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John Cleese

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John Marwood Cleese (born October 27, 1939) is an English comedian and actor best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for co-writing the TV series Fawlty Towers in which he played Basil Fawlty.

Contents

Biography

John Cleese was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England to Reginald Francis Cleese and Muriel Cross. His family's surname was previously "Cheese", but his father, an insurance salesman, changed his surname to "Cleese" upon joining the army in 1915 [Cleese John Cleese's father]

As a boy, Cleese was educated at Clifton College in Bristol, from which he was expelled for a humorous defacing of school grounds: he used painted footsteps to suggest that the school's statue of Field Marshal Earl Douglas Haig had got down from his plinth and gone to the toilet. His talent for comedy progressed with his membership of the Cambridge Footlights Revue while he was studying for a law degree at Downing College at the University of Cambridge. Here he met his future writing partner Graham Chapman. As Cleese's comic reputation flourished, he was soon offered a position as a writer with BBC Radio, working on, among others, sketches for The Dick Emery Show. The success of the Footlights Revue led to the recording of a short series of half-hour radio programmes, called I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (which was so popular that the BBC commissioned a regular series with the same title). He then joined the Cambridge Revue, Cambridge Circus, for a tour of New Zealand and Broadway, and decided to stay on in America performing on and off-Broadway, including in the musical Half a Sixpence. It was during this time he met future Python Terry Gilliam and his future wife, American actress Connie Booth, whom he married on February 20 1968. After his return to England, he started performing as a cast member of the highly successful BBC Radio show I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, which ran from 1965 to 1974. His fellow cast members were Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, David Hatch and Jo Kendall.

On his return to London in 1965, Cleese and Chapman began writing on The Frost Report, an important landmark in satire and British Comedy in the 1960s. The writing staff chosen for The Frost Report were, in many ways, the finest comedy minds of the 1960s United Kingdom, consisting of many writers and performers who would go on to make names for themselves in comedy. They included future Goodies Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor, and also Frank Muir, Barry Cryer, Marty Feldman, Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, Dick Vosburgh and future Python members Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. It was whilst working on The Frost Report, in fact, that the future Pythons developed their unique writing styles that would become so significant later. Cleese and Chapman's sketches often involved authority figures (some of which were performed by Cleese). Terry Jones and Michael Palin were both infatuated with filmed scenes that open with idyllic countryside panoramas. Eric Idle was one of those charged with writing David Frost's monologue. It was during this period that Cleese met and befriended influential British comedian Peter Cook.

Cleese (right) unsuccessfully attempting to return his dead parrot, which he bought not half an hour ago, to Michael Palin in And Now For Something Completely Different.
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Cleese (right) unsuccessfully attempting to return his dead parrot, which he bought not half an hour ago, to Michael Palin in And Now For Something Completely Different.

Such was the popularity of the series that, in 1966, John Cleese and Graham Chapman were invited to work as writers and performers with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Marty Feldman on At Last the 1948 Show, during which time the Four Yorkshiremen sketch was written by all four writers/performers (the Four Yorkshiremen sketch is now better known as a Monty Python sketch). John Cleese and Graham Chapman also wrote episodes of Doctor in the House. These series were successful and, in 1969, Cleese and Chapman were offered their very own series. However, due to Chapman's alcoholism, Cleese found himself bearing an increasing workload in the partnership and was therefore unenthusiastic about doing a series with just the two of them. He had found working with Michael Palin on The Frost Report an enjoyable experience, and invited him to join the series. Palin had previously been working on Do Not Adjust Your Set, with Eric Idle and Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam doing animations. The four of them had, on the back of the success of Do Not Adjust Your Set, been offered a series for ITV, which they were waiting to begin when Cleese's offer arrived. Palin agreed to work with Cleese and Chapman in the mean time, bringing with him Gilliam, Jones and Idle. This union led to the creation of Monty Python. Many have suggested that this important landmark in comedy was brought about by Cleese's desire to work with Palin, who Cleese has maintained is his favourite Python to work with. Monty Python's Flying Circus ran for four series from October 1968 to 1974 on BBC. Cleese is particularly remembered for the "Cheese Shop", "The Ministry of Silly Walks", and "Dead Parrot" sketches. Though the programme lasted four series, by the start of series 3, Cleese — who was probably the most experienced and well known member of the group, was beginning to find working with Chapman an unfair strain and that the show's scripts were gradually declining in quality — began to become agitated, wanting to move on. Though he stayed for the third series, he did not appear in the fourth series, and received only a minor writing credit. Cleese returned to the troupe to co-write and co-star in the Monty Python films Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life.

Cleese (back) as his most famous creation, Basil Fawlty with the rest of the Fawlty Towers cast.
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Cleese (back) as his most famous creation, Basil Fawlty with the rest of the Fawlty Towers cast.

In 1971, Connie Booth gave birth to Cynthia Cleese, their only child.

Having left Python, Cleese went on to achieve possibly greater success in the United Kingdom as the awful hotel manager Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, which he co-wrote with Connie Booth. The series won widespread critical acclaim and is still considered one of the finest examples of British comedy. The series also featured Andrew Sachs as the much abused Spanish waiter Manuel ("...he's from Barcelona"), Prunella Scales as Basil's fire-breathing dragon of a wife Sybil, and Booth as waitress Polly. Cleese based Basil Fawlty on a real character, Donald Sinclair, whom he encountered when he and the rest of the Monty Python team were staying at the Gleneagles hotel in Torquay whilst filming Monty Python's Flying Circus. During the Pythons' stay, Sinclair threw Eric Idle's briefcase out of the hotel "in case it contained a bomb", complained about Terry Gilliam's "American" table manners, and threw a bus timetable at another guest after they dared to ask the time of the next bus to town. The series portrayed stereotypical British attitudes towards sex, death, complaining, violence towards employees and unhappy marriages, often simultaneously embodied in Cleese's madcap physical performances. The first series began on 19 September 1975, and whilst not an instant hit, soon gained momentum. However, the second series did not appear until 1979, during which time Cleese's marriage to Booth had broken down. Despite this the two reprised their writing and performing roles in the second series. Fawlty Towers famously comprised only twelve episodes. Cleese and Booth both maintain that this was to prevent a gradual decline in the quality of the series.

Cleese did not really sing on The Muppet Show, but at the end of his Muppet Show episode, he showed up a pretend album, his own new vocal record "John Cleese: A Man & His Music".

During the 1980s and 1990s, Cleese focused on film, though he did work with Peter Cook in his one-off TV special Peter Cook and Co. in 1980. He also rejoined the Pythons for Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982), and starred in The Secret Policeman's Ball for Amnesty International. He married Barbara Trentham on 15 February 1981. Their daughter Camilla was born 1984.

In 1988 he wrote and starred in A Fish Called Wanda, as the lead, Archie Leach, along with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and fellow python Michael Palin. Wanda became the most successful British film ever, and Cleese was nominated for an Academy Award for his script. Cynthia Cleese starred as Leach's daughter.

John Cleese on The Muppet Show
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John Cleese on The Muppet Show

However, his marriage was in trouble and in 1990 he and Trentham divorced. On 28 December 1992 he married Alice Faye Eichelberger, his third blonde American actress wife.

Cleese gave a stirring eulogy at Graham Chapman's memorial service, in which he "became the first person ever at a British memorial service to say 'fuck'". Many considered this to be the perfect tribute to his friend and comedic partner. [Memorial eulogy by John Cleese for Graham Chapman]

Cleese also produced and acted in a number of successful business training films, including Meetings, Bloody Meetings and More Bloody Meetings about how to set up and run successful meetings. These were produced by his company Video Arts.

With Robin Skynner, Cleese wrote two books on relationships: Families and how to survive them, and Life and how to survive it. The books are presented as a dialogue between Skynner and Cleese.

In 1996, Cleese declined the British honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Cleese has been a strong supporter of the UK Liberal Democrats, and it is believed his refusal was politically motivated.

In 1999, Cleese appeared in the James Bond movie, The World Is Not Enough as Q's assistant, ironically referred to by Bond as R. In 2002, when Cleese reprised his role in Die Another Day, the character was promoted, making Cleese the new quartermaster (Q) of MI6. Cleese is confirmed not to be reprising his role of either Q or R in the newest James Bond film, Casino Royale, where Daniel Craig replaces Pierce Brosnan in the leading role.

He is currently an Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University, his term having been extended until 2006. Although he makes occasional, well-received appearances on the Cornell campus, he lives in the town of Montecito, California. He has also been appointed a Provost's Visiting Professor through 2009.

From 1970 to 1973 Cleese was rector of the University of St Andrews.

In a 2005 poll of comedians and comedy insiders The Comedian's Comedian, Cleese's peers showed their appreciation of his talent when he was voted second only to Peter Cook. Also in 2005, a long-standing piece of internet humor, "The Revocation of Independence", was wrongly attributed to Cleese.

John Cleese recently lent his voice to the BioWare video game Jade Empire. His role was that of an "outlander" named Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard, stranded in the Imperial City of the Jade Empire. His character is essentially a British colonialist stereotype who refers to the people of the Jade Empire (effectively like the ancient Chinese) as a lot of savages in need of enlightenment. While perhaps a small role in John Cleese's respect, such lines as "half of you can't even grow a decent moustache" and "your idea of honour is outdated, too. (shoots player). PERCIVAL! My towel" were a welcome touch of humour.

He also had a cameo appearance in the computer game Starship Titanic as "The Bomb" (credited as "Kim Bread"), written by Douglas Adams. When the bomb is activated it tells you that, "The ship is now armed and preparing to explode. This will be a fairly large explosion, so you'd best keep back about 22 miles.".

In 2003, John is also credited for his role as Lyle Finster in long-running US sitcom Will & Grace. His character eventually ended up having a short-lived marriage to Karen (Megan Mulally)and was Lorraine's (she was Karen's arch-nemesis, following her affair with Karen's then husband) father.

In 2004, Cleese was credited as co-writer of a DC Comics graphic novel entitled [[Superman: True Brit]]. Part of DC's "Elseworlds" line of "what if?" stories, True Brit, mostly written by Kim Howard Johnson, suggests what might have happened had Superman's rocket ship landed in Britain, not America.

From 10 November to 9 December 2005, Cleese toured New Zealand with his stage show 'John Cleese — His Life, Times and Current Medical Problems'. Cleese described it as "a one-man show with several people in it, which pushes the envelope of acceptable behaviour in new and disgusting ways." The show was developed in New York with William Goldman and includes Cleese's daughter Camilla as a writer and actor. It then played in universities in California and Arizona from 10 January to 25 March 2006 under the title "Seven Ways to Skin an Ocelot" [Playbill]

In June 2006, Cleese decided to retire from performing in sitcoms, instead opting to writing a book on the history of comedy and tutoring young comedians.

Radio credits

Television credits

Filmography

Video game credits

Trivia

See also

References

Further reading

Further information about John Cleese can be found in the book:
  • Footlights! — 'A Hundred Years of Cambridge Comedy' — Robert Hewison, Methuen London Ltd, 1983, ISBN 0413511502.

External links

          Monty Python

Graham Chapman • John Cleese • Terry Gilliam • Eric Idle • Terry Jones • Michael Palin
Other Contributors
Douglas Adams • Connie Booth • Carol Cleveland • Neil Innes
TV Series
Monty Python's Flying Circus  • Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus  • Monty Python's Personal Best
Films
And Now For Something Completely Different  • Monty Python and the Holy Grail  • Monty Python's Life of Brian  • Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl  • Monty Python's The Meaning of Life


At Last the 1948 Show
Tim Brooke-Taylor — Graham Chapman — John Cleese — Marty Feldman — Aimi MacDonald
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
Tim Brooke-Taylor — John Cleese — Graeme Garden — David Hatch — Jo Kendall — Bill Oddie


 

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