Rowan Atkinson

Background

Pretty much everyone knows who Rowan Atkinson is. From the famous T.V. shows and films he’s starred in, to his work on stage, you’re guaranteed to have a good time watching Atkinson do what he does best — entertaining. Atkinson was born on January 5, 1955, in Consett, County Durham, England. His zodiac sign is Capricorn and his ethnicity is British. He is the son of Eric Atkinson and Ella May (née Bainbridge) Atkinson, and he has two older brothers. While he was attending university in Oxford, Atkinson collaborated with the Experimental Theatre Club and the Oxford University Dramatic Society to write and perform sketches. It was there he met writer Richard Curtis and composer Howard Goodall, with whom he would continue to work later on. In 1976, he performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the first time, with The Oxford Revue, and people began to notice him and his talents.

After school, he was quick to reach a wider audience. In 1979, he wrote for and starred in a radio series called “The Atkinson People” and the T.V. show “Not The Nine O’Clock News,” both broadcasted by the BBC. These roles landed Atkinson the lead role in the British series of sitcoms “Blackadder,” following different characters in different time periods. The series ran from 1983 to 1989 and became one of the BBC’s most successful sitcoms. During the same decade, Atkinson made his cinematographic debut in “Never Say Never Again” (1983) and “Dead on Time” (1983), the latter of which he also wrote.

However, what made Atkinson achieve true worldwide success was, of course, “Mr. Bean.” The character first appeared in a half-hour special in 1990. The character’s selfish, childlike personality, combined with his mannerisms, facial expressions, and the non-verbal sounds he emitted, made him extremely popular. After getting a number of T.V. sequels to his special, Mr. Bean finally reached the big screen with “Bean” (1997). During this time, Atkinson also starred in the rom-com “Four Weddings and a Funeral” (1994) and Disney classic “The Lion King” (1994). From 2003 to 2018, he starred in the “Johnny English” movie franchise, in which he played the titular character. “Johnny English” was also a huge success. After ten years, Mr. Bean returned in “Mr. Bean’s Holiday” (2007). Although no more Mr. Bean films were made after this, Atkinson reprises his role from time to time, including at the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.