John Cleese
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Notes
See Eric Idle for additional background information on Monty Python's Flying Circus.
"In October (1988), Cleese gave about $140,000 to Sussex University to finance a three-year study into the psychological phenomenon of projection and denial--the tendency for people to deny that a problem is caused by themselves, and to project the blame onto someone else. . . . Cleese will own the copyright on the research and hopes to eventually write a book with Robin Skynner on the topic." --From "Cleese Up Close" by Bill Bryson in The New York Times Magazine, December 25, 1988.
Biography
As perhaps the most famous of the performers who starred in the irreverent comedy troupe, Monty Python, actor and comedian John Cleese reached legendary status, thanks to his deadpan delivery of ridiculous characters and limber-limbed slapstick antics. Prior to starring on "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (BBC, 1969-1974) with cast mates Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam, Cleese had established himself predominantly as a writer and occasional performer on such British series as "The Dick Emery Show" (BBC, 1963-1991) and "The Frost Report" (BBC, 1966). But with Monty Python, Cleese became an international star once the series began airing in America on PBS, which led to several films, two of which - "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1974) and "Monty Python's Life of Brian" (1979) - became instant classics. Following the death of Chapman in 1989, Monty Python as a full unit ceased to be, though on several occasions the surviving members reunited for various stage performances. Meanwhile, after numerous supporting roles, Cleese broke through with "A Fish Called Wanda" (1988), which reintroduced him to a new generation and paved the way for a long, venerable career as a prominent character actor in major Hollywood blockbusters.
Born on Oct. 27, 1939 in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England, Cleese was raised an only child by his father, Reginald, an insurance salesman, and his mother, Muriel, an acrobat. From a young age, Cleese had developed a keen, subversive sense of humor which served him well at school, where he had trouble fitting in because of his significant height. After attending St Peter's Preparatory School as a boy, he went to Clifton College, where he was an accomplished student studying chemistry, physics and mathematics. Once he graduated from Clifton, Cleese returned to St. Peter's to teach biology for two years, before attending the University of Cambridge to study law. But he also joined The Footlights - the school's famed theatre group that specialized in satire and comedy - where he met future Monty Python members Graham Chapman and Eric Idle. Other notable members included future collaborator and infamous interviewer David Frost, future director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Trevor Nunn, and future National Lampoon editor, Tony Hendra.
From 1961-63, Cleese wrote and performed material for the Footlights Revue "A Clump of Plinths" - later renamed "Cambridge Circus" - in London's West End. The revue later made the trip across the pond to the United States, where Cleese performed off-Broadway and met another future Python, Terry Gilliam, as well as his future first wife, actress-writer Connie Booth. Upon his return to England, Cleese somewhat shockingly embarked on a bright, respectable and awfully dull career at Freshfields, a venerable London law firm. But Cleese was saved by BBC producer Peter Titheridge, who signed him to a contract after having seen the young comedian perform with the Footlights. Cleese began his professional career writing for "The Dick Emery Show" (BBC, 1963-1981), then joined forces with Graham Chapman to write for "The Frost Report" (BBC, 1966), a satirical sketch program that featured many of England's best comedic talents of the day, including two more future Python members, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.
Cleese deepened his collaboration with Chapman when the pair wrote their first screenplay, "The Magic Christian" (1968), an absurdist comedy about a homeless man (Ringo Starr) who's adopted by the world's richest man (Peter Sellers). After making his film debut as an actor in "The Bliss of Mrs. Bloom" (1968), Cleese starred in "How to Irritate People" (1968), a made-for-television mockumentary that featured various skits that reflected exactly what the title suggested, though the delivery was more straight-laced than what followed. "How to Irritate People" was also notable for bringing together on screen four of six future Monty Python performers - Cleese, Chapman, Michael Palin and Terry Jones. While continuing to write with Chapman for the BBC, including the pilot episode of the long-running comedy, "Doctor in the House" (ITV, 1969-1991), Cleese, Chapman, Jones, Palin, Eric Idle and American Terry Gilliam developed and starred in "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (BBC, 1969-1974) - perhaps the most notorious and irreverent series to emerge from England.
Over the course of four seasons - or series as they say in England - "Monty Python's Flying Circus" put on display a number of skits, sketches and gags that were both absurdly slapstick and pointedly satirical, often skewering British culture and politics with biting intellectual vigor, hilarious over-the-top characters, and wild animation drawn by Gilliam. While all six members became noted for particular talents, it was Cleese who emerged as the show's true star - sometimes to the bitter disappointment of his cast mates behind the scenes. Each member had their specialty, with Cleese becoming known for playing officious bureaucrats, loose-limbed maniacs and foreigners - often French - with outrageous accents. Some of Cleese's better-known skits were playing "Ken Clean-Air Systems," a mongoloid boxer who does nothing but train, sleep and rub gravel in his hair; a competitor in the goofball competition "Upper Class Twit of the Year;" a disgruntled customer who tries to return a deceased Norwegian Blue in the "Dead Parrot" sketch - perhaps the most popular ever aired on the show - and as a government civil servant who demonstrates his high-legged kick on his way to work in "Ministry of Silly Walks." Though incredibly popular, particularly in America, "Ministry of Silly Walks" was ironically Cleese's least favorite sketch.
During the show's run, the Pythons made their first of four features, "And Now for Something Completely Different" (1971), an ironically titled string of re-shot skits that had already aired on the show, including "Dead Parrot" and "How Not to Be Seen," in which Cleese's steady, bureaucratic voice was put to good use. Once the show ended, the comedy troupe made their second film, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1974), a cult classic that put an irreverent spin on the Arthurian tales, featuring Chapman as the hapless monarch traveling across England during the Dark Ages on a quest to find the holiest of all Christian artifacts. Along the way, he meets all manner of ridiculous characters - a blood-thirsty Sir Lancelot (Cleese), the cowardly Sir Robin (Idle), a Black Knight who refuses to back down even after his arms and legs are hacked off, a killer bunny that can bite the head off a man, and the famous Knights Who Say "Ni!"
Cleese enjoyed considerable success outside of Monty Python with a more conventional, but nonetheless uproarious sitcom "Fawlty Towers" (BBC-2, 1975; BBC-2, 1979), co-written with his wife, Connie Booth. Cleese portrayed Basil Fawlty, the perpetually frustrated owner of a resort inn - a sort of middle-class Ralph Kramden on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Despite the show's popularity, Cleese felt two seasons worth was all he could do with the character. Meanwhile, in 1972, Cleese ventured into business as one of the co-founders of Video Arts Ltd., a company specializing in witty training films - in which he often starred - that became the largest training film company in the world outside the United States. Following the second series of "Fawlty Towers," Cleese rejoined his mates for "Monty Python's Life of Brian" (1979), a biting, hilarious and exceedingly irreverent satire on religion that followed a young Jewish man (Chapman) born during the time of Christ (Ken Colley), who is mistaken for the messiah and hounded to death by his insistent followers. As often was the case with Monty Python, Cleese - and his five co-stars - depicted numerous characters, including the officious leader of an anti-Roman group, a Jewish high priest who is stoned to death, and a clueless Centurion in the Roman army.
By the time the 1980s rolled along, Cleese was well on his way toward making a name for himself outside of Python. He starred in a number of British comedies throughout the decade - "Privates on Parade" (1982), "Yellowbeard" (1983) and "Clockwise" (1986), to name a few. He did reunite with the Pythons for one last major production, "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life" (1983), a funny, but uneven return to their sketch comedy roots that depicted a series of vignettes skewering the various stages of life - "Birth," "Growth and Learning," "Fighting Each Other," "Middle Age," "Live Organ Transplants," "The Autumn Years" and "Death." Meanwhile, Cleese become a familiar face in American television commercials and had several memorable turns in Hollywood features: "The Great Muppet Caper" (1981), "Silverado" (1985) and "The Big Picture" (1989). Perhaps his greatest film success was "A Fish Called Wanda" (1988), a blockbuster comedy directed by Ealing Studio veteran Charles Crichton and starring Cleese as an uptight British barrister, Jamie Lee Curtis as a sexy con artist, Kevin Kline as her macho boyfriend and Michael Palin as an hilariously tortured animal lover with a stutter. Having written the screenplay, Cleese also served as executive producer, and the little gem that cost slightly more than $7 million to make took in more than $200 million.
Following the surprise success of "Wanda," which was aided in part with Cleese's famous dance wearing nothing but a small picture frame, he appeared alongside Eric Idle and Rick Moranis in "Splitting Heirs" (1993), a strained comedy in the Monty Python tradition which failed to deliver the requisite laughs. Cleese then co-starred in "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" (1994), "The Swan Princess" (1996) and "The Wind in the Willows" (1996), before reuniting with his "Wanda" co-stars for "Fierce Creatures" (1997), a pleasant enough, but ultimately disappointing comedy that had no relation character- or plot-wise to their previous effort. As the new millennium approached, Cleese's presence on-screen became more widespread. He played an obnoxious hotel clerk with a penchant for women's clothes in the remake of "The Out-of-Towners" (1999), the apprentice gadget-master, R, who works alongside Q (Desmond Llewelyn) in the James Bond movie, "The World Is Not Enough" (1999), and Simon & Schuster head Dick Snyder in the Jacqueline Susann biopic, "Isn't She Great" (2000).
Cleese may have initially smarted from his ratings-impaired and critically drubbed sitcom "Wednesday at 9:30 (8:30 Central)" (ABC, 2002) and an appearance in one of filmdom's biggest bombs, "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" (2002), but he managed to redeem himself with two hugely popular films - portraying Nearly Headless Nick in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002), a character that he first introduced in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001). He also assumed the role of Q after the passing of Llewelyn in "Die Another Day"(2002) - this time bringing even more of his trademark cheek and disdain to the part. The comedian's talents were woefully underused in his turn as Lucy Liu's staid father in "Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle" (2003). That same year, Cleese joined the cast of "Will & Grace" (NBC, 1998-2006) in a delightful recurring role as Lyle "Finney" Finster, the paramour of Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) and father of Karen's arch-nemesis (Minnie Driver). The actor also lent his haughty tones to the voice of King Harold, father of Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), in the sequels "Shrek 2" (2004) and "Shrek the Third" (2007).
Cleese and the other surviving members of the Python troupe gave their blessing to Eric Idle's Broadway production of "Spamalot," a stage musical drawn from their 1975 film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." The 2005 debut earned rave reviews and broke box office records, and although Cleese did not appear in person, he was the only Python in the cast, as he provided the voice of God for the original production. Meanwhile, Cleese ventured more into animated features, providing voiceovers for the captured pigeon, Mercury, in "Valiant" (2005), Samuel the Sheep in "Charlotte's Web" (2006) and Dr. Glickenstein in the barely-seen, but well-reviewed "Igor" (2008). Back in the world of live action, Cleese co-starred in the major Hollywood disaster flick, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (2008), then was confirmed to play Chief Inspector Dreyfus, the scourge and nemesis of the bumbling Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin), in "The Pink Panther 2" (2009).
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Assistant Direction (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Writer (Special)
Special Thanks (Special)
Life Events
1963
Cast in the Footlights Revue "A Clump of Plinths"; later changed name to "Cambridge Circus" and performed in London's West End
1963
Joined BBC Radio writing sketches for the "Dick Emery Show"
1964
Performed in New York (on and off-Broadway) and on "The Ed Sullivan Show" (CBS) with the Footlights Revue
1966
Began writing (with Chapman) for the BBC show "The Frost Report"
1968
First screen credit (with Chapman), "The Magic Christian"
1968
Screen acting debut in "The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom"
1969
Debuted the BBC's "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (aired in the U.S. on PBS)
1970
Feature screenwriting debut (with Chapman), "The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer"; also acted in film
1971
Formed Video Arts Ltd. to make industrial training films
1971
Wrote (with Chapman) several episodes including the pilot of the British series "Doctor in the House"
1971
First Monty Python film, "And Now for Something Completely Different"
1972
Began making TV commercials
1975
Re-teamed with the gang for "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"
1975
Co-created, co-starred and co-wrote (with then wife Connie Booth) the TV series "Fawlty Towers" (BBC)
1979
Offended all religions equally in "Monty Python's Life of Brian"
1979
Starred in "The Secret Policeman's Ball" for Amnesty International (aired as a one-hour TV special, a full-length movie and two record albums)
1981
Starred as Robin Hood in Terry Gilliam's "Time Bandits"
1983
Re-teamed for "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life"
1985
Delivered a memorable turn as Sheriff Langston in "Silverado"; first collaboration with Kevin Kline
1986
Played a school headmaster obsessed with punctuality in "Clockwise"
1987
First American TV guest spot, "Cheers" (NBC)
1988
First feature film as producer, "A Fish Called Wanda" (also co-starred and scripted), directed by Crichton; nominated for an Academy Award for his script; Kline co-starred in his Oscar winning performance
1991
Lent his voice to the animated feature "An American Tail: Feivel Goes West"
1994
Portrayed Professor Waldman, Frankenstein's tutor and colleague, in Kenneth Branagh's "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein"
1995
Re-teamed with the cast from "A Fish Called Wanda" for the less successful, "Fierce Creatures"
1997
Voiced Ape, the mentor and father figure of Brendan Fraser's "George of the Jungle"
1999
Played Mr. Mersault, the hotel manager in the remake of "The Out-of-Towners"
1999
Appeared in the James Bond film "The World Is Not Enough" as Q's assistant, referred to by Bond as 'R'
1999
Played a fictionalized version of Simon & Schuster head Dick Snyder in "Isn't She Great"
2001
Appeared in the ensemble comedy "Rat Race," a throwback to the star-packed comedies of the 1960s
2001
Played Nearly Headless Nick in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
2002
Cast as the owner of a TV network on the short-lived ABC comedy "Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central)"
2002
Returned as Nearly Headless Nick in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
2002
Promoted to the role of Q in his next Bond outing "Die Another Day"
2003
Cast as the father of Alex (Lucy Liu) in "Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle"
2004
Had a recurring role on the NBC sitcom, "Will and Grace," as the father of Lorraine Finster (Minnie Driver) and Karen's love interest; nominated for an Emmy Award
2004
Voiced Fiona's Father, King Harold in the animated feature "Shrek 2"
2004
Cast as The Balloon Man in the Disney live action feature "Around the World in 80 Days"
2005
Toured New Zealand with his one-man show "Seven Ways to Skin an Ocelot"
2006
Voiced Samuel the sheep in live-action/computer-animated feature film "Charlotte's Web," based on the book by E.B. White
2007
Reprised the role of King Harold for "Shrek the Third"
2008
Lent his voice to the animated comedy "Igor"
2008
Cast as Professor Barnhardt, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist in the remake of the 1951 sci-fi movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still"
2009
Voiced Professer Kripple in the animated sci-fi film "Planet 51"
2010
Returned to voice King Harold in the animated feature "Shrek Forever After"
2011
Narrated the animated family film "Winnie the Pooh"
2011
Cast in the comedy feature "The Big Year" opposite Owen Wilson, Jack Black, and Steve Martin
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
See Eric Idle for additional background information on Monty Python's Flying Circus.
"In October (1988), Cleese gave about $140,000 to Sussex University to finance a three-year study into the psychological phenomenon of projection and denial--the tendency for people to deny that a problem is caused by themselves, and to project the blame onto someone else. . . . Cleese will own the copyright on the research and hopes to eventually write a book with Robin Skynner on the topic." --From "Cleese Up Close" by Bill Bryson in The New York Times Magazine, December 25, 1988.
"Cleese has spent much of his career playing with devastating effect seething, angry, mentally volcanic characters who if they are pushed just one more inch will erupt in a ranting, fist-shaking, quavering rage--and then, of course, are pushed that one inch. So many people find it difficult to accept the idea that in person he is composure itself: quiet, thoughtful, attentive, not at all given to stomping his feet, beating his head against walls, smacking menials or dashing around in a state of semi-hysteria." --From "Cleese Up Close" by Bill Bryson in The New York Times Magazine, December 25, 1988.
"Cleese's humor has always been built around those characteristics that most set the English apart--a sense of decorum, class rigidities, suppressed emotions, a fondness for the lilt and flow of words and, above all, an instinctive delight in the absurd." --From "Cleese Up Close" in The New York Times Magazine, December 25, 1988.
Cleese's company, Video Arts Ltd., won the prestigious Queen's Award for Industry in 1981.
About his lack of singing ability: "I'm the most unmusical man in Europe. I once did a Broadway musical ('Half a Sixpence') and I was only allowed to mime. It was in 1965 and it was only a small role. But after about six weeks, I just started joining in very quietly, and about two performancwes later, the musical director came up and said, 'John?' I said, 'Yes, sir?' 'Are you singing?' I said, 'Just a little.' He said, 'Don't!'" --Cleese, in "Idol Chatter", Premiere, January 1997.
On American attempts to duplicate "Fawlty Towers": "The advantage to 'Fawlty' was that I was able to do . . . slightly over a half hour. This gave me a lot of time to build the tension, and get Basil more and more frantic."Now as I told the ['Payne'] writers, it's going to be very hard to get him wound up to that peak of madness in only 22 minutes, so you've immediately got a problem."As for ABC's short-lived "Amanda's", starring Bea Arthur: "This ['Amanda's'] was a very strange business . . . They wrote Basil out. If you take him away, and have a woman play his part, the dynamic is all wrong." --Cleese to The Chicago Sun-Times, March 26, 1998.
"The only way to understand 'Monty Python' was that it was six writers who happened to perform their own material. And the reason you can tell is because we used to fight like cats and dogs about relative merit of material. Terrible fights. We never, ever fought about the acting. Nobody was ever cross about not getting a part. It didn't matter. What mattered was getting the material right. We were almost a bit Puritan about it." --Cleese quoted in USA Today, February 16, 1999.
