Rowan Atkinson: From Electrical Engineer to International Comedy Icon

Rowan Sebastian Atkinson, born on January 6, 1955, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, is an English actor, comedian, and writer. With a career spanning several decades, he has become a household name, celebrated for his iconic characters and contributions to comedy.

Early Life and Education

Rowan Atkinson was born to Eric Atkinson, a farmer and company director, and his wife, Ella May, who married on June 29, 1945. Atkinson was brought up Anglican. His educational journey began at Durham Chorister School, a preparatory school. He then attended St Bees School before pursuing higher education in electrical engineering. He studied at Newcastle University and later earned a master's degree from The Queen's College, Oxford.

Atkinson's foray into the world of performance began during his time at Oxford University. He started performing sketches and revues, showcasing his comedic talent at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. These early performances laid the foundation for his future career. While attending Oxford, he began working with screenwriter Richard Curtis and composer Howard Goodall, and together they ventured to the Edinburgh Festival. There Atkinson delivered a schoolmaster sketch that rocketed him to fame and became part of his repertoire of classic skits.

Early Career and Breakthrough

In 1979, Atkinson starred in a series of comedy shows for BBC Radio 3 called The Atkinson People. The show featured satirical interviews with fictional characters, all played by Atkinson himself. After university, Atkinson did a one-off pilot for London Weekend Television in 1979 called Canned Laughter. He gained further national attention when he performed on the third The Secret Policeman's Ball in June 1979 which was broadcast on the BBC, and since then he has appeared on televised skits with various performers including Elton John, John Cleese ("Beekeeping") and Kate Bush, the latter with whom he performed the humorous song "Do Bears… ?" for the British charity event Comic Relief in 1986. Solo skits on television (and without dialogue) have included playing an invisible drum kit and an invisible piano.

His career took off with his involvement in the BBC's Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979-1982), where he served as a writer and performer. The show's success led to his starring role as Edmund Blackadder in the BBC mock-historical comedy Blackadder.

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Blackadder: A Hysterical Historical Farce

The Blackadder series, one of the most successful of all BBC situation comedies, 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. His co-stars included Tony Robinson (who played his long-suffering sidekick Baldrick), Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. The first series, The Black Adder (1983), co-written by Atkinson and Richard Curtis, was set in the mediæval period, with the title character unintelligent and naïve. The second series, Blackadder II (1986), written by Curtis and Ben Elton, marked a turning point for the show. It followed the fortunes of one of the descendants of Atkinson's original character, this time in the Elizabethan era, with the character reinvented as a devious anti-hero. Metro states, "watching Atkinson work in series two is to watch a master of the sarcastic retort in action". Two sequels followed, Blackadder the Third (1987), set in the Regency era, and Blackadder Goes Forth (1989), set in World War I. 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".

Mr. Bean: A Global Phenomenon

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, but Atkinson himself has stated that Jacques Tati's character Monsieur Hulot was the main inspiration. Atkinson states, "The essence of Mr Bean is that he's entirely selfish and self-centred and doesn't actually acknowledge the outside world. He's a child in a man's body. 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.

Mr. Bean's universal appeal transcended cultural and linguistic barriers, making it a global phenomenon. The character's reliance on physical comedy, with minimal dialogue, allowed audiences worldwide to connect with his antics.

The success of Mr. Bean led to several sequels and a feature film, Bean (1997), directed by Mel Smith, Atkinson's colleague in Not the Nine O'Clock News. A second film, Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007), (again inspired to some extent by Jacques Tati in his film Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot), also became an international success. He has also starred in the James Bond parody Johnny English film series (2003-present).

In January 2014, ITV announced a new animated series featuring Mr. Bean with Rowan Atkinson returning to the role. On 6 February 2018, Regular Capital announced that there would be a third series of Mr. Bean: The Animated Series in 2019 (voiced by Atkinson). Consisting of 26 episodes, the first two segments, "Game Over" and "Special Delivery", aired on 9 April 2019 on CITV in the UK as well as on Turner channels worldwide.

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In October 2018, Atkinson (as Mr. Bean) received YouTube's Diamond Play Button for his channel surpassing 10 million subscribers on the video platform. Among the most-watched channels in the world, in 2018 it had more than 6.5 billion views.

Other Notable Roles and Appearances

Beyond Blackadder and Mr. Bean, Atkinson has showcased his versatility in various other roles and appearances:

The Thin Blue Line (1995-1996): He played Police Inspector Raymond Fowler in this BBC sitcom.
Never Say Never Again (1983): Atkinson appeared in this James Bond film.
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994): He played a verbally bumbling vicar in this romantic comedy.
The Lion King (1994): Atkinson voiced Zazu, the red-billed hornbill, in the Disney animated film. He also sang the song "I Just Can't Wait to Be King".
Johnny English (2003): Atkinson starred in this Bond spoof, playing a bumbling spy. The role was based on a character named Richard Lathum in a long-running series of adverts for Barclaycard.
Love Actually (2003): He appeared in this popular romantic comedy.
Maigret (2016-2017): Atkinson took on a rare dramatic role as Inspector Maigret in this ITV series.
Man vs. Bee (2022): He starred as house-sitter Trevor Bingley in this Netflix sitcom.

He performed live on-stage skits - also appearing with members of Monty Python - in The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979) in London for Amnesty International. Atkinson undertook a four-month tour of the UK in 1980. Oliver! In 2009, during the West End revival of the musical Oliver! On 28 November 2012, Rowan Atkinson reprised the role of Blackadder at the "We are Most Amused" comedy gala for The Prince's Trust at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He was joined by Tony Robinson as Baldrick.

Comedy Style and Influences

Best known for his use of physical comedy in his Mr. Bean persona, Atkinson's other characters rely more on language. Atkinson often plays authority figures (especially priests or vicars) speaking absurd lines with a completely deadpan delivery. Journalist Anwar Brett writes, "Although his deadpan wit is in evidence as he speaks, Atkinson - beloved to Blackadder as much as Bean fans - takes his comedy very seriously." On his ability to keep his focus on set during comedic moments, Johnny English director Oliver Parker commented, "There's a scene where Johnny English is in a meeting going up and down on an office chair. One of his better-known comic devices is over-articulation of the "B" sound, such as his pronunciation of "Bob" in the Blackadder II episode "Bells".

Atkinson's often visually based style, which has been compared to that of Buster Keaton, sets him apart from most modern television and film comics, who rely heavily on dialogue, as well as stand-up comedy which is mostly based on monologues. This talent for visual comedy has led to Atkinson being called "the man with the rubber face"; comedic reference was made to this in an episode of Blackadder the Third ("Sense and Senility"), in which Baldrick (Tony Robinson) refers to his master, Mr. E.

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Atkinson's early comedy influences were the sketch comedy troupe Beyond the Fringe, made up of Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller and Alan Bennett, major figures of the 1960s British satire boom, and then Monty Python. Atkinson states, "I remember watching them avidly as students at university". He continued to be influenced by the work of John Cleese following his Monty Python days, regarding Cleese as being "a major, major inspiration", adding, "I think that he and I are quite different in our style and our approach, but certainly it was comedy I liked to watch. He was very physical. Yes, very physical and very angry". He was also influenced by Peter Sellers, whose characters Hrundi Bakshi from The Party (1968) and Inspector Clouseau from The Pink Panther films influenced Atkinson's characters Mr. Of Barry Humphries' Dame Edna Everage, he states, "I loved that character - again, it's the veneer of respectability disguising suburban prejudice of a really quite vicious and dismissive nature". Of visual comedians, Atkinson regards Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd as influential. He was also inspired by French comedian Jacques Tati, stating, "Mr. Hulot's Holiday I remember seeing when I was 17 - that was a major inspiration. He opened a window to a world that I'd never looked out on before, and I thought, "God, that's interesting," how a comic situation can be developed as purely visual and yet it's not under-cranked, it's not speeded-up, it's more deliberate; it takes its time.

Personal Life and Interests

Rowan Atkinson first met Sunetra Sastry in the late 1980s, when she was working as a make-up artist with the BBC. he got married at the Russian Tea Room in New York City on 5 February 1990. They have two children and lived in Oundle, Northamptonshire as well as in Ipsden, Oxfordshire and in Highbury, London. The couple separated in 2014 and divorced in 2015. In 2017, he became a father for the third time, this time with actress girlfriend Louise Ford.

With an estimated wealth of £100 million, Atkinson is able to indulge his passion for cars that began with driving his mother's Morris Minor around the family farm. A lover of and participant in car racing, he appeared as racing driver Henry Birkin in the television play Full Throttle in 1995. Atkinson's car collection is dominated by Aston Martins, including the DB7 Vantage used in Johnny English. His Aston Martin V8 Zagato, featuring a novelty registration plate, was driven by his character Ron Anderson in the film The Tall Guy. Atkinson was cited for speeding in the car, just as Jeff Goldblum's character was in the movie. He also received a driving ban as a result of the incident.

Atkinson holds a category C+E (formerly "Class 1") lorry driving licence, gained in 1981, because lorries held a fascination for him, and to ensure employment as a young actor. He has also used this skill when filming comedy material.

Advocacy for Free Speech

Atkinson has frequently advocated for freedom of speech.

In 2009, he criticised homophobic speech legislation, saying that the House of Lords must vote against a government attempt to remove a free-speech clause in an anti-gay hate law. Atkinson opposed the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 to outlaw inciting religious hatred, arguing that, "freedom to criticise ideas - any ideas even if they are sincerely held beliefs - is one of the fundamental freedoms of society.

In October 2012, he voiced his support for the Reform Section 5 campaign, which aims to reform or repeal Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, particularly its statement that an insult can be grounds for arrest and punishment.

In August 2020, Atkinson added his signature to a letter coordinated by Humanist Society Scotland along with twenty other public figures including novelist Val McDermid, playwright Alan Bissett, and activist Peter Tatchell, which expressed concern about the Scottish National Party's proposed Hate Crime and Public Order Bills.

In January 2021, Atkinson criticised the rise of cancel culture. He said, "It's important that we're exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion, but what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob, roaming the streets looking for someone to burn. The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a simplistic, binary view of society. It becomes a case of either you're with us or against us.

Honors and Recognition

For his services to drama and charity, Atkinson was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013.

Atkinson received the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance in 1981, for his work in Not the Nine O'Clock News, and again in 1990, for his work in Blackadder, as well as an Olivier Award for his 1981 West End theatre performance in Rowan Atkinson in Revue.

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