John Cleese
Use attributes for filter ! | |
Gender | Male |
---|---|
Age | 84 |
Date of birth | October 27,1939 |
Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
Born | Weston-super-Mare |
United Kingdom | |
Height | 196 (cm) |
Spouse | Jennifer Wade |
Books | So, Anyway. . . |
Professor at Large: The Cornell Years | |
Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide | |
Monty Python's Flying Circus | |
The Pythons | |
So, Anyway... | |
Awards | BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role |
British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance | |
David di Donatello for Best Foreign Screenplay | |
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series | |
Children | Cynthia Cleese |
Camilla Cleese | |
Parents | Muriel Cleese |
Reg Cleese | |
Grandchildren | Olivia Solomon |
Evan Solomon | |
Alma mater | Downing College, Cambridge |
Date of Reg. | |
Date of Upd. | |
ID | 409285 |
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Time Bandits
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Clockwise
Shrek 2
Rat Race
Fierce Creatures
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Trolls
And Now for Something Completely Different
Die Another Day
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
The World Is Not Enough
At Last the 1948 Show
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Shrek the Third
Monty Python's Personal Best
The Pink Panther 2
George of the Jungle
Charlotte's Web
Silverado
Monty Python Live (Mostly)
Splitting Heirs
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
Erik the Viking
How to Irritate People
Absolutely Anything
Shrek Forever After
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
The Swan Princess
Winnie the Pooh
Around the World in 80 Days
The Out-of- Towners
The Great Muppet Caper
George of the Jungle 2
Valiant
Planet 51
A Liar's Autobiography - The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman
Planes
Isn't She Great
The Magic Christian
Parrot Sketch Not Included – 20 Years of Monty Python
Igor
Hold the Sunset
The Adventures of Pluto Nash
Yellowbeard
Life of Brian
Fawlty Towers
A Fish Called Wanda
John Cleese Life story
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report.
Early Life and Education
John cleese was born in weston-super-mare. England on october 27. 1939. He was raised in a middle-class family. With his mother muriel and father reginald being boht active in local business. He attended clifton college. An independent scholo in bristol. Where he was a member of the school s cricket team and was also in the school s drama society. He later attended downing college. Cambridge. Where he stduied law. But eventually decidde to pursue a career in comedy.Career in Comedy
John cleese first gained fame as part of the british comedy troupe monyt pythons flying circus. He co-wrote and starred in several british television shows. Including fawlty towers. Which is considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. He also wrtoe and starred in a number of feature films. Including a fish called wanda. Which won him an oscar nomination for best screenplay.Theatrical Performances
John cleese has also had success on the stage. He has written and starred in a number of theatrical performancesi. Ncluding the west end production of the secret policemans ball and the broadway comedy show monty python live at the hollywood bowl.Writing and Directing
John cleese has written and directed a number of television and film projects. He wrote and directed fiecre creatures. A 1997 comedy film starring jamie lee curtis and kevin kline. He also wrote and directed the 2001 film. The wolrd is not enough.Voice Acting
John cleese has lent his voice to a number of animated filsm and television shows. Including the simpsons. Shrek 2. And wallace & gromit: the curse of the were-rabbit. He also voiced the character of king harold in the 2010 disney film. Shrek forever after.Acting in Other Mediums
John cleese has also had success in other mediums. He has appeared in a numebr of video gamesi. Ncluding the popular grand theft auto series. He also starred in the television series will & grace. And the film the man who knew too ilttle.Awards and Achievements
John cleese has been recognized for his contributions to the world of comedy. In 2005. He was made a cmomander of the order of the british empire for services to television. He has also won several bafta awards for his work in television and film.Personal Life
Jonh cleese has been married four times and has three children. He is an avdi cricket fan and is a patron of the charity chance to shine. He is also a supporter of the liberal democrats. A political party in the united kingdom.Important Event
In cleese and his comedy troupe. Monty python. Staged their fianl performance at the arena in london. The show was attended by over people and was heralded as one of the most significant comedy events of the 20th century.Interesting Fact
John lceese is an avid collector of calssic cars. His collection includes a 1932 austin 7. A 1938 rolls royce. And a 1947 jaguar xk140.Olivier Awards: Seven things we learned at the ceremony
... Beverley Knight compares herself with John CleeseKnight looked amazing when she arrived in head-to-toe black latex adorned with gold snakes - she even had someone carrying the back of her dress, so it didn t drag on the grassy, sustainable green carpet...
Fawlty Towers: John Cleese to revive series with daughter
... John Cleese, who played Basil Fawlty, will be returning to write and star alongside his daughter Camilla Cleese...
Jacob Rees Mogg to host GB News show
... Other presenters include Nigel Farage, John Cleese and Eamonn Holmes...
BBC 100: 40 interesting facts about its biggest programmes
......
Bardney Festival: The UK's answer to Woodstock that almost never was
... " One cannot really underestimate the opposition to this event, " says Sir Michael Palin, who travelled with his Monty Python colleagues John Cleese and Terry Jones to perform...
Barry Cryer obituary: A life dedicated to laughter
... There he found himself working alongside a number of future stars, including John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, Marty Feldman and Graham Chapman...
John Cleese to complain over BBC interview
... Media caption, Watch John Cleese s pre-recorded interview with BBC presenter Karishma Vaswani in fullJohn Cleese has said he intends to put in a formal complaint about the " deception, dishonesty and tone" of recent BBC interview he took part in...
Christmas movie production snowballs to reach new record
... Streaming platforms are tapping into the seasonal demand too, with Netflix offering a dozen original films starring big names like John Cleese, Kelsey Grammar and Brooke Shields...
Bardney Festival: The UK's answer to Woodstock that almost never was
Fifty years ago This Week , 50,000 people and some of the biggest names in entertainment descended on a rural village in Lincolnshire. The Great Western Express remains an unforgettable one-off for those who were there and left an indelible mark on its hosts. But it almost Never Happened at all.
The year is 1972. You're planning a Music Festival with a stellar line-up of household names and up-and-coming talent. Rod Stewart , the Beach Boys , Joe Cocker , Slade, Genesis, Status Quo and a young comedy troupe called Monty Python . The Great Western Express is sure to be the hottest ticket in town.
But the question is: which town?
At The Time , such large-scale music events in the UK were still in their infancy. The Isle of Wight Festival was The Place to be seen, having grown and grown since its launch in 1968. Glastonbury, launched a year later, was a long way from becoming the behemoth it is today.
For many Brits, the phrase Music Festival would have conjured still-fresh memories of the Summer of '69 and riotous scenes when 400,000 people flocked to a dairy farm in upstate New York to attend Woodstock.
The Great Western Express' promoters could see there was demand, but to find a venue they had to overcome fears of litter and drug use.
Peter Whitehead , one of The Chief organisers, says those behind The Festival had their eye on locations in Kent, Essex, and a sleepy Lincolnshire village called Bardney. The denizens of each took a dim view of the plans.
" In Kent, The Locals actually threatened to dismantle the landowner's house brick by brick if He Said yes to us, " remembers Mr Whitehead.
In Essex, protesters threw effigies of chief organisers Stanley Baker and Lord Harlech on to A Bonfire . So Bardney it was.
But The Event was not welcomed with open arms. Although protests were more genteel in Lincolnshire, Mr Whitehead guffaws as he recalls agreeing to pay a £10,000 " security bond" to Bardney's vicar " in The Event of angry hoards trying to do The Village damage. "
Nevertheless, the four-day event kicked off, as planned, on 26 May 1972 at Tupholme Manor Park .
" One cannot really underestimate the opposition to this event, " says Sir Michael Palin , who travelled with his Monty Python colleagues John Cleese and Terry Jones to perform.
" I believe The Police drove us on to The Site , " says Sir Michael. " There were people everywhere. No-one really knew how many people were going to turn up. "
But turn up they did. In spite of the protests, an estimated 50,000 fans headed to The Site .
" It was a big thing for us, " says Sir Michael. " Python hadn't been going very long. We hadn't attended a pop festival before. We were brought up on small-scale sketches so to suddenly be in front of 50,000 people was quite extraordinary. It was a bit frightening. It really was an out of this world, sci-fi-like experience. "
Mr Whitehead's memory is slightly less rosy. It was, he says, " a complete washout".
Torrential downpours accompanied by strong gusts meant large numbers " turned round and went home again" after Getting Off The Train at Lincoln, costing the organisers " a lot of money" he says.
" Even my Land Rover got bogged down in the mud and needed towing out, " he says. " It was the wrong time of the year to hold a festival. "
Those who braved The Weather turned to ingenious means to keep out The Rain , recalls Mr Whitehead.
" In The Middle of this field was this giant haystack, " he says. " Well, some clever so-and-so thought they'd build themselves a little shelter, using the hay, to keep dry. Someone Else saw it and thought they'd have a go too. Over about four hours, these little hay huts started popping up all over The Site . "
Outside, would-be concertgoers were trying similarly inventive methods to gain entry.
Avril Jenson, from Lincoln, had answered an advert in The Local paper for security staff and found herself tasked with patrolling The Perimeter .
" I was patrolling at the outer perimeter, " she says. " We had to run after people who'd climbed over The Fence and rugby tackle them. "
Now 75, she remembers holding The Line until the Hells Angels " made an all-out attempt to break down" the corrugated fence.
She recalls one biker swinging from a tree on a rope in an attempt to get inside.
But once The Festival got going, it was a success. Mr Whitehead remembers Slade frontman Noddy Holder - greeted by boos from purists who refused to see the glam rockers as a festival Band - Winning the doubters over, " screaming and whipping them up into a frenzy".
Despite the fierce opposition, the organisers had done it. They had brought some of the country's most popular acts to an unlikely, unwilling location in the Lincolnshire countryside.
" It was The Most momentous thing for youth at that time, " remembers Security Guard Avril Jenson. " It was mind-boggling to see so many pop stars in The Flesh , in the Open Air , and under The Stars . The Music drifting in the air. You could hear all the lyrics. Such an assortment. "
" It was great to have done it, " says Palin, whose recollections are similarly star-studded. " Backstage was very jolly. We had a glass of champagne in Stanley Baker 's caravan with the Beach Boys . "
Fears that festivalgoers would leave a rubbish-strewn hellscape were not realised, according to BBC reports from The Time . And some of Bardney's businesses did well out of The Event .
" All seven pubs, as we had Back Then , ran dry, " says Barry Newlove, owner of Bardney Heritage Centre, which still displays memorabilia, including posters and photographs from The Festival .
" The shops were bare. One young lad bought a colour TV, and they were pretty special Back Then , using proceeds from selling lemonade to festival-goers. "
Reflecting on The Event 's success, festival boss Mr Baker told The Bbc at The Time : " One of The Most pleasing things, in spite of The Weather , is to watch these kids really be together and enjoy The Music , and this is going to happen for a long, long time to come. I Am in The Business of entertaining and I want to give The Kids what they want. And they Want It , believe me. "
He did, however, concede that Bardney would not be " in any way" ideal for a permanent festival site, and that future events would need to be " entirely away from possible nuisance to local people. "
It would be The First and only time The Village witnessed an event like The Great Western Express. But its legacy remains.
Heritage Centre boss Mr Newlove says he still encounters people with fond memories.
" Without Fail , every weekend, we get someone coming into the centre who was there, " he says. " And they come from everywhere. There was one lady in The Village who met a lad from Canada who had come over for The Festival . They settled here.
" The Festival was the biggest thing that has ever happened here. "
Source of news: bbc.com