 Atkinson at the Johnny English Reborn premiere in 2011 | |
| Film | 20 |
|---|---|
| Television series | 34 |
| Advertising | 9 |
English actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson has appeared in twenty films and over thirty film series and over eight television advertisements.
| Atkinson at the Johnny English Reborn premiere in 2011 | |
| Film | 20 |
|---|---|
| Television series | 34 |
| Advertising | 9 |
English actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson has appeared in twenty films and over thirty film series and over eight television advertisements.
After university, Atkinson toured with Angus Deayton as his straight man in an act that was eventually filmed for a television show.[ citation needed ] After the success of the show, he did a one-off pilot for London Weekend Television in 1979 called Canned Laughter . Atkinson then went on to do Not the Nine O'Clock News for the BBC, produced by his friend John Lloyd. He featured in the show with Pamela Stephenson, Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith, and was one of the main sketch writers.
The success of Not the Nine O'Clock News led to him taking the lead role in the medieval sitcom The Black Adder (1983), which he also co-wrote with Richard Curtis. After a three-year gap, in part due to budgetary concerns, a second series was broadcast, this time written by Curtis and Ben Elton. Blackadder II (1986) followed the fortunes of one of the descendants of Atkinson's original character, this time in the Elizabethan era. The same pattern was repeated in the two more sequels Blackadder the Third (1987) (set in the Regency era), and Blackadder Goes Forth (1989) (set in World War I). The Blackadder series became one of the most successful of all BBC situation comedies, spawning television specials including Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988), Blackadder: The Cavalier Years (1988), and later Blackadder: Back & Forth (1999), which was set at the turn of the Millennium. The final scene of "Blackadder Goes Forth" (when Blackadder and his men go "over the top" and charge into No-Man's-Land) has been described as "bold and highly poignant". [1] During the 2014 centennial of the start of World War I, Michael Gove and war historian Max Hastings complained about the so-called "Blackadder version of history". [2] [3] [4]
Atkinson's other creation, the hapless Mr. Bean , first appeared on New Year's Day in 1990 in a half-hour special for Thames Television. The character of Mr. Bean has been likened to a modern-day Buster Keaton, [6] but Atkinson himself has stated that Jacques Tati's character Monsieur Hulot was the main inspiration. [7]
Several sequels to Mr. Bean appeared on television until 1995, and the character later appeared in a feature film. Bean (1997) was directed by Mel Smith, Atkinson's colleague in Not the Nine O'Clock News. A second film, Mr. Bean's Holiday , was released in 2007. In 1995 and 1996, Atkinson portrayed Inspector Raymond Fowler in The Thin Blue Line television sitcom written by Ben Elton, which takes place in a police station located in fictitious Gasforth.
Atkinson has fronted campaigns for Kronenbourg, [8] Fujifilm, and Give Blood. Atkinson appeared as a hapless and error-prone espionage agent named Richard Lathum in a long-running series of adverts for Barclaycard, on which character his title role in Johnny English and Johnny English Reborn was based. In 1999, he played the Doctor in The Curse of Fatal Death , a special Doctor Who serial produced for Comic Relief. Atkinson appeared as the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car on Top Gear in July 2011, driving the Kia Cee'd around the track in 1:42.2, placing him at the top of the leaderboard until Matt LeBlanc later recorded a 1:42.1 lap time.
Atkinson appeared at the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London as Mr. Bean in a comedy sketch during a performance of "Chariots of Fire", playing a repeated single note on synthesizer. [9] He then lapsed into a dream sequence in which he joined the runners from the film of the same name (about the 1924 Summer Olympics), beating them in their iconic run along West Sands at St. Andrews, by riding in a minicab and tripping the front runner. [10] Atkinson starred as Jules Maigret in Maigret , a series of TV films from ITV. [11]
Atkinson's film career began with a supporting part in the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again (1983) and a leading role in Dead on Time (also 1983) with Nigel Hawthorne. He was in the 1988 Oscar-winning short film The Appointments of Dennis Jennings . He appeared in Mel Smith's directorial debut The Tall Guy (1989) and appeared alongside Anjelica Huston and Mai Zetterling in Roald Dahl's The Witches (1990). He played the part of Dexter Hayman in Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), a parody of Rambo III , starring Charlie Sheen.
Atkinson gained further recognition with his turn as a verbally bumbling vicar in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and featured in Disney's The Lion King (also 1994) as the voice of Zazu the red-billed hornbill. He also sang the song I Just Can't Wait to Be King in The Lion King . Atkinson continued to appear in supporting roles in comedies, including Rat Race (2001), Scooby-Doo (2002), Love Actually (2003) and the crime comedy Keeping Mum (2005), which also starred Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith and Patrick Swayze.
In addition to his supporting roles, Atkinson has also had success as a leading man. His television character Mr. Bean debuted on the big screen with Bean (1997) to international success. A sequel, Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007), also became an international success. He has also starred in the James Bond parody Johnny English (2003), its sequel, Johnny English Reborn (2011) and its second sequel; Johnny English Strikes Again (2018).
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Fundamental Frolics | Himself | |
| 1982 | Mr. Kershaw's Dream System | Mr. Kershaw | Short promotional film [12] |
| 1983 | Dead on Time | Bernard Fripp | Short film |
| Never Say Never Again | Nigel Small-Fawcett | ||
| 1988 | The Appointments of Dennis Jennings | Dr. Schooner | Short film |
| 1989 | The Tall Guy | Ron Anderson | |
| 1990 | The Witches | Mr. Stringer | |
| 1993 | Hot Shots! Part Deux | Dexter Hayman | |
| 1994 | Four Weddings and a Funeral | Father Gerald | |
| The Lion King | Zazu | Voice | |
| 1997 | Bean | Mr. Bean | Also executive producer |
| 2000 | Maybe Baby | Mr. James | |
| 2001 | Rat Race | Enrico Pollini | |
| 2002 | Scooby-Doo | Emile Mondavarious | |
| 2003 | Johnny English | Johnny English | Nominated — European Film Awards – Jameson People's Choice Award for Best Actor |
| Love Actually | Rufus | ||
| 2005 | Keeping Mum | Reverend Walter Goodfellow | |
| 2007 | Mr. Bean's Holiday | Mr. Bean | |
| 2011 | Johnny English Reborn | Johnny English | |
| 2017 | Huan Le Xi Ju Ren | Mr. Bean | Cameo |
| 2018 | Johnny English Strikes Again | Johnny English | Also producer |
| 2023 | Wonka | Father Julius |
| † | Denotes television shows that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Rowan Atkinson presents… Canned Laughter | Robert Box/Mr. Marshall/Dave Perry | One-off Pilot episode; also writer |
| The Secret Policeman's Ball | Himself | Television special | |
| 1979–1982 | Not the Nine O'Clock News | Various roles | 28 episodes; also writer |
| 1980 | Peter Cook & Co | Television special | |
| The Innes Book of Records | 1 episode | ||
| 1981 | The Secret Policeman's Other Ball | Various roles | Television special |
| 1983–1989 | Blackadder | Edmund Blackadder | 24 episodes; also co-creator and writer |
| 1986 | Saturday Live | Himself (host) | 1 episode |
| 1987 | The Grand Knockout Tournament | Lord Knock of Alton | Television special |
| 1990–1995 | Mr. Bean | Mr. Bean | 15 episodes; also co-creator and writer |
| 1991 | Bernard and the Genie | Bernard's Boss | Television film |
| The Driven Man | Himself | Television documentary; also writer | |
| 1992 | Rowan Atkinson Live | Television special; also writer | |
| Funny Business | Kevin / Narrator | 6 episodes; also writer | |
| A Bit of Fry & Laurie | Guest | 1 episode | |
| Laughing Matters | Himself (host) | Television documentary | |
| 1995–1996 | The Thin Blue Line | Inspector Raymond Fowler | 14 episodes |
| 1996 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Himself | 1 episode |
| 1999 | Blackadder: Back & Forth | Lord Blackadder / King Edmund III / Centurion Blaccadius | Television film |
| Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death | The Doctor | Television special | |
| 2001 | Popsters | Nasty Neville | Television short |
| 2002–2004 2015–2019 | Mr. Bean: The Animated Series | Mr. Bean | Voice 130 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2003 | Lying to Michael Jackson | Martin Bashir | Television short |
| 2005 | Spider-Plant Man | Peter Piper / Spider-Plant Man | |
| 2010 | Bondi Rescue | Mr. Bean | 1 episode |
| 2012 | The Olympics Opening Ceremony | Himself/Mr. Bean | Television special |
| 2013 | Live from Lambeth Palace sketches | The Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| 2015 | Mr. Bean: Funeral | Mr. Bean | Television short |
| 2015 | Horrible Histories | Henry VIII of England | 1 episode |
| 2016–2017 | Maigret | Jules Maigret | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | Red Nose Day Actually | Rufus | Television short |
| 2017 | British Airways Safety Video: Director's Cut | Mr. Bean | Television short |
| 2018–2020 | Handy Bean | Mr. Bean | 20 episodes |
| 2019 | One Red Nose Day and a Wedding | Father Gerald | Television short |
| 2022 | Man vs. Bee | Trevor Bingley | 9 episodes; also co-creator |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Kronenbourg 1664 | Customs officer |
| 1983 | Appletiser | Fisherman |
| 1989 | Give Blood | Doctor |
| 1991–1997 | Barclaycard | Richard Latham |
| 1994 | REMA 1000 | Mr. Bean |
| 1997 | M&M's | |
| 1999 | Nissan Tino | |
| 1999 | Fujifilm | |
| 2014 | Snickers [13] | |
| 2018 | Etisalat [14] | Agent One |
| 2019 | Etisalat [15] | Mr. Bean |
| Year | Artist | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Hale and Pace | "The Stonk" | Mr. Bean |
| 1992 | Mr. Bean and Smear Campaign | "(I Want To Be) Elected" (featuring Bruce Dickinson) | Mr. Bean |
| 1997 | Boyzone | "Picture of You" | Mr. Bean |
| 2007 | Matt Willis | "Crash" | Mr. Bean |
| 2018 | Olly Murs | "Moves" [upper-alpha 1] (featuring Snoop Dogg) [16] | Bartender |
Atkinson also appeared in a song in the 1970s, "I like trucking". The song was made of "Not the nine O clock news". [17]
Blackadder is a series of four period British sitcoms, plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick. Each series was set in a different historical period, with the two protagonists accompanied by different characters, though several reappear in one series or another, e.g., Melchett, Lord Percy Percy / Captain Darling and George.
Benjamin Charles Elton is a British comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. He was a part of London's alternative comedy movement of the 1980s and became a writer on the sitcoms The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as continuing as a stand-up comedian on stage and television. His style in the 1980s was left-wing political satire. Since then he has published 17 novels and written the musicals The Beautiful Game (2000), We Will Rock You (2002), Tonight's the Night (2003), and Love Never Dies (2010), the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. His novels cover the dystopian, comedy, and crime genres.
Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis is a British screenwriter, producer and film director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films, among them Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Love Actually (2003), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), About Time (2013), and Yesterday (2019). He is also known for the drama War Horse (2011) and for having co-written the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean, and The Vicar of Dibley. His early career saw him write material for the BBC's Not the Nine O'Clock News and ITV's Spitting Image.
Mr. Bean is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions and starring Atkinson as the eponymous title character. The sitcom consists of 15 episodes that were co-written by Atkinson alongside Curtis and Robin Driscoll; the pilot was co-written by Ben Elton. The series was originally broadcast on ITV, beginning with the pilot on 1 January 1990 and ending with "The Best Bits of Mr. Bean" on 15 December 1995.
Not the Nine O'Clock News is a British television sketch comedy show which was broadcast on BBC2 from 16 October 1979 to 8 March 1982. Originally shown as a comedy alternative to the Nine O'Clock News on BBC1, it features satirical sketches on then-current news stories and popular culture, as well as parody songs, comedy sketches, re-edited videos, and spoof television formats. The programme features Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith, and Griff Rhys Jones, as well as Chris Langham in the first series.
Blackadder Goes Forth is the fourth series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989 on BBC1. The series placed the recurring characters of Blackadder, Baldrick, and George in a trench in Flanders during World War I, and followed their various doomed attempts to escape from the trenches to avoid death under the misguided command of General Melchett. The series references famous people of the time and criticises the British Army's leadership during the campaign, culminating in the ending of its final episode, in which the soldiers are ordered to carry out a lethal charge of enemy lines.
The Black Adder is the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, directed by Martin Shardlow and produced by John Lloyd. The series was originally aired on BBC 1 from 15 June 1983 to 20 July 1983, and was a joint production with the Australian Seven Network. Set in 1485 at the end of the British Middle Ages, the series is written as a secret history which contends that King Richard III won the Battle of Bosworth Field, only to be unintentionally assassinated by his nephew's son Edmund and succeeded by said nephew, Richard IV, one of the Princes in the Tower. The series follows the exploits of Richard IV's unfavoured second son Edmund in his various attempts to increase his standing with his father and, in the final episode, his quest to overthrow him.
Blackadder the Third is the third series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987. The series is set during the Georgian Era, and sees the principal character, Mr. E. Blackadder, serve as butler to the Prince Regent and have to contend with, or cash in on, the fads of the age embraced by his master.
Blackadder: Back & Forth is a 1999 British science fiction comedy short film based on the BBC period sitcom Blackadder that marks the end of the Blackadder saga. It was commissioned for showing in the specially built SkyScape cinema erected southeast of the Millennium Dome on the Greenwich peninsula in South London. The film follows Lord Edmund Blackadder and his idiotic servant, Baldrick, on a time travel adventure that brings the characters into contact with several figures significant to British history.
Stephen Frederick Eustace Frost is an English actor and comedian.
Mr. Bean's Holiday is a 2007 comedy film directed by Steve Bendelack and written by Hamish McColl and Robin Driscoll, from a story penned by Simon McBurney. Based on the British sitcom series Mr. Bean created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, it is a standalone sequel to Bean (1997). The film stars Atkinson in the title role, with Maxim Baldry, Emma de Caunes, Willem Dafoe and Karel Roden in supporting roles. In the film, Mr. Bean wins a trip to Cannes, France, but on his way there, he is mistaken for both a kidnapper and an award-winning filmmaker after he travels with both a Russian filmmaker's son and an aspiring actress in tow.
"Goodbyeee", or "Plan F: Goodbyeee", is the sixth and final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth, the fourth and final series of British historical sitcom Blackadder. The episode was first broadcast on BBC1 in the United Kingdom on 2 November 1989, shortly before Armistice Day. Apart from the one-off short film Blackadder: Back & Forth made a decade later, it was the last episode of Blackadder to be produced and transmitted.
George is a supporting character who appeared in various adaptations of the BBC sitcom Blackadder, played by Hugh Laurie. Two series saw a different incarnation of the character, because each was set in a different period of history. He was most prominently featured in the third and fourth series. The character was added to the series as a replacement for the Lord Percy Percy character, who did not appear in the third instalment because Tim McInnerny, the actor playing him, feared being typecast.
Dead on Time is a 1983 British short film directed by Lyndall Hobbs and written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson.
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles in the sitcoms Blackadder (1983–1989) and Mr. Bean (1990–1995), and in the film series Johnny English (2003–2018). Atkinson first came to prominence on the BBC sketch comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–1982), receiving the 1981 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance.
Paul Weiland OBE is an English motion picture and television director, writer, and producer. Weiland is a director and producer of television commercials in the UK, having made over 500 commercials, including a popular and long-running series for Walkers crisps. He has also directed several British television series, including Alas Smith and Jones (1989–1992) and Mr. Bean (1991–1992). His feature film credits include Made of Honor (2008), Sixty Six (2006), Blackadder: Back & Forth (1999), Roseanna's Grave (1997), City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994) and Leonard Part 6 (1987).
Johnny English Reborn is a 2011 spy action comedy film directed by Oliver Parker and written by Hamish McColl from a story by William Davies. A sequel to Johnny English (2003) and the second instalment in the Johnny English series, it is a British-American venture produced by StudioCanal, Relativity Media and Working Title Films, and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film stars Rowan Atkinson alongside Gillian Anderson, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Kaluuya and Richard Schiff as new characters.
Mr. Bean is a fictional character from the British comedy television programme Mr. Bean, its animated spin-off, and two live-action feature films. He was created and portrayed by Rowan Atkinson and made his first appearance on television in the pilot episode which first aired on 1 January 1990.
Maigret is a British television series from ITV. It is an adaptation of the books by Georges Simenon featuring his fictional French detective Jules Maigret, played by Rowan Atkinson. The series is set in France in the mid-1950s. Its first episode aired on 28 March 2016 and the second on Christmas Day, 2016. A second series aired during 2017. It was reported in 2018 that the series had been cancelled.
Maigret's Dead Man, also translated as Maigret and His Dead Man and Maigret’s Special Murder, is a 1948 detective novel by the Belgian novelist Georges Simenon featuring the fictional character Jules Maigret. It was Simenon's 29th Maigret novel.
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