John Cleese

Background

John Marwood Cleese, who goes by the stage name ‘John Cleese,’ is an English comedian, artist, producer, and screenwriter. He is possibly among the few British comedians who can come up with creative, unique comic acts and trite character profiles. His father, Reginald Francis Cleese, was an insurance salesman and his mother, Muriel Evelyn Cleese, was a homemaker. He was an avid entertainer from an early age, beginning when he was 13. Cleese excelled in sports such as cricket and boxing and academics. He was then accepted to Downing College, Cambridge, to pursue law. In addition to this, he joined the Cambridge Footlights. At Footlights theatre club, he met his erstwhile literary partner, Graham Chapman, and formed solid relationships with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Bill Oddie.

Cleese began his career as a playwright and cast member for the Footlights Revue “A Clump Of Plinths” in his early 20s. It was a smashing hit at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Cleese’s worldwide touring cabaret brought him to New York, where he appeared in several Broadway and Off-Broadway plays. As a result of his efforts, he was offered a position as a writer for B.B.C. Radio. Working on “The Frost Report” allowed Cleese to feature on British comedy television. His work has exposed him to Python’s Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones. Cleese became involved with Chapman, which eventually led to his popularity as ‘Monty Python.’ He opted to depart from “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” at the end of the third season. His notable contributions include “The Ministry of Silly Walks” and his position as ‘Sergeant Major.’ Cleese stayed connected with his group of authors and comedians even after his departure.

Besides these movies, he has also featured in “The Out-of-Towners,” “Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone,” “Die Another Day,” “Cheers,” “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” “The World Is Not Enough,” “Rat Race,” “Die Another Day,” “Shrek 2,” and “Hoops Apocalypse,” He was married four times, with the first three ending in divorce. Connie Booth, Barbara Trentham, and Alyce Faye Eichelberger were his ex-wives. He exchanged vows with Jennifer Wade in 2012. He has two children from prior marriages, one with Booth and the other with Trentham.