BACK in his student days, Rowan Atkinson wanted to be an electrical engineer.

It is an image that is hard to match with the rubber-faced comedian whose alter-ego, Mr Bean, is one of the best-known comic creations on British television, writes Kate Watson-Smyth. The antics of the accident-prone nerd have delighted British audiences for years and he has become a national institution - even appearing on Blind Date but it took Hollywood to propel him into superstar league. The success of Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie helped Atkinson earn an estimated pounds 11.5m last year - eclipsing established British stars including Lord Attenborough, Sir Anthony Hopkins and John Cleese. Related articles

Howard Jacobson: They've turned Britain into Butlins in their determination to make us enjoy ourselves Philip Hensher: Of Blackadder and white women of a certain age Sophie Heawood: Bankers need to discover their inner hunter-gatherer. Bin-grazing will help Matt Smith: I'll stay the Doctor for another year

Blackadder in Bethlehem: Lost Christmas special from 1988 revealed

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1990s TV Actors And Actresses Richard Curtis Rowan Atkinson BACK in his student days, Rowan Atkinson wanted to be an electrical engineer. It is an image that is hard to match with the rubber-faced comedian

whose alter-ego, Mr Bean, is one of the best-known comic creations on British television, writes Kate Watson-Smyth. The antics of the accident-prone nerd have delighted British audiences for years and he has become a national institution - even appearing on Blind Date but it took Hollywood to propel him into superstar league. The success of Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie helped Atkinson earn an estimated pounds 11.5m last year - eclipsing established British stars including Lord Attenborough, Sir Anthony Hopkins and John Cleese. In a nation currently obsessed with being cool, it is interesting that Mr Bean should have caught public imagination to such an extent. He epitomises the gawky, socially-inept outsider and looks like a putupon Latin teacher. When thwarted, he is petulantly vengeful but when satisfied, he resembles a hideous cackling gargoyle. The inspiration for Mr Bean has long been debated and Atkinson's brother Rodney has been named as the most likely source, but it is a charge he vigorously denies.

A businessman who lives with their widowed mother in Northumberland, Rodney is possibly the only person in the UK to have read the Maastricht Treaty word for word. In 1993 he launched an unsuccessful case to have the former Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd prosecuted for treason. However, Atkinson says Mr Bean is based on what he was like as a nine- year-old. Mercilessly teased at school, he was the butt of playground bullies who thought he looked like an alien and although a bright child he was quickly marked out as "strange". He claims that the age of 12 was the last time he "ever did something funny off stage or away from the TV cameras". By the time he left prep school "adolescent selfconsciousness had set in" and he became deadly serious. Now he insists he is "quiet, even dull" when not performing and "too self-conscious even to play charades". His first public appearance was at the Edinburgh Festival at the age of 17, but he was still not planning a career on the stage. He took a degree in electrical engineering at Newcastle University, gaining the highest marks in his year and believed that was where his future lay. But later at Oxford, studying for an MSc, he met up

with Richard Curtis, writer of Four Weddings and A Funeral, in which Atkinson had a cameo, and cowriter of the hugely popular Blackadder series. He also met the composer Howard Goodall, who wrote the themes for Blackadder and The Thin Blue Line, the less successful police comedy. In 1976 Atkinson was spotted at the Edinburgh Festival by television producer John Lloyd. "I rushed backstage after the show and introduced myself. I was convinced he would be more famous than Chaplin," he said. Lloyd went onto produce Atkinson in Not The Nine O'Clock News, which also brought stardom to Pamela Stevenson, Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith. He is famously reclusive and rarely gives interviews, preferring to live quietly with his wife Sunetra and their two children. Following the success of Mr Bean he is now planning to take a year off. Peter Bennett-Jones, his agent, said: "Rowan is having a rest for a year and we will think about his next projects after that. We would never say never about another Bean film but we are not thinking about it at the moment." He also scotched rumours about a film being made around Atkinson's incompetent government agent from the Barclaycard advertisements.

ATKINSON AND BLAIR Rowan Atkinson went to the same school as Tony Blair. The Prime Minster was 13 and already a model pupil in the top form at Durham's historic Chorister school when Atkinson arrived at the age of 11. Former headmaster Canon John Grove says the two boys were like chalk and cheese: "Rowan was shy with a slight stutter and a slightly rubbery face, just like the one he has now." Of Mr Blair he says: "He was outgoing. If you needed a volunteer, he was the boy who always had his hand up." HOW BEAN WAS BORN Atkinson based Bean on what he was like as a nineyear-old. At school he was mercilessly teased by playground bullies who thought he looked like an alien. His nicknames were Doople, Zoonie, Greenman and Gruman. "There's a lot of Mr Bean in me," says Atkinson. "He's socially inept, selfish and has no manners - yet he can be sweet, innocent and well-meaning." ATKINSON THE RECLUSE One of the more reclusive figures in British showbusiness, Atkinson, 43, owns a pounds 500,000 18th-century rectory in Oxfordshire - where

he lives with his wife Sunetra and their two children - and a pounds 650,000 house in Chelsea. BOOMING BEAN Mr Bean is the most popular comedy on British television. Audiences reach as high as 18m; even repeats attract 12m viewers. It has been shown in 94 countries and sold more than seven million videos but only 14 half- hour episodes have been made.

Rowan Atkinson was born on January 6, 1955, in Durham, England. Rowan was the youngest of four boys. He was sent to two boarding schools, both of which were run under the auspices of the Church of England. First, it was the Durham Choristers School, which had the reputation of trying to push students towards the Anglican priesthood. In his 1999 biography, Rowan Atkinson, author Bruce Dessau quoted Canon John Grove as remembering Atkinson as shy with a slight stutter and a slightly rubbery face just like

the one he has now. Later, when at St. Bees School, Chris Robson, Atkinsons A-level physics master, said, In class he was very middle of the road. There was nothing outstanding about him. I didnt expect him to become a fantastic scientist. And he was a quiet lad who walked his own path. However, Robson remembered Atkinsons school drama career more vividly, But when he walked on-stage he was exceptional. Dessau quotes another faculty member at St. Bees as saying, Even an incipient stammer vanished whenever the young Atkinson stepped onto the stage. In fact, a March 24, 2007, article in The Independent stated that a young Atkinson was bullied at the Durham Choristers School because of his stuttering and appearance. Future Prime Minister Tony Blair, who also attended the school and was two years younger than Atkinson, has stated in the past that he vaguely remembers the treatment that Atkinson endured as a youngster there.

Following in his fathers footsteps, Atkinson earned a M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from The Queens College at Oxford. Still acting on the side, he embarked on a Ph.D. in electrical engineering for awhile before deciding to devote his full attention to acting. While Atkinson was studying for a doctorate in electrical engineering, Richard Curtis remembered the young Atkinson showing up at workshops for sketch material for a summer review at Oxford and never saying a word. Then the silent one got up and did an original sketch in which his stuttering disappeared. Curtis said, He did a monologue about driving followed by the thing he does now, where he mimes and talks at the same time. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. It was pure genius. He gained attention by doing a series of comedy shows for the BBC radio in 1978 that were known as The Atkinson People. Atkinson came onto the television radar screen in 1979 with the famous show Not the Nine OClock News. Later, he went off to do

The Secret Policemans Ball before meeting up with Richard Curtis again for the immensely successful Blackadder, which the pair co-wrote. Tim McInnerny and Tony Robinson starred in the show and were later joined by Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Miranda Richardson. Atkinsons character of Mr. Bean existed for 10 years before the character was even given a name. The Mr. Bean character catapulted Atkinson into international stardom as the show was seen all over the world. It was the highest-rated comedy on British TV in the 1990s; it was sold to more than 245 countries and 50 airlines. Later, there were movies such as Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie (1997) and Mr. Beans Holiday (2007). The actor has left open the door to the possibility of reprising the Mr. Bean character in the future. Atkinson is known across the globe for his bungling slapstick creation Mr Bean and his eponymous role in the spoof spy Johnny English franchise. These characters (particularly Bean) are not exactly blessed with a terrific

amount of intelligence usually any attempt from Bean to use his brain ends in disaster. So it may come as some surprise to learn that an actor who excels at playing the ultimate dim-wit is a highly educated individual. Following his undergraduate degree at Newcastle University, he completed his Masters in Electrical Engineering at that renowned center of learning, Oxford University. As a further feather in his jesters cap, Oxford made Atkinson an honorary fellow in 2006.

EARLY CHILDHOOD It seems right to start a biography at the beginning of ones life. Therefore, this biography will begin with Rowans early childhood and how those around him influenced what he would grow up to be. Rowan Sebastian Atkinson was born on 6 January 1955 to Eric and Ella May. They were considered middle working class. This lived in Stocksfield and would commute to a farm that the family owned. Rowan had two older brothers named Rodney and Rupert. These two brothers were going to go into

careers in finance, therefore leaving the farm to be inherited by Rowan. As was the tradition in those times, many families did not own their own TV which didnt exclude Rowans family. However, Rowans Grandfather Edward owned a chain of cinemas and Rowan often would see the latest films here. His family didnt get a television until he was 12 years of age. It was at this time when John Cleese was making his presence known to the viewers in comedies such as Monty Pythons Flying Circus which became one of Rowans favorite comedy acts. By the early 1970s he was able to recite by heart many skits from these shows. However, this did not make his unique as many other children his age were fond of Monty Python. What did set his apart from his classmates was his fascination with nonverbal comedy. One of his favorite films was Monsieur Hulots Holiday starring the French comedian Jacques Tati. Soon Rowan also knew every one of his physical comic tactics. What was even more amazing was the fact that Rowan could imitate physical comedians like Jacques Tati very well. His appearance added to the hilarity at which Rowan would mimic. In his early teens his eyes bulged, ears stuck out and his lips and nose seemed to go on forever(11). His

appearance earned him nicknames from classmates such as Dopie, Zoonie, Moonman, Green Man, and Gruman. This didnt effect Rowan in a negative sense. In fact, this encouraged him and he often used his looks to pull funny faces in front of classmates for laughter. SCHOOL Rowan went to school at Durham Cathedral Choristers School along with people such as Tony Blair. He appeared in many school plays along with his classmates. Eventually he received a scholarship to a public school called St. Bees. Rowan was an active member of school. He was in charge of running the schools film society and would often book skits by Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and Jacques Tati which all mirror his interest for unusual and physical comedy. Rowan received very high marks in the acedemic part of school but along with that he was a mischief maker and enjoyed practical jokes. He found himself at odds with authority figures and in detention more often than not. As a child he smoked a lot, although he gave up this habit as he entered adulthood. His problem with authority figures often gave him good

ideas for his later career sketches along with the practical jokes he would play. One time Rowan and a group of friends taught the toddler of an Instructor to say f**k off for revenge. Later, Rowan stated, I never meant any harm or offense to anyone I was just trying to enjoy myself. Because, make no mistake, life is short(14). Despite his funny faces and knack for comical practical jokes, Rowan prefered to remain in the shadows of the theater. He often ran the back stage lighting and such. However, when he was on stage he was wonderful. Before leaving St. Bees to get a higher education, Rowans headmaster pulled him aside and said that Rowan should seriously consider a career in entertainment. Obviously Rowan had impressed a business-driven headmaster as he had also entertained his classmates. Rowan had performed successfully at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival twice, but Rowan wasnt convinced. He was a bright student and wanted to pursue his interest of mechanics and engineering. Another fact that was present in Rowans mind was the fact that, contrary to his ability to amuse others, he was very quiet and shy in personality and only open with good friends. He was fascinated with taking apart machinery and putting it back together again on the farm, which didnt leave room to make funny faces.

He continued on to received his B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Newcastle University and, at age 20, graduated with the highest marks of his year. He then went on to Queens College, Oxford to get his M.Sc. in Engineering Science. The year was 1976 and it would be here that he would start to change towards a career in comedy. It all started to take shape when he met and became friends with the English student Richard Curtis. Curtis was almost the opposite of Atkinson. While Rowan enjoyed verbal comedy, Curtis was witty with his love for words. Another music scholar named Howard Goodall also became friends with Rowan. These three went on to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Unlike Rowans habit in the past, he performed new skits instead of doing old classic skits from his idols. At the Festival was an Agent named Richard Armitage who was John Cleeses agent. Richard Armitage loved what he saw of Rowan on stage, especially the fact that about 90% of Rowans acting was nonverbal, and soon became Rowans agent. Rowan wasnt affected by this at all and stilled viewed everything as a hobby, including the BBC Radio 3 series he had The Atkinson People.

BEYOND A JOKE In 1978, Rowans Edinburgh show called Beyond a Joke was shown in Londons Hampstead Theatre. This was a very large step for Rowan. People in the audience included John Cleese, who later said, He was making people laugh with some material Id have paid money to avoid(24) and Peter Cook, It is impossible not to be funny when you are around the man [Rowan]. Hes positively inspiring(24). Another important person who saw the show was Humphrey Barclay who signed the Atkinson team up to make a pilot for Canned Laughter just six months after Rowan had graduated from the University. This was the first time Rowan had made it on television series and was a success. Both Canned Laughter and Beyond a Joke featured skits that would later be seen on many of Rowans solo works and Mr. Bean. Another big event for Rowan happened when he was asked in 1979 to be in a charity event called The Secret Policemans Ball for Amnesty Internation at Her Majestys Theatre in London. Amnesty Internation is an organization to aid in human rights. This show was performed live for four late night shows and was actually produced by John Cleese himself. Rowan appeared with other famous

comedians such as John Cleese, Michael Palin, Billy Connolly, Alan Bennet, Peter Cook, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, and Terry Jones. Performing for this, he did his The Schoolmaster and The Pianist sketches, along with appearing alongside John Cleese, Terry Jones and Michael Palin for the Four Yorkershiremen. To be seen with so many famous stars gave Rowan a lot of attention and praise. More importantly, though, the praise was given more for Rowans ability to make people laugh just by staring at the just so, or by saying a word while twisting his lips into different shapes. NOT THE NINE OCLOCK NEWS In April of 1979, viewers turned on their television sets to watch the first episode of the BBC series Not the Nine OClock News starring Rowan Atkinson along with Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones and Australian actress Pamela Stephenson. The political news spoof show had a slow start, but soon became a huge success, winning the Silver Rose at Montreuxs annual television awards gala along with a best selling book and album by 1980. Rowan was now a comedian star and he gained everyones attention. Rowan was still extremely shy and hated all of the attention. He was only comfortable while on stage, pretending to be

somebody else. He would describe himself to interviewers as a performer with a comic bias(31), but not a comedian himself. The fact of it was he would have much prefered to stay at home and work on his growing collection of classic, fast cars. He kept to himself and could rarely be seen at any public function. In November of 1980, he said, The rate of my success has frightened me[fans] tend to scream at me across restaurants, Give us a funny face, Rowan, which I truly hate(36). He later told the Daily Mail, I dont recall ever consciously deciding to go into this business. One day it was just a timeconsuming hobby, the next day it had become 51% of my life, and suddenly, it was my job.(36) He also stated, People think because I can make them laugh on the stage, Ill be able to make them laugh in person. That isnt the case at all. I am essentially a rather quiet, dull person who just happens to be a performer(68). Rowan still enjoyed doing small projects and stage performances. In November of 1980, he appeared in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance. In December he was appointed to the board of directors of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. He was also voted Royal Variety Club Showbiz Personality of the Year and the Society of West End Theatres 1981s Comedy Performer of the Year. He

also was in many small movies such as Death, Whatever Happened to Bernard Fripp?, and Summertime. He had a small cameo in the 1983 bond film Never Say Never Again as Mr. SmallFawcett. THE BLACK ADDER SERIES ONE AND TWO Rowan returned to doing his own work when he teamed up with Richard Curtis to make a BBC series called The Black Adder. The film takes place in medieval England under the rule of Richard III and Richard IV. Rowan plays Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh, next in line after Richard IV for the throne of England. The film aired on 15 June 1983. There were many problems with this Blackadder. It takes place during a very dark and cold period in Englands history and it is extremely difficult to add humor, even slapstick and crude humor, to this. While the series wasnt a failure, it wasnt considered a success also. Comedian stars such as Peter Cook, Brian Blessed, Rik Mayall, Angus Deayton along with Tony Robinson and Tim McInnerney add to the shows appeal. The second series was aired in 1985 and was more successful. The show was shot on a set, contrary to being filmed on location like the first episodes. This

series takes place in the court of Queen Elizabeth. The characters are actually descendants of the orignal characters. Rowan Atkinson stars again (of course!) as the bastard great-grandson Edmund Blackadder of the original Black Adder. Miranda Richardson does a wonderful job of playing Queen Elizabeth, along with Stephen Fry and Patsy Byrne. To read a review of the Blackadder episodes, click Blackadder Episode Reviews . PLAYS AND BROADWAY Rowan Atkinson returned to the stage to play in Larry Shues comedy play titled The Nerd. It opened at the Aldwych Theatre and followed with mixed reviews. None of them pleased Rowan and he finally accepted to do a show at Broadway. The show was in October of 1986. While Rowan did many other stand-up live shows and plays to prepare for it, nothing could have prepared him for what happened. The show was at the Atkinson Theater and titled Rowan Atkinson at the Atkinson accordingly. The show closed after only 14 performances and foul reviews particularly from Frank Rich from The New York Times. He wrote that Rowan Atkinson was the Butcher of Broadway(62) and that the molding of English and American

cultures is not yet complete(62). While Rowan took great exception to the reviews, he was also relieved to be home and out of Broadway, writing it off as a utterly horrible experience. However, Frank Rich wasnt finished with his bashing of British humor and also wrote, As long as teh British public maintains its fondness for toilet humor there will always be an England. Mr. Atkinson is very big on toilet jokes and he is very big in England(62) Everyone didnt share his oppinion, though, including writers from Newsday who said that Rowan brings us a brand of British humor that travels well(62). Rowan stayed clear of Broadway. Instead he focused his energy on projects such as a low-budget black and white film with Steven Wright called Appointments of Dennis Jennings in 1989, and he appeared in a collection of short playlets titled The Sneeze with Timothy West and Cheryl Campbell. In April of 1989, while in the spirit of taking on more serious and less toilet-humor parts, Rowan costarred along with Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson in the movie The Tall Guy. Goldblum plays a struggling actor who gets a job as a sidekick to a nasty and mean man named Ron Atkinson (played by Rowan Atkinson). This movie has made

many parallels to real life. Goldblum is compared to Angus Deayton, who starred with Rowan Atkinson in his Live! performance and Ron Anderson is compared to Rowan Atkinson. The actor says that this is just a major exaggeration. THE BLACK ADDER SERIES THREE, FOUR AND A CHRISTMAS CAROL Rowan Atkinson returned with writers Elton and Curtis and actors Tony Robinson and Hugh Laurie to make a third Blackadder. Blackadder III is set in the court of Prince Regent in the 1790s. Instead of having noble blood, like in the past Blackadders, Edmund Blackadder is now the dimwitted Princes butler. Of course, Baldrick is as ever Edmunds faithful sidekick. The show aired in 1987 and was a hit. In 1988 brought a special episode of Blackadder called Blackadder A Christmas Carol and brought all of the stars together in a spoof on the original Christmas Carol story. The fourth Blackadder, aired in November of 1989, is almost as different as night and day from the others. While it provides the usual humor, it is set during World War I among the trenches and soldiers. Blackadder Goes Forth has Rowan Atkinson

on the Western Front in 1917 as Captain Edmund Blackadder. The series takes on a serious side and the ending in the sixth and final episode leaves viewers without a smile on their lips, but rather tears in their eyes. The series appears to wrap up with other three, bringing back stars in guest appearances such as Miranda Richardson, Gabrielle Glaister, and Rick Mayall. Of course, the regular cast includes Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tim McInnerney, and Tony Robinson. The Blackadder series was voted the Best Comedy Show of the Year in 1990. To read a review of the Blackadder episodes, click Blackadder Episode Reviews PERSONAL HOBBIES AND BEAN On New Years Day of 1990, the first episode of Mr. Bean brought an estimate 13 million to the television to watch. Mr. Bean was an immediate success and appealed to all countries because Rowan used as little language as possible. He returned to his early days with help from co-writers Richard Curtis and Robin Driscoll and familiar Not the Nine OClock News director John Howard Davies by concentrating more on pulling funny faces and getting laughs. This was not a regular series, rather 30-minute episodes that would be filmed at random. The idea was to keep Mr. Bean special so that it doesnt lose

its touch. Critics and viewers alike were in agreement that Mr. Bean is special and it ended up winning awards such as the BAFTA for Best Light and Entertainment Performer and the Golden Rose at Montreux. The Bean episodes also produced a book called The Diary of Mr. Bean by Rowan Atkinsona and Robin Driscoll. To read a review of the Mr. Bean episodes, click Mr. Bean Episode Reviews Rowan Atkinsons career had suddenly become fastpaced once again and he was more increasingly in the public eye. He kept his personal life separate and secret from the public eye, however, a feat that most celebrities cannot boast of. He married in February of 1990 in New York to long time girlfriend Sunetra Sastry. Apart from Bean, he also took a part in The Witches, the BBC Comedy by Richard Curtis The Genie, a cameo appearance in Hot Shots Part Deux, he was even behind the scenes as the voice of Zazu in The Lion King, and Four Weddings and a Funeral. He then surprised many by making his own car documentray called The Driven Man in which he talks to many people about cars and shows many his passion for cars. He also started to appear in Barclaycard ads as the character of Richard Latham. He teamed up with Ben Elton once again and made The Thin Blue Line in the autumn of 1995 which was

a british comedy sitcom about a police station led my Inspector Fowler. During this time, his wife Sunetra gave birth to two children, Ben and Lily making Rowan Atkinson a father. Suffice it to say that since Mr. Bean, Rowan Atkinson has kept very busy. He continues keep busy, with a growing list of credits:

Early life and education Atkinson, the youngest of four brothers, was born in Consett, County Durham, England.[6] His parents were Eric Atkinson, a farmer and company director, and Ella May (ne Bainbridge), who married on 29 June 1945.[6] 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.[7][8] Atkinson was brought up Anglican,[9] and was educated at Durham Choristers School, St. Bees School, and Newcastle University.[10] 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,[11] and which made Atkinson an Honorary Fellow in 2006.[12] First achieving notice at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1976,[10] 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[10] and composer Howard Goodall, with whom he would continue to collaborate during his career.

Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the sitcom Mr. Bean, along with satirical sketch comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder and The Thin Blue Line. He has been listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy[4] and amongst the top 50 comedians ever, in a 2005 poll of fellow comedians.[5] He has also had cinematic success with his performances in the Mr. Bean movie adaptations Bean and Mr. Bean's Holiday and in Johnny English and its sequel Johnny English Reborn.

Birth Name Rowan Sebastian Atkinson Nickname

Row Height 5' 11" (1.80 m) Mini Biography Rowan Sebastian Atkinson was born on the 6th January, 1955, in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK, to Ella May and Eric Atkinson. His father owned a farm where he grew up with his two older brothers, Rupert and Rodney. He attended Newcastle University and Oxford University where he earned degrees in electrical engineering. During that time, he met screenwriter Richard Curtis, with whom he wrote and performed comedy revues. Later, he co-wrote and appeared in "Not the Nine O'Clock News" (1979), which was a huge success and spawned several best-selling books. It won an International Emmy Award and the British Academy Award for "Best Light Entertainment Programme of 1980." He won the "British Academy Award" and

was named "BBC Personality of the Year" for his performing on "Not the Nine O'Clock News" (1979). Atkinson also appeared in several movies, including Dead on Time (1983), Pleasure at Her Majesty's (1976) (TV) (aka "Monty Python Meets Beyond the Fringe"), Never Say Never Again (1983), and The Tall Guy (1989). He played "Mr. Bean" in the TV series, "Mr. Bean" (1990) but, apart from that and "Not the Nine O'Clock News" (1979), he also appeared in several other series like "The Black Adder" (1982) and "Funny Business" (1992), etc. Atkinson enjoys nothing better than fast cars. He has been married to Sunetra Sastry since 1990, and they have two children, named Benjamin and Lily. IMDb Mini Biography By: Van Whistler Spouse Sunetra Sastry (5 February 1990 - present) 2 children

Trade Mark Wide range of humorous expressions His characters: Mr. Bean and Blackadder

Trivia Father of a son, Benjamin Alexander Sebastian Atkinson (born 1993) and a daughter, Lily Grace Atkinson (aka Lily Atkinson) (born 1995), with his wife Sunetra Sastry. Rides go-karts round his tennis courts and, according to Stephen Fry (his best man), "hasn't got an ounce of showbiz in him". Has an HGV license (Heavy Goods Vehicle - the old legal term in the United Kingdom for goods vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight). Owns various fast cars (Aston Martin Vantages, etc.).

Writes articles for CAR (a British car magazine). Education: Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK (electrical engineering); Oxford University, Oxford, UK (electrical engineering) Races (and also crashes) his Aston Martins in the Aston Martins Owners club series. His wife, Sunetra Sastry, is a make-up artist. Attended Cathedral Chorister School, Durham with Tony Blair. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Comedy Performance in 1982 for the 1981 season. Once crashed his MacLaren F1, a supercar valued at more than $1,000,000, into the back of a stationary Mini Metro, valued at around $600. The damage was not severe. He was one of the guests at Prince Charles' and Camilla Parker-Bowles' wedding.

Has publicly opposed the British Labour government's plans to introduce new legislation on incitement to religious hatred, arguing that it would undermine free speech and thought (even citing the possible development of mind-reading technology), and that such measures would make political satire which he considers seminal in a democracy unworkable. Along with Tony Robinson and Tim McInnerny, he is one of only three actors to appear in all four "Blackadder" series: "The Black Adder" (1982), "Black-Adder II" (1986), "Black Adder the Third" (1987) and "Blackadder Goes Forth" (1989). He had to pull out of his role in a West End production of Oliver in April 2009 due to hernia surgery. Owns a Aston Martin DB7 Vantage, which he used in the film Johnny English (2003).

He is the only actor to appear in every episode of Blackadder, Tony Robinson did not appear in the pilot. On August 4, 2011 he was admitted to Peterborough City Hospital after crashing his McLaren Formula1 sports car. He suffered a light injury on his shoulder. Has suffered with a stammer for many years, hence does not like giving interviews. Attended Kate Middleton and Prince William Windsor's wedding.

Personal Quotes People think because I can make them laugh on the stage, I'll be able to make them laugh in person. That isn't the case at all. I am essentially a rather quiet, dull person who just happens to be a performer. [commenting in 2004 on Britain's proposed Racial and Religious Hatred Bill] To criticize a person for

their race is manifestly irrational and ridiculous, but to criticize their religion, that is a right. That is a freedom. The freedom to criticize ideas, any ideas even if they are sincerely held beliefs - is one of the fundamental freedoms of society. A law which attempts to say you can criticize and ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar law indeed. Mr. Bean is essentially a child trapped in the body of a man. All cultures identify with children in a similar way, so he has this bizarre global outreach. And 10year-old boys from different cultures have more in common than 30-year-olds. As we grow up, we acquire this sensibility that divides us. I remember looking up Johnny English (2003) in a film guide and it said 'intermittently hilarious' - quite a good description of five good jokes and a lot of longueurs. I find it frustrating that, apart from Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), I have yet to be involved in a film of which I am totally proud.

The casual ease which some people move from finding something offensive to wishing to declare it criminal - and are then able to find factions within government to aid their ambitions - is truly depressing. [on being overwhelmed by fans at a Toronto shopping mall] It's a bit disconcerting being treated like Madonna. [preparing to perform onstage the title role in Simon Gray's 'Quartermaine's Terms'] It's well known that tragedy and comedy are close bedfellows. It's rare, though, that you see them placed in such intimacy. Like most tragic figures, 'Quartermaine' is unaware of his own tragedy. What I love about him is his optimism. You don't tend to feel much sympathy for pessimistic people, but those who retain their optimism, despite the sadness of their lives, are interesting, engaging and sympathetic.