Rowan Atkinson life and biography

Rowan Atkinson is an English comedian, actor and writer. He is most famous for his work in the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean, and The Thin Blue Line. He has been listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy, and amongst the top 50 comedy actors ever in a 2005 poll of fellow comedians.

Best known to American audiences as the Black Adder and Mr. Bean, black-haired, bug-eyed, and weak-chinned comedian Rowan Atkinson is one of the most popular funnymen in England whose keen, often black humor and knack for physical comedy has earned him a huge international following. Born in Newcastle, Atkinson was educated at Newcastle University and Oxford. While at the latter, he teamed up with budding screenwriter Richard Curtis to write comedy reviews for the Oxford Playhouse. Shortly thereafter, the two created material for the Edinburgh Fringe. By 1978, Atkinson's humor had earned him a devoted fan base and he was offered leading roles in two British television comedies. Instead, Atkinson chose to get involved in the internationally acclaimed comedy series Not the Nine O'Clock News as a writer and a performer. His performances in the oft-distinguished show earned Atkinson a British Academy Award and got him designated "BBC Personality of the Year" in 1980. His stage performances also continued to significantly increase his popularity.

In 1983, he and Curtis created the Black Adder, a cowardly and conniving Tudor Prince named Edmund who tries vainly to become King of England after inadvertently killing his father during a battle. Billed as a "situation tragedy" on the BBC, it ran three seasons and later spawned a couple of specials. Atkinson made his feature-film debut in the 1983 James Bond thriller Never Say Never Again. In the late '80s, he starred in a few films penned by Curtis. It was while they were filming The Tall Guy that Atkinson and Curtis created Mr. Bean, an average British Joe with a clumsy nature and a nasty streak and launched a series. Different from other shows in that it was largely silent, Atkinson's Bean demonstrated a rare gift for slapstick that has led to his being compared to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. During its six year run, Mr. Bean became the most popular show in the U.K. and has since been shown in 89 countries where it has gained a cult following comparable to Monty Python and Fawlty Towers. Atkinson himself attributes his character's popularity to the fact that the socially awkward, middle-aged Bean's mundane adventures, largely due to his clumsy inability to cope with even the smallest of life's foibles, mirror the feelings and experiences of people the world over. In 1997, Atkinson brought the character to the big screen in Bean. Other notable Atkinson film performances include his voice characterization of Zazu in The Lion King and that of the hilariously inarticulate priest in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

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
* Blackadder as Prince Edmund (Series 1), Lord Blackadder (Series 2), Edmund Blackadder (Series 3 & 4) & Ebenezer Blackadder (Blackadder's Christmas Carol) (1983–1989)
* Saturday Live as guest host (1986)
* Mr. Bean as Mr. Bean (1990–2009 various times)
* Rowan Atkinson Live as assorted characters (1992) (VHS of live sketches)
* Bernard and the Genie as 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 Line as Inspector Raymond Fowler (1995–1996)
* Blackadder: Back and Forth as Blackadder (2000)
* Mr. Bean (animated TV series) as Mr Bean, voice (2002)
* The Comic Relief Red Nose Day telecasts, including appearing in:
o Blackadder: The Cavalier Years as Edmund Blackadder (1988)
o Nosenight sketches (1989)
o Mr Bean's Red Nose Day as Mr Bean (1991)
o (I Wanna Be) Elected as Mr Bean (1992)
o Blind Date with Mr Bean as Mr Bean (1993)
o Torvill and Bean as Mr Bean (1995)
o Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death as The Doctor (1999)
o Popsters as Nasty Neville (2001)
o Lying to Michael Jackson as Martin Bashir (2003)
o Spider-Plant Man as Peter Piper and Spider-Plant Man (2005)
o Mr Bean's Wedding as Mr Bean (2007)
o The Greatest Worst Bits of Comic Relief as Himself (2007)
* The Dame Edna Treatment (2007), guest appearance as Mr Bean
* We Are Most Amused (2008), a special show to celebrate Prince Charles' 60th birthday
* Blackadder Rides Again as himself (2008)

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