured on the BBC sitcom The Thin Blue Line (1995–1996) and played the titular character in ITV's Maigret (2016–2017). His work in theatre includes the role of Fagin in the 2009 West End revival of the musical Oliver!.
Atkinson was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy in 2003,[3] and among the top 50 comedians ever, in a 2005 poll of fellow comedians.[4] Throughout his career, he has collaborated with screenwriter Richard Curtis and composer Howard Goodall, both of whom he met at the Oxford University Dramatic Society during the 1970s. In addition to his 1981 BAFTA, Atkinson received an Olivier Award for his 1981 West End theatre performance in Rowan Atkinson in Revue. Atkinson was appointed CBE in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity.
^"Mr Bean leaves wife of 24 years for younger woman". Stuff. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
^"Rowan Atkinson". Front Row Interviews. 8 January 2012. BBC Radio 4 Extra. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
^"The A-Z of laughter (part one)", The Observer, 7 December 2003. Retrieved 7 January 2007.
^"Cook voted 'comedians' comedian'". BBC News. 2 January 2005.
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson CBE (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles in the sitcoms Blackadder (1983–1989)...
comedian RowanAtkinson has appeared in twenty films and over thirty film series and over eight television advertisements. After university, Atkinson toured...
businessman. He is the older brother of the comedian and actor RowanAtkinson. Atkinson studied German at Newcastle University (BA Hons with distinction...
and The Full Monty (1997). In 1990 RowanAtkinson created a series for TV Mr. Bean, which made the actor RowanAtkinson famous all around the world. Later...
is the third instalment of the Johnny English series. The film stars RowanAtkinson in the title role, alongside Ben Miller, Olga Kurylenko, Jake Lacy and...
originally aired on BBC1 from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred RowanAtkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's...
After working with actor RowanAtkinson on the play Quartermaine's Terms in 2013, the pair began a relationship, leading to Atkinson separating from his wife...
Working Title Films, and distributed by Universal Pictures. Starring RowanAtkinson in the title role along with Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller and John...
Thomas, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, RowanAtkinson, and Robert Guillaume. Its original songs were written by composer Elton...
Callow, John Hannah, Charlotte Coleman, David Bower, Corin Redgrave, and RowanAtkinson in supporting roles. The film was made in six weeks, cost under £3 million...
Emma Thompson and RowanAtkinson. Curtis's script draws from his experiences as straight man to long-time collaborator RowanAtkinson. The protagonist...
Title Films, and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film stars RowanAtkinson (reprising his role as the title character) alongside Gillian Anderson...
Oxford. At the University of Oxford, he met and began working with RowanAtkinson, after they both joined the scriptwriting team of the Etceteras revue...
black comedy film co written and directed by Niall Johnson and starring RowanAtkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith and Patrick Swayze. It was produced...
Thomas Sangster, Lúcia Moniz, Olivia Olson, Marcus Brigstocke, and RowanAtkinson. The short film was first broadcast on BBC One on 24 March 2017 as a...
December 2020). "Netflix Unveils New U.K. Projects With Sam Mendes, RowanAtkinson, Andy Serkis". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021...
features RowanAtkinson as Blackadder's Scottish cousin MacAdder, supposedly a fierce swordsman. This leads to a dialogue in which Atkinson is acting...
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