Mr. Bean!!!

Funny, Funny Rowan Atkinson

When I was growing up, I had a friend, Dara, that was from Scotland and she introduced me to the popular British show, “Mr. Bean.” Every weekend during the summer we would stay up all night and watch episode after episode. We just couldn’t get enough of it and would end up watching reruns but we did not mind. It was still just as funny as the first time we watched it. Little did I know that twenty years later, I would be writing a paper on the infamous Rowan Atkinson and wishing I were young again and watching him for the first time.

Rowan Atkinson was born on January 6, 1955 in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, United Kingdom. He grew up on a farm with two older brothers which probably explains his comedic demeanor. When you are the youngest in the family, you really struggle to stand out and be individual. He probably was a funny person even back then so he could get his older brothers’ approval. He eventually made it to college and attended Newcastle University and Oxford University. He has his degrees in electrical engineering which is very interesting. I would never have expected him to be educated in that field of work. During his time at school, he met a screenwriter named Richard Curtis. The both of them wrote and performed comedy revues and the rest of his career just skyrocketed (IMDB).

Rowan Atkinson began appearing in movies around 1976. He was in “Pleasure at Her Majesty’s,” “Dead on Time,” “Never Say Never Again,” “The Tall Guy,” “The Black Adder” and Funny Business.” He also appeared and wrote “Not the Nine O’Clock News” which won him a 1979 international Emmy Award and a British Academy Award for “Best Light Entertainment Program of 1980. He eventually was also given the “BBC Personality of the Year” award for this show. He was also in the Musical, “Oliver” in the West End but had to quit the show because he had a hernia and needed surgery on it (IMDB).

He married in 1990 to Sunetra Sastry and they have two children, Benjamin and Lily. His favorite thing to do is to race fast cars. He collects older fast cars but also has some newer cars such as his MacLaren F1, a supercar valued at more than $1,000,000 . Too bad he crashed it into the back of a stationary Mini Metro. Good thing the damages were not all that big. But that is not the only car he has crashed. He also crashed his Aston Martins DB7 Vantage in the Aston Martins Owners Club series. That was after the same car was featured in his recent film, “Johnny English.” He is also notorious for riding go-karts around his tennis courts instead of playing tennis. In addition to the driving of his cars, he writes about cars as well. He is a frequent author for the British car magazine, CAR (IMDB).

Rowan Atkinson is also very active in politics. “In June 2005, he and many other famous actors went to the British Parliament in an attempt to force a review of a Bill which they felt would give overwhelming power to religious groups to impose censorship on the arts” (Wiki). His passion for the arts also made him sympathetic to his fellow co-workers, especially those who were homosexual. “In 2009, he criticized 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” (Wiki). His involvement in politics has inspired others to come forth and speak their minds.

Other fun facts about Rowan Atkinson is that he was the voice of Zazu in the Disney animated motion picture “The Lion King” and made appearances in American films such as, “Rat Race,” “Love Actually,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” and “Scooby-Doo.” This is all great but Rowan Atkinson is most famous for his physical comedy that can be found in none other than one of my favorite shows growing up... “Mr. Bean!” He does not talk and some would consider that his style is mime influenced. He is very “visually” based. His facial expressions are unforgettable and unbelievable. The physicality that he uses really puts him in the “clown” category and which made him the actor he is today. Without the use of these great tools, Rowan Atkinson would probably not be famous. It is amazing how a little clowning around can make you an icon in all of acting history!

Works Cited

"Rowan Atkinson." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 02 Apr. 2011.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowan_Atkinson>.

"Rowan Atkinson - Biography." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 02 Apr. 2011. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000100/bio>.

Rowan Atkinson, “Mr. Bean” videos: (My Favorite!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWCSQm86UB4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZujYUcY5xc&feature=relmfu