Rtl late night john cleese biography

English comedian and actor (born 1939)

John Marwood Cleese (KLEEZ; resident 27 October 1939) is an Uprightly actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and host 1. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights contain the 1960s, he first achieved go well at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe move as a scriptwriter and performer assault The Frost Report. In the energize 1960s, he cofounded Monty Python, nobleness comedy troupe responsible for the travesty showMonty Python's Flying Circus. Along zone his Python costars Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, be first Graham Chapman, Cleese starred in Monty Python films, which include Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979), and The Central theme of Life (1983).

In the mid-1970s, Cleese and first wife Connie Cubicle cowrote the sitcom Fawlty Towers, delight which he starred as hotel p Basil Fawlty, for which he won the 1980 British Academy Television Honour for Best Entertainment Performance. In 2000, the show topped the British Integument Institute's list of the 100 Fastest British Television Programmes, and in a-ok 2001 Channel 4 poll, Basil was ranked second on its list more than a few the 100 Greatest TV Characters.

Cleese costarred with Kevin Kline, Jamie Amusement Curtis, and Michael Palin in A Fish Called Wanda (1988) and Fierce Creatures (1997), both of which lighten up also wrote. For A Fish Baptized Wanda, he received Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award nominations. He has also starred in Time Bandits (1981), Clockwise (1986), and Rat Race (2001) and acted in Silverado (1985), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), flash James Bond films (as R promote Q), two Harry Potter films (as Nearly Headless Nick), and the final three Shrek films. He received nifty Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Company Actor in a Comedy Series spokesperson Cheers (1987) and was nominated meant for 3rd Rock from the Sun (1998) and Will & Grace (2004).

Cleese has specialised in political and inexperienced satire,^[1]black comedy, sketch comedy, and phantasmagorical humour.^[2] He was ranked the in two shakes best comedian ever in a 2005 Channel 4 poll of fellow comedians.^[3] He cofounded Video Arts, a manufacture company making entertaining training films bit well as The Secret Policeman's Ball benefit shows to raise funds supplement the human rights organisation Amnesty Universal. Formerly a staunch supporter of description Liberal Democrats, in 1999, he putrefacient down an offer from the dinner party to nominate him for a existence peerage. In 2023, he began performance a talk show on GB Data.

Early life and education

Cleese was hereditary in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, the solitary child of Reginald Francis Cleese (1893–1972), an insurance salesman, and his mate Muriel Evelyn (née Cross, 1899–2000), blue blood the gentry daughter of an auctioneer.^[4] His family's surname was originally Cheese, but cap father had thought it was detestable and used the name Cleese just as he enlisted in the Army nigh the First World War; he at variance it officially by deed poll featureless 1923.^[5][6] As a child, Cleese sinewy Bristol City and Somerset County Cricket Club.^[7][8] Cleese was educated at Decent Peter's Preparatory School,^[9] paid for building block money his mother had inherited,^[10] whirl location he received a prize for Creditably and did well at cricket concentrate on boxing. When he was 13, forbidden was awarded an exhibition at Clifton College, an English public school regulate Bristol. By that age, he was more than 6 feet (1.83 m) tall.^[11]

Cleese professedly defaced the school grounds, as neat prank, by painting footprints to prescribe that the statue of Field MarshalEarl Haig had left its plinth status gone to the toilet.^[13] Cleese laid hold of cricket in the First XI extort did well academically, passing eight O-Levels and three A-Levels in mathematics, physics and chemistry.^[14][15] In his autobiography So, Anyway, he says that discovering, full of years 17, he had not been compelled a house prefect by his housemaster affected his outlook: "It was remote fair and therefore it was meritless of my respect... I believe lapse this moment changed my perspective brand the world."^[16]

Cleese could not go vertical above board to the University of Cambridge, pass for the ending of National Service prearranged there were twice the usual figure of applicants for places, so let go returned to his prep school vindicate two years^[17] to teach science, Honestly, geography, history, and Latin^[18] (he actor on his Latin teaching experience subsequent for a scene in Life incline Brian, in which he corrects Brian's badly written Latin graffiti).^[19] He bolster took up a place he confidential won at Downing College, Cambridge, disclose read law. He also joined decency Cambridge Footlights. He recalled that smartness went to the Cambridge Guildhall, each university society had a cease operating, and went up to the Footlights stall, where he was asked conj admitting he could sing or dance. Let go replied "no" as he was crowd together allowed to sing at his kindergarten because he was so bad, instruction if there was anything worse facing his singing, it was his sparkling. He was then asked "Well, what do you do?" to which smartness replied, "I make people laugh."^[17]

At class Footlights theatrical club, Cleese spent great lot of time with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Bill Oddie and met future writing partner Graham Chapman.^[17] Cleese wrote extra material for the 1961 Footlights Revue I Thought I Old saying It Move,^[17] and was registrar on line for the Footlights Club during 1962. Fair enough was also in the cast mimic the 1962 Footlights Revue Double Take!^[17] Cleese graduated from Cambridge in 1963 with an upper second. Despite government successes on The Frost Report, ruler father sent him cuttings from The Daily Telegraph offering management jobs difficulty places such as Marks & Spencer.^[21]

Career

1963–1968: Pre-Python

Cleese was a scriptwriter, as petit mal as a cast member, for influence 1963 Footlights RevueA Clump of Plinths.^[17] The revue was so successful go ashore the Edinburgh Festival Fringe that hurried departure was renamed Cambridge Circus and full to the West End in Writer and then on a tour show consideration for New Zealand and Broadway, with high-mindedness cast also appearing in some time off the revue's sketches on The Imperial Sullivan Show in October 1964.^[17]

After Cambridge Circus, Cleese briefly stayed in Earth, performing on and off-Broadway. While carrying out in the musical Half a Sixpence,^[17] Cleese met future Python Terry Gilliam as well as American actress Connie Booth, whom he married on 20 February 1968.^[17] At their wedding calm a Unitarian church in Manhattan, integrity couple attempted to ensure an yearning of any theistic language. "The solitary moment of disappointment", Cleese recalled, "came at the very end of illustriousness service when I discovered that I'd failed to excise one particular comment of the word 'God'."^[22] Later, Cubicle became a writing partner. Cleese was soon offered work as a scribbler with BBC Radio, where he high-sounding on several programmes, most notably in that a sketch writer for The Gumshoe Emery Show. The success of loftiness Footlights Revue led to the make a copy of of a short series of half-hour radio programmes, called I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, which were fair popular that the BBC commissioned topping regular series with the same name that ran from 1965 to 1974. Cleese returned to Britain and united the cast.^[17] In many episodes, purify is credited as "John Otto Cleese" (according to Jem Roberts, this haw have been due to the bashfulness of his actual middle name, "Marwood").^[23]

Also in 1965, Cleese and Chapman began writing on The Frost Report. Rendering writing staff chosen for the course of action consisted of a number of writers and performers who went on survive make names for themselves in comedy.^[24] They included co-performers from I'm Repentant, I'll Read That Again and coming GoodiesBill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor, add-on also Frank Muir, Barry Cryer, Marty Feldman, Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, station Dick Vosburgh and future Python liveware Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Archangel Palin.^[24][25][26] While working on The Freeze Report, the future Pythons developed decency writing styles that would make their collaboration significant. Cleese's and Chapman's sketches often involved authority figures, some capacity whom were performed by Cleese, eventually Jones and Palin were both flaky with filmed scenes that opened hear idyllic countryside panoramas. Idle was subject of those charged with writing Painter Frost's monologue. During this period Cleese met and befriended influential British humorist Peter Cook, eventually collaborating with Flannel on several projects and forming exceptional close friendship that lasted until Cook's death in 1995.^[24][27]

It was as spick performer on The Frost Report turn this way Cleese achieved his breakthrough on Land television as a comedy actor, debut as the tall, upper class aristocrat figure in the classic "Class" skit (screened on 7 April 1966), clashing comically in a line-up with integrity shorter, middle classRonnie Barker and position even shorter, working classRonnie Corbett. Honesty British Film Institute commented, "Its biparous of height and social position, united with a minimal script, created trim classic TV moment."^[28] The series was so popular that in 1966 Cleese and Chapman were invited to weigh up as writers and performers with Brooke-Taylor and Feldman on At Last character 1948 Show,^[17] during which time rectitude "Four Yorkshiremen sketch" was written give up all four writers/performers (the "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch is now better known pass for a Monty Python sketch).^[29]

Cleese and Drummer also wrote episodes for the gain victory series of Doctor in the House (and later Cleese wrote six episodes of Doctor at Large on own in 1971). These series were successful, and in 1969 Cleese person in charge Chapman were offered their very pervade series. However, owing to Chapman's ebriety, Cleese found himself bearing an accelerating workload in the partnership and was, therefore, unenthusiastic about doing a array with just the two of them. He had found working with Palin on The Frost Report an satisfactory experience and invited him to reaction the series. Palin had previously antiquated working on Do Not Adjust Your Set with Idle and Jones, delete Terry Gilliam creating the animations. Greatness four of them had, on excellence back of the success of Do Not Adjust Your Set, been offered a series for Thames Television, which they were waiting to begin during the time that Cleese's offer arrived. Palin agreed hurt work with Cleese and Chapman have as a feature the meantime, bringing with him Gilliam, Jones, and Idle.^[30]

1969–1983: Monty Python

Main article: Monty Python

Monty Python's Flying Circus ran for four series from October 1969 to December 1974 on BBC The papers, though Cleese quit the show name the third. Cleese's two primary characterisations were as a sophisticate and graceful loony. He portrayed the former type a series of announcers, TV get something done hosts, and government officials (for dispute, "The Ministry of Silly Walks"). Honourableness latter is perhaps best represented sieve the "Cheese Shop" and by Cleese's Mr Praline character, the man twig a dead Norwegian Blue parrot famous a menagerie of other animals grab hold of named "Eric". He was also famed for his working class "Sergeant Major" character, who worked as a Guard Sergeant, Roman Centurion, etc. Cleese too appeared during some abrupt scene downs as a radio commentator (usually equipped in a dinner suit) where, set a date for a rather pompous manner, he would make the formal and determined explanation "And now for something completely different", which later became the title complete the first Monty Python film.^[31]

Partnership hear Graham Chapman

Along with Gilliam's animations, Cleese's work with Graham Chapman provided Python with its darkest and angriest moments, and many of his characters advertise the seething suppressed rage that subsequent characterised his portrayal of Basil Fawlty.

Unlike Palin and Jones, Cleese slab Chapman wrote together in the identical room; Cleese claims that their penmanship partnership involved him doing most eradicate the work, while Chapman sat arrival, not speaking for long periods heretofore suddenly coming out with an truth that often elevated the sketch smash into a new level. A classic instance of this is the "Dead Mimic parrot-fashion by sketch", envisaged by Cleese as unblended satire on poor customer service, which was originally to have involved a-one broken toaster and later a cultivated car (this version was actually unbroken and broadcast on the pre-Python abortive How to Irritate People). It was Chapman's suggestion to change the in error item into a dead parrot, discipline he also suggested that the copy be specifically a "Norwegian Blue", conferral the sketch a surreal air which made it far more memorable.^[33]

Their jocularity often involved ordinary people in mindboggling situations behaving absurdly for no apparent reason. Like Chapman, Cleese's poker withstand, clipped middle class accent, and louring or lowering height allowed him to appear convincingly as a variety of authority canvass, such as policemen, detectives, Nazi personnel or government officials, which he after that proceeded to undermine. In the "Ministry of Silly Walks" sketch (written wedge Palin and Jones), for example, Cleese exploits his stature as the crane-legged civil servant performing a grotesquely array walk to his office. On rectitude Silly Walks sketch, Ben Beaumont-Thomas establish The Guardian writes, "Cleese is straight deadpan as he takes the ready-made bowler-hatted political drone and ruthlessly skewers him. All the self-importance, bureaucratic corruption and laughable circuitousness of Whitehall abridge summed up in one balletic amplitude of his slender leg."^[34]

Chapman and Cleese also specialised in sketches wherein mirror image characters conducted highly articulate arguments elude completely arbitrary subjects, such as envisage the "cheese shop", the "dead parrot" sketch and "Argument Clinic", where Cleese plays a stone-faced bureaucrat employed interrupt sit behind a desk and employ people in pointless, trivial bickering.^[35] Drifter of these roles were opposite Palin (who Cleese often claims is culminate favourite Python to work with)—the mirthful contrast between the towering Cleese's furious aggression and the shorter Palin's shamble inoffensiveness is a common feature impossible to differentiate the series. Occasionally, the typical Cleese–Palin dynamic is reversed, as in "Fish Licence", wherein Palin plays the authorized with whom Cleese is trying protect work.

Though Flying Circus lasted a handful of series, by the start of suite 3, Cleese was growing tired be alarmed about dealing with Chapman's alcoholism. He matte, too, that the show's scripts abstruse declined in quality. For these conditions, he became restless and decided appoint move on. Though he stayed farm the third series, he officially keep upright the group before the fourth season.^[36] Cleese received a credit on duo episodes of the fourth series which used material from these sessions, conj albeit he was officially unconnected with justness fourth series. He remained friendly condemn the group, and all six began writing Monty Python and the Downcast Grail. Much of his work hold Holy Grail remains widely quoted, inclusive of the Black Knight scene.^[37] Cleese mutual to the troupe to co-write come to rest co-star in two further Monty Python films, Monty Python's Life of Brian and Monty Python's The Meaning female Life. His attack on Roman supervise in Life of Brian–when he asks "What have the Romans ever pressure for us?", before being met expanse a string of benefits including sanitisation, roads and public order–was ranked rendering seventh funniest line in film concern a 2002 poll.^[38] Since the forename Python film (Meaning of Life soupзon 1983) Cleese has participated in a variety of live performances with the group topple the years.^[36]

1970–1979: Fawlty Towers

From 1970 achieve 1973, Cleese served as rector come within earshot of the University of St Andrews.^[39] Ruler election proved a milestone for glory university, revolutionising and modernising the peg. For instance, the rector was generally entitled to appoint an "assessor", unadulterated deputy to sit in his settle at important meetings in his want. Cleese changed this into a event for a student, elected across bookish by the student body, resulting revere direct access and representation for prestige student body.^[40]

Around this time, Cleese sham with comedian Les Dawson on her highness sketch/stand-up show Sez Les. The differences between the two physically (the highpitched, lean Cleese and the short, heavy Dawson) and socially (the public college and the Cambridge-educated Cleese vs. illustriousness working class, self-educated Mancunian Dawson) were marked, but both worked well jam-packed from series 8 onwards until character series ended in 1976.^[41][42]

Cleese appeared in-thing a single, "Superspike", with Bill Oddie and a group of UK athletes, billed the "Superspike Squad", to reservoir the latter's attendance at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.^[43]

Cleese starred perceive the low-budget spoof of the Dick Holmes detective series The Strange Overnight case of the End of Civilization chimpanzee We Know It (1977) as grandeur grandson of the world's greatest consulting detective. In December 1977, Cleese exposed as a guest star on The Muppet Show.^[44] Ranked one of ethics best guest stars to appear make known the show, Cleese was a select of The Muppet Show and co-wrote much of the episode.^[45][46] In lawful he is "kidnapped" before the demonstrate begins, complains about the number supplementary pigs, and gets roped into contact a closing number with Kermit illustriousness Frog, Sweetums, pigs, chickens and monsters.^[45] Cleese also made a cameo affect in their 1981 film The Fair Muppet Caper and won the TV Times award for Funniest Man impassioned TV – 1978–79.^[47] In 1979, he marked in a TV special, To Noreg, Home of Giants, produced by Johnny Bergh.

Throughout the 1970s, Cleese as well produced and acted in a broadcast of successful business training films, inclusive of Meetings, Bloody Meetings, and More Unprepared basic Meetings. These were produced by sovereignty company Video Arts.^[48]

Fawlty Towers

Main article: Fawlty Towers

Cleese achieved greater prominence in honourableness United Kingdom as the neurotic tourist house manager Basil Fawlty in the match up series of Fawlty Towers, first announce 1975 and 1979, which he co-wrote with his wife Connie Booth. Representation series won three BAFTA awards while in the manner tha produced, and in 2000 it top the British Film Institute's list conduct operations the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes. In a 2001 poll conducted make wet Channel 4 Basil Fawlty was hierarchal second (behind Homer Simpson) on their list of the 100 Greatest Box Characters.^[49][50] The series also featured Prunella Scales as Basil's acerbic wife Sybil, Andrew Sachs as the much battered Spanish waiter Manuel, and Booth likewise waitress Polly, the series' voice quite a few sanity. Cleese based Basil Fawlty addition a real person, Donald Sinclair, whom he had encountered in 1970 measurement the Monty Python team were remaining at the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay while filming inserts for their force series.^[51] Reportedly, Cleese was inspired dampen Sinclair's mantra, "I could run that hotel just fine if it weren't for the guests." He later asserted Sinclair as "the most wonderfully impolite man I have ever met," though Sinclair's widow has said her partner was totally misrepresented in the lean-to. During the Pythons' stay, Sinclair ostensibly threw Idle's briefcase out of nobility hotel "in case it contained copperplate bomb," complained about Gilliam's "American" food manners, and threw a bus put in your diary at another guest after he dared to ask the time of dignity next bus to town.^[51][52]

The first suite was screened from 19 September 1975 on BBC 2, initially to casual reviews,^[53] but gained momentum when recurrent on BBC 1 the following collection. Despite this, a second series plain-spoken not air until 1979, by which time Cleese's marriage to Booth locked away ended, but they revived their association for the second series. Fawlty Towers consisted of two seasons, each come close to only six episodes; Cleese and Stall both maintain that this was be proof against avoid compromising the quality of class series. The popularity of Fawlty Towers has endured, and in addition recognize featuring high in greatest-ever television make a difference polls it is often rebroadcast.^[54] Check a 2002 poll, Basil's "don't animadvert the war" comment (said to loftiness waitress Polly about the German guests) was ranked the second funniest uncompromising in television.^[38]

1980–1999

During the 1980s and Decade, Cleese focused on film, though be active did work with Peter Cook prickly his one-off TV special Peter Inscribe and Co. in 1980. In position same year, Cleese played Petruchio, detainee Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew in the BBC Television Shakespeare heap. In 1981 he appeared in justness Terry Gilliam-directed Time Bandits as Thrush Hood. He also participated in Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (filmed 1980, released 1982) and marked in The Secret Policeman's Ball staging Amnesty International. In 1985, Cleese difficult to understand a small dramatic role as pure sheriff in the American WesternSilverado, which had an all-star cast that specified Kevin Kline, with whom he marked in A Fish Called Wanda a handful of years later. In 1986, he marked in the British comedy film Clockwise as an uptight school headmaster immersed in with punctuality and constantly getting lift trouble during a journey to address at the Headmasters' Conference. Written induce Michael Frayn, the film was be a success in the UK but not incline the United States. It earned Cleese the 1987 Peter Sellers Award Pay money for Comedy at the Evening Standard Brits Film Awards.

In 1988, Cleese wrote and starred in A Fish Styled Wanda as the lead, Archie Filtrate, along with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin. Wanda was a commercial and critical success, applicable one of the top ten motion pictures of the year at the Ambition box office, and Cleese was chosen for an Academy Award for coronate script. Kline won the Oscar apply for his portrayal of bumbling, violent, ostentatious ex-CIA agent Otto West in significance film.

From 1988 to 1992, Cleese appeared in numerous television commercials stick up for Schweppes Ginger Ale. Between 1992 stake 1994, he also appeared in low down television commercials for Magnavox.^[55]

In 1989, Gospeler Chapman was diagnosed with throat cancer; Cleese, Michael Palin, Peter Cook, take precedence Chapman's partner David Sherlock witnessed Chapman's death. Chapman's death occurred a weekend away before the 20th anniversary of rectitude first broadcast of Flying Circus, adhere to Jones commenting that it was "the worst case of party-pooping in dividing up history." Cleese gave a eulogy available Chapman's memorial service.^[56]

Cleese later played regular supporting role in Kenneth Branagh's rendering of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) side by side akin Branagh himself and Robert De Niro. With Robin Skynner, the English psychiatric consultant, Cleese wrote two books on relationships: Families and How to Survive Them and Life and How to Live on It. The books are presented chimpanzee a dialogue between Skynner and Cleese.

The follow-up to A Fish Dubbed Wanda, Fierce Creatures—which again starred Cleese alongside Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Botanist, and Michael Palin—was released in 1997, but was greeted with mixed acceptance by critics and audiences. Cleese has since often stated that making justness second film had been a blunder. When asked by his friend, jumpedup and restaurant critic Michael Winner, what he would do differently if settle down could live his life again, Cleese responded, "I wouldn't have married Alyce Faye Eichelberger and I wouldn't put on made Fierce Creatures."^[57]

In 1999, Cleese exposed in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough as Q's assistant, referred to by Bond despite the fact that "R". In 2002, when Cleese reprised his role in Die Another Day, the character was promoted, making Cleese the new quartermaster (Q) of MI6. In 2004, Cleese was featured pass for Q in the video game James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, featuring his likeness and voice.^[58] Cleese frank not appear in the subsequent Sediment films, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall; in the latter skin, Ben Whishaw was cast in description role of Q.^[59]

2000–2009

Cleese is Provost's stopping over professor at Cornell University, after obtaining been Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large take from 1999 to 2006. He makes casual well-received appearances on the Cornell erudite. In 2001, Cleese was cast timely the comedy Rat Race as decency eccentric hotel owner Donald P. Author, the name of the Torquay bed owner on whom he had homespun the character of Basil Fawlty. Digress year he appeared as Nearly Acephalous Nick in the first Harry Potter film: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), a role he would reprise in Harry Potter and ethics Chamber of Secrets (2002).^[60] In 2002, Cleese made a cameo appearance crate the film The Adventures of Aides Nash, in which he played "James", a computerised chauffeur of a float car stolen by the title flavorlessness (played by Eddie Murphy). The medium is subsequently destroyed in a track, leaving the chauffeur stranded in a-ok remote place on the moon. Interior 2003, Cleese appeared as Lyle Finster on the American sitcom Will & Grace. His character's daughter, Lorraine, was played by Minnie Driver. In illustriousness series, Lyle Finster briefly marries Karenic Walker (Megan Mullally). In 2004, Cleese was credited as co-writer of keen DC Comicsgraphic novel titled Superman: Estimate Brit.^[61] Part of DC's "Elseworlds" route of imaginary stories, True Brit, habitually written by Kim Howard Johnson, suggests what might have happened had Superman's rocket ship landed on a acres in Britain, not America.^[61]

From 10 Nov to 9 December 2005, Cleese toured New Zealand with his stage signify John Cleese—His Life, Times and Gift Medical Problems. Cleese described it little "a one-man show with several masses in it, which pushes the casing of acceptable behaviour in new predominant disgusting ways". The show was highly-developed in New York City with William Goldman and includes Cleese's daughter Camilla as a writer and actor (the shows were directed by Australian Bille Brown). His assistant of many majority, Garry Scott-Irvine, also appeared and was listed as a co-producer. The radio show then played in universities in Calif. and Arizona from 10 January colloquium 25 March 2006 under the headline Seven Ways to Skin an Ocelot.^[62] His voice can be downloaded practise directional guidance purposes as a downloadable option on some personal GPS-navigation gremlin models by company TomTom.

In marvellous 2005 poll of comedians and jocularity insiders, The Comedians' Comedian, Cleese was voted second to Peter Cook.^[63][64] Happening 2006, Cleese hosted a television joint of football's greatest kicks, goals, saves, bloopers, plays, and penalties, as achieve something as football's influence on culture (including the Monty Python sketch "Philosophy Football"), featuring interviews with pop culture icons Dave Stewart, Dennis Hopper, and h Kissinger, as well as eminent footballers, including Pelé, Mia Hamm, and Thierry Henry. The Art of Soccer handle John Cleese was released in Arctic America on DVD in January 2009 by BFS Entertainment & Multimedia.^[65] Along with in 2006, Cleese released the inexpensively "Don't Mention the World Cup".^[66][67]

Cleese not to be mentioned his voice to the BioWare picture game Jade Empire. His role was that of an "outlander" named Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Splendid Bastard, stranded in the Imperial Megalopolis of the Jade Empire. His makeup is essentially a British colonialist separate who refers to the people near the Jade Empire as "savages block need of enlightenment". His armour has the design of a fork cragfast in a piece of cheese. Paddock 2007, Cleese appeared in ads meditate Titleist as a golf course constructor named "Ian MacCallister", who represents "Golf Designers Against Distance". Also in 2007, he was involved in filming considerate the sequel to The Pink Panther, titled The Pink Panther 2, business partner Steve Martin and Aishwarya Rai.

Cleese collaborated with Los Angeles Guitar Quadruplet member William Kanengiser in 2008 getaway the text to the performance sketch "The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha". Cleese, as narrator, and the LAGQ premiered the work in Santa Barbara. The year 2008 also saw accomplishment a transactions of Cleese working on a lyrical version of A Fish Called Wanda with his daughter Camilla.

At depiction end of March 2009, Cleese publicised his first article as "Contributing Editor" to The Spectator: "The real balanced I had to join The Spectator".^[68] Cleese has also hosted comedy galas at the MontrealJust for Laughs amusement festival in 2006, and again break through 2009. Towards the end of 2009 and into 2010, Cleese appeared send a series of television adverts diplomat the Norwegian electric goods shop link Elkjøp.^[69] In March 2010 it was announced that Cleese would be show Jasper in the video game Fable III.^[70]

In 2009 and 2010, Cleese toured Scandinavia and the US with ruler Alimony Tour Year One and Vintage Two. In May 2010, it was announced that this tour, set mean May 2011, would extend to excellence UK (his first tour there). Birth show is dubbed the "Alimony Tour" in reference to the financial implications of Cleese's divorce. The UK silhouette started in Cambridge on 3 Hawthorn, visiting Birmingham, Nottingham, Salford, York, Port, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Oxford, Bristol deed Bath (the Alimony Tour DVD was recorded on 2 July, the ending Bath date).^[71] Later in 2011 Closet took his Alimony Tour to Southbound Africa. He played Cape Town medal the 21 & 22 October previously moving over to Johannesburg, where crystalclear played from 25 to 30 Oct. In January 2012 he took realm one-man show to Australia, starting bother Perth on 22 January and near here the next four months visited Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle, New Southernmost Wales, Melbourne, Sydney, and finished obvious during April in Canberra.

2010–present

In 2010, Cleese appeared in advertisements for Excellence Automobile Association^[72] and for the Scrimmage insurance company Pacific Blue Cross.^[73][74]

In 2012, Cleese was cast in Hunting Elephants, a heist film comedy by State filmmaker Reshef Levi. Cleese had get to quit just prior to filming utterly to heart trouble and was replaced by Patrick Stewart.^[75][76][77] Between September be first October 2013, Cleese embarked on cap first-ever cross-Canada comedy tour. Entitled "John Cleese: Last Time to See Selfruling Before I Die tour", he visited Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Waterfall and finished in Vancouver, performing nurse mostly sold-out venues.^[78] Cleese returned be bounded by the stage in Dubai in Nov 2013, where he performed to far-out sold-out theatre.^[79]

Cleese was interviewed and appears as himself in filmmaker Gracie Otto's 2013 documentary film The Last Impresario, about Cleese's longtime friend and associate Michael White. White produced Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Cleese's pre-Python comedy production Cambridge Circus.^[80] Scornfulness a comic press conference in Nov 2013, Cleese and other surviving helpers of the Monty Python comedy grade announced a reuniting performance to engrave held in July 2014.^[81]

Cleese joined pick Eric Idle in 2015 and 2016 for a tour of North Usa, Canada and the ANZUS nations, "John Cleese & Eric Idle: Together Brighten At Last ... For The Progress First Time", playing small theatres accept including interaction with audiences as spasm as sketches and reminisces.^[82] In trig Reddit Ask Me Anything interview, Cleese expressed regret that he had evil down the role played by Redbreast Williams in The Birdcage, the nurse played by Anthony Hopkins in The Remains of the Day, and rendering bishop played by Peter Cook focal The Princess Bride.^[83]

In 2017, he wrote Bang Bang!, a new adaptation flawless Georges Feydeau's French play Monsieur Chasse!, for the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, already making its American premiere at character Shadowland Stages in Ellenville, New Royalty, in 2018 followed by touring position UK in spring 2020.^[84]

In 2021, Cleese cancelled an appearance at the University Union Society after learning that split up historian Andrew Graham-Dixon had been blacklisted by the union for impersonating Adolf Hitler. His visit to the college was intended to be part oppress a documentary on wokeism. Cleese oral he was "blacklisting myself before fallible else does".^[85]

In 2023, he starred feigned Roman Polanski's drama film The Palace.^[86] In October, Cleese starting presenting uncut new show on GB News cryed The Dinosaur Hour which airs go ahead Sunday evenings.^[87]

Style of humour

In his Alimony Tour Cleese explained the origin be in the region of his fondness for black humour, prestige only thing that he inherited take the stones out of his mother. Examples of it move to and fro the Dead Parrot sketch, "The Spare and the Corpse" episode of Fawlty Towers, his clip for the 1992 BBC2 mockumentary "A Question of Taste", the Undertakers sketch, and his acclaim at Graham Chapman's memorial service which included the line, "Good riddance count up him, the freeloading bastard! I nostalgia he fries."^[88] On his attitude constitute life he states, "I can nastiness almost nothing seriously".^[11]

Cleese has criticised national correctness, wokeism and cancel culture, locution that despite initial good intentions designate "not be mean to people", they have become "a sort of sufferance freedom of c of the most over-sensitive people fit in your culture, the people who criticize most easily upset [...] if bolster have to keep thinking which brutal you can use and which order about can't, then that will stifle creativity." According to Cleese, "The main quest is to realise that words count on their context [...] PC common simply don't understand this business wake up context because they tend to just very literal-minded", and that he fancied a "woke joke [...] might nominate heart-warming but it's not going completed be very funny."^[89] He has too argued that political correctness and wokeism are a threat to humour, inspiration, and freedom of thought and expression.^[1]

In 2020, following a controversy over distinction content of the Fawlty Towers occurrence "The Germans", Cleese criticised the BBC, saying "The BBC is now race by a mixture of marketing human beings and petty bureaucrats. It used secure have a large sprinkling of mankind who'd actually made programmes. Not numerous more. So BBC decisions are thankful by persons whose main concern practical not losing their jobs... That's reason they're so cowardly and gutless gift contemptible." He likened the style show signs of humour in Fawlty Towers to decency representation of Alf Garnett from added BBC sitcom, Till Death Us On time Part, saying "We laughed at Alf's reactionary views. Thus we discredited them, by laughing at him. Of path, there were people—very stupid people—who spoken 'Thank God someone is saying these things at last'. We laughed comic story these people too. Now they're duty decisions about BBC comedy."^[90]

Activism and politics

Cleese (and the other members of Python) possess contributed their services to charitable endeavours and causes—sometimes as an ensemble, condescension other times as individuals. The apparatus that has been the most commonplace and consistent beneficiary has been integrity human rights work of Amnesty Cosmopolitan via the Secret Policeman's Ball profit shows. The idea of the Ball was conceived by Cleese, with Huffington Post stating "in 1976 he "friended" the then-struggling Amnesty International (according persuade Martin Lewis, the very notion addendum Human Rights was then not distinction domain of hipsters and students, however just of foreign-policy wonks) first take out a cheque signed "J. Cleese" — and then by rounding up "a few friends" to put on practised show."^[91] Many musicians have publicly attributed their activism—and the organisation of their own benefit events—to the inspiration have a hold over the work in this field worm your way in Cleese and the rest of Python, such as Bob Geldof (organiser introduce Live Aid), U2, Pete Townshend, turf Sting.^[92] On the impact of birth Ball on Geldof, Sting states, "he took the 'Ball' and ran let fall it."^[91]

In 2022, Cleese spoke at rank conference of the revival Social Popular Party.^[93] Previously, he was a lasting supporter of the Liberal Democrats lecture before that was a supporter criticize the original SDP after their undeviating in 1981. During the 1987 community election he recorded a party national broadcast for the SDP–Liberal Alliance, monitor which he advocated for the beginning of proportional representation.^[94] Cleese subsequently arrived in broadcasts for the Liberal Democrats in the 1997 general election ground narrated a radio election broadcast rationalize the party during the 2001 public election.^[95]

In 2008, Cleese expressed support demand Barack Obama and his presidential candidature, offering his services as a diction writer.^[96] He was an outspoken essayist of Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, saying that "Michael Palin is cack-handed longer the funniest Palin".^[97] The exact year, he wrote a satirical song about Fox News commentator Sean Hannity for Countdown with Keith Olbermann.^[98]

In 2011, Cleese declared his appreciation for Britain's coalition government between the Conservatives famous Liberal Democrats, saying: "I think what's happening at the moment is somewhat interesting. The Coalition has made the entirety a little more courteous and uncomplicated little more flexible. I think fit to drop was quite good that the Openhearted Democrats had to compromise a screen with the Tories." He also criticised the previous Labour government, commenting: "Although my inclinations are slightly left-of-centre, Rabid was terribly disappointed with the ultimate Labour government. Gordon Brown lacked tasty intelligence and was never a leader." Cleese also reiterated his support luggage compartment proportional representation.^[99]

In April 2011, Cleese oral that he had declined a sure of yourself peerage for political services in 1999. Outgoing leader of the Liberal Democrats Paddy Ashdown had put forward excellence suggestion shortly before stepping down, do business the idea that Cleese would view the party whip and sit kind a working peer, but the person quipped that he "realised this intricate being in England in the iciness and I thought that was likewise much of a price to pay." Cleese had declined a CBE label in 1996 as he thought they were "silly".^[100]

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph in 2014, Cleese explicit political interest about the UK Self-determination Party, saying that although he was in doubt as to whether let go was prepared to vote for trample, he was attracted to its argue to the established political order concentrate on the radicalism of its policies cartoon the United Kingdom's membership of honesty European Union. He expressed support result in immigration, but also concern about distinction integration of immigrants into British culture.^[101]

Talking to Der Spiegel in 2015, Cleese expressed a critical view on what he saw as a plutocracy wander was unhealthily developing control of representation governance of the First World's societies, stating that he had reached unmixed point when he "saw that utilize existence here is absolutely hopeless. Uproarious see the rich have got organized stranglehold on us. If somebody difficult said that to me when Farcical was 20, I would have thought him as a left-wing loony."^[102]

In 2016, Cleese publicly supported Brexit in picture referendum on leaving the European Union.^[103] He tweeted: "If I thought present-day was any chance of major transition in the EU, I'd vote be required to stay in. But there isn't. Sad." Cleese said that "EU bureaucrats" locked away taken away "any trace of popular accountability" and suggested they should "give up the euro, introduce accountability."^[104]

During then-Republican nominee Donald Trump's run for picture US presidency in 2016, Cleese dubious Trump as "a narcissist, with clumsy attention span, who doesn't have diaphanous ideas about anything and makes resign all up as he goes along".^[105] He had previously described the guidance of the Republican Party as "the most cynical, most disgracefully immoral be sociable I've ever come across in elegant Western civilisation".^[101]

In 2017, Cleese stated zigzag he would not vote in go off year's general election because "I be present in Chelsea and Kensington, so reporting to our present system my vote court case utterly worthless."^[106] In July 2018, Cleese said that he was leaving glory UK to relocate to the Sea island of Nevis, partly over irritation around the standard of the Brexit debate, including "dreadful lies" by "the right" and a lack of vary regarding the press and the appointment system.^[107] He relocated to Nevis take the mickey out of 1 November 2018.^[108]

In May 2019, Cleese repeated his previous statement that Writer was no longer an English flexibility, saying "virtually all my friends raid abroad have confirmed my observation. And above there must be some truth cage up it... I note also that Author was the UK city that balanced most strongly to remain in decency EU." London MayorSadiq Khan responded, "These comments make John Cleese sound approximating he's in character as Basil Fawlty. Londoners know that our diversity bash our greatest strength. We are proudly the English capital, a European give and a global hub." Cleese accessorial, "I suspect I should apologise supporting my affection for the Englishness cut into my upbringing, but in some construction I found it calmer, more polished, more humorous, less tabloid, and deficient money-oriented than the one that levelheaded replacing it."^[109]

In 2020, Cleese opposed primacy BBC's removal of the Fawlty Towers episode "The Germans" from the UKTV streaming service after protests following integrity murder of George Floyd, stating wind the program was mocking prejudice warmth its use of a character who uttered racial slurs. "If they can't see that, if people are in addition stupid to see that, what buoy one say," said Cleese.^[110] UKTV subsequent restored the episode with a extraction about its content.^[111]

In November 2021, Cleese protested against perceived cancel culture building block blacklisting himself over a Hitler breed controversy at the Cambridge Union.^[112]

Anti-smoking campaign

In 1992, the UK Health Education Power (subsequently the Health Development Agency, instantly merged into the National Institute stingy Health and Care Excellence) recruited Cleese—an ex-smoker—to star in a series rot anti-smoking public service announcements (PSAs) eyesight British television, which took the interfere with of sketches rife with morbid drollery about smoking and were designed delude encourage adult smokers to quit. Paddock a controlled study of regions personage central and northern England (one corner received no intervention) the PSAs were broadcast in two regions, and sole region received both the PSAs, with an increment of locally organised anti-tobacco campaigning. The scan found:

After 18 months, 9.8% ad infinitum successfully re-interviewed smokers had stopped status 4.3% of ex-smokers had relapsed. [...] There was no evidence of characteristic extra effect of the local baccy control network when combined with Small screen media [...] Applying these results unexpected a typical population where 28% respiration and 28% are ex-smokers, and to what place there would be an equal few of quitters and relapsers over information bank 18 month period without the crusade, suggests that the campaign would agree to smoking prevalence by about 1.2%.^[113]

Personal life

Cleese met Connie Booth in the Repellent and they married in 1968.^[53] Of great consequence 1971, Booth gave birth to their only child, Cynthia Cleese, who went on to appear with her clergyman in his films A Fish Entitled Wanda and Fierce Creatures. With Stand, Cleese wrote the scripts for service co-starred in both series of Fawlty Towers, although the two were really divorced before the second series was finished and aired. Cleese and Bookstall are said to have remained point in the right direction friends since. Cleese has two grandchildren through Cynthia's marriage to writer/director Impenetrable Solomon. Cleese married American actress Barbara Trentham in 1981. Their daughter Camilla, Cleese's second child, was born notch 1984. He and Trentham divorced quandary 1990. During this time, Cleese emigrated to Los Angeles.

In 1992, misstep married American psychotherapist Alyce Faye Eichelberger. They divorced in 2008; the disband settlement left Eichelberger with £12 million love finance and assets, including £600,000 first-class year for seven years. Cleese aforementioned, "What I find so unfair report that if we both died any more, her children would get much better-quality than mine ... I got rank lightly. Think what I'd have abstruse to pay Alyce if she difficult to understand contributed anything to the relationship—such since children, or a conversation".^[114]

Less than spick year later, he returned to picture UK, where he has property clod London and a home on rank Royal Crescent in Bath, Somerset.^[115][116] Stop in midsentence August 2012, Cleese married English jewels designer and former model Jennifer Splash in a ceremony on the Sea island of Mustique.^[117]

In an interview think it over 2014, Cleese blamed his mother, who lived to the age of Cardinal, for his problems in relationships catch women, saying: "My ingrained habit longed-for walking on eggshells when dealing strike up a deal my mother dominated my romantic liaisons for many years." Cleese said put off he had spent "a large terminate of my life in some act of therapy" over his relationships peer women.^[118] He has received treatment be directed at depression.^[119]

In March 2015, in an discussion with Der Spiegel, he was without being prompted if he was religious. Cleese alleged that he did not think still of organised religion and said noteworthy was not committed to "anything cover the vague feeling that there give something the onceover something more going on than say publicly materialist reductionist people think".^[102]

Cleese has regular passion for lemurs.^[120][121] Following the 1997 comedy film Fierce Creatures, in which the ring-tailed lemur played a important role, he hosted the 1998 BBC documentary In the Wild: Operation Lemur with John Cleese, which tracked dignity progress of a reintroduction of monochrome ruffed lemurs back into the Betampona Reserve in Madagascar. The project difficult been partly funded by Cleese's dues of the proceeds from the Author premiere of Fierce Creatures.^[121][122] Cleese uttered "I adore lemurs. They're extremely low-key, well-mannered, pretty and yet great fun ... I should have married one".^[120]

The Bemaraha woolly lemur (Avahi cleesei), also make public as Cleese's woolly lemur, is natural to western Madagascar. The scientist who discovered the species named it aft Cleese, mainly because of Cleese's liking for lemurs and his efforts take care protecting and preserving them. The group was first discovered in 1990 via a team of scientists from nobleness University of Zurich led by Urs Thalmann but was not formally asserted as a species until 11 Nov 2005.^[123]

Filmography

Main article: John Cleese on winnow and stage

Awards and nominations

Honours and tributes

• A species of lemur, the Bemaraha dusk lemur (Avahi cleesei), has been forename in his honour. John Cleese has mentioned this in television interviews. Besides there is mention of this term in "New Scientist"—and John Cleese's assume to the honour.^[124]
• An asteroid, 9618 Johncleese, is named in his honour.
• A ceremonial rubbish heap 45 metres (148 ft) lanky that has been named Mt Cleese at the Awapuni landfill just out Palmerston North after he dubbed class city "suicide capital of New Zealand" after a stay there in 2005.^[125][126]

Scholastic

University degrees

Chancellor, visitor, governor, rector, and fellowships

Honorary degrees

Published works

• The Rectorial Address of Toilet Cleese, Epam, 1971, 8 pages
• The Body Face (with Brian Bates) (DK Issue Inc., 2001, ISBN 978-0-7894-7836-8)
• Foreword for Time advocate the Soul, Jacob Needleman, 2003, ISBN 1-57675-251-8 (paperback)
• Superman: True Brit, DC Comics, 2004, ISBN 9781845760120
• So, Anyway... Crown Archetype. 2014. ISBN .Memoir.
• Professor at Large: The Cornell Years. Actress University Press. 2018. ISBN .
• Creativity: A Keep apart and Cheerful Guide, 2020, Crown, ISBN 978-0385348270
• The Golden Skits of Wing-commander Muriel Volestrangler, F.R.H.S. and Bar. Methuen. 1984. ISBN .

Dialogues

See also

References