“s silly walks sketch was only funny because of the”
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John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and television presenter. 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. In the late 1960s, he cofounded Monty Python, the comedy troupe responsible for the surreal sketch comedy series Monty Python's Fl…
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entertainment · English comedian and actor (born 1939) · actor · television actor · film actor · comedian · voice actor · screenwriter · writer · film producer · autobiographer · stage actor · also John Cleese, Cleese
Born 27 October 1939 · Q25014
79 published statements · 0 followers
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2026· 9 entries
“anything except the vague feeling that there is something more going on than the materialist reductionist people think”
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“a large part of my life in some form of therapy”
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“What I find so unfair is that if we both died today, her children would get much more than mine ... I got off lightly. Think what I”
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“calmer, more polite, more humorous, less tabloid, and less money-oriented”
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Daily Express: John Cleese makes end of life admission: ‘Never expected to last this long’
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Cleese showed support for the 2025–2026 Iranian protests, and accused the BBC of bias towards the Iranian regime
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Cleese described Khan as a "silly little man" and stated that "traditional British values are under attack from Muslim belief systems", but denied allegations that he was Islamophobic, stating that the term is "emotional
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Ruled out any future acceptance of honours, stating that "I don't need that sort of validation
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2025· 3 entries
Yahoo: John Cleese says nervous breakdown gave him a ‘grasp on what is important’
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Yardbarker: John Cleese fans to see 'different side' to iconic star in new documentary
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Cleese shared antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media, for which he apologised, but cancelled all of his performances in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
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2024· 1 entry
Deadline.com: John Cleese Responds To Eric Idle Slam: “We Always Loathed And Despised Each Other”
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2023· 3 entries
bleedingcool: Fawlty Towers: John Cleese Offers Sequel Series Update, Talks Process
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Yahoo: John Cleese Spars With ‘Idiot’ Fans Angry at His Trump-Hitler Joke: ‘Don’t Follow Me Anymore’
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Cleese starred in Roman Polanski's black comedy film The Palace
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2022· 1 entry
Spoke at the conference of the revival Social Democratic Party
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2021· 2 entries
Snopes.com rated the claim “Comedian John Cleese wrote "An Ode to Sean Hannity."” Research In Progress.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
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Cleese cancelled an appearance at the Cambridge Union Society after learning that art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon had been blacklisted by the union for impersonating Adolf Hitler
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2020· 2 entries
Following a controversy over the content of the Fawlty Towers episode "The Germans", Cleese criticised the BBC, saying "The BBC is now run by a mixture of marketing people and petty bureaucrats
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Criticised the BBC's removal of the Fawlty Towers episode "The Germans" from the UKTV streaming service after protests following the murder of George Floyd, stating that the programme was mocking prejudice with its us
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2018· 2 entries
“virtually all my friends from abroad have confirmed my observation. So there must be some truth in it... I note also that London was the UK city that voted most strongly to remain in the EU”
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Followed by touring the UK in spring 2020
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2017· 1 entry
“s French play Monsieur Chasse!, for the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, before making its American premiere at the Shadowland Stages in Ellenville, New York, in 2018 followed by touring the UK in spring 2020. In 2021, Cleese cancelled an appearance at the Cambridge Union Society after learning that art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon had been blacklisted by the union for impersonating Adolf Hitler. His visit to the university was intended to be part of a documentary on wokeism. Cleese said he was”
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2016· 3 entries
Awarded Rose d'Or (2016).
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Awarded honorary doctorate presented by The Open University (2016).
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Cleese publicly supported Brexit in the referendum on leaving the European Union
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2015· 2 entries
Cleese expressed a critical view on what he saw as a plutocracy that was unhealthily developing control of the governance of the First World's societies, stating that he had reached a point when he "saw that our existenc
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And 2016 for a tour of North America, Canada and the ANZUS nations, "John Cleese & Eric Idle: Together Again At Last
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2014· 2 entries
In an interview in 2014, Cleese blamed his mother, who lived to the age of 101, for his problems in relationships with women, saying: "My ingrained habit of walking on eggshells when dealing with my mother dominated my romantic liaisons for many years." Cleese said that he had spent "a large part of my life in some form of therapy" over his relationships with women.
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Cleese expressed political interest in the UK Independence Party (UKIP), saying he was in doubt as to whether he was prepared to vote for it, but he was attracted to its challenge to the established political order and t
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2012· 1 entry
Cleese was cast in Hunting Elephants, a heist film comedy by Israeli filmmaker Reshef Levi
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2011· 2 entries
Cleese declared his appreciation for the coalition government between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats
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John took his Alimony Tour to South Africa
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2010· 1 entry
Cleese appeared in advertisements for The Automobile Association and for the Canadian insurance company Pacific Blue Cross
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2009· 1 entry
And 2010, Cleese toured Scandinavia and the US with his Alimony Tour Year One and Year Two
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2008· 2 entries
Cleese expressed support for Barack Obama and his presidential candidacy, offering his services as a speech writer
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On the text to the performance piece "The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha"
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2007· 2 entries
Cleese appeared in ads for Titleist as a golf course designer named "Ian MacCallister", who represents "Golf Designers Against Distance"
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Was involved in filming of the sequel to The Pink Panther, titled The Pink Panther 2, with Steve Martin and Aishwarya Rai
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2006· 2 entries
Cleese released the song "Don't Mention the World Cup"
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Cleese hosted a television special of football's greatest kicks, goals, saves, bloopers, plays, and penalties, as well as football's influence on culture (including the Monty Python sketch "Philosophy Football"), featuri
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2004· 2 entries
Cleese was featured as Q in the video game James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, featuring his likeness and voice
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Cleese was credited as co-writer of a DC Comics graphic novel titled Superman: True Brit
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2003· 2 entries
Snopes rated the claim “Former Monty Python member John Cleese penned a satirical piece announcing the revocation of America's independence for failure to elect a competent president.” Incorrect Attribution.
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Cleese appeared as Lyle Finster on the American sitcom Will & Grace
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2002· 2 entries
When Cleese reprised his role in Die Another Day, the character was promoted, making Cleese the new quartermaster (Q) of MI6
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Cleese made a cameo appearance in the film The Adventures of Pluto Nash, in which he played "James", a computerised chauffeur of a hover car stolen by Pluto Nash (played by Eddie Murphy)
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2001· 2 entries
Awarded European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award (2001).
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Cleese was cast in the comedy Rat Race as the eccentric hotel owner Donald P
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2000· 2 entries
The show topped the BFI TV 100, and in a 2001 Channel 4 poll, Basil was ranked second on its list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters
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It topped the British Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes
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1999· 2 entries
Turned down an offer from the party to nominate him for a life peerage
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Cleese appeared in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough as Q's assistant, referred to by Bond as "R"
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1997· 2 entries
Following the 1997 comedy film Fierce Creatures, in which a ring-tailed lemur played a key role, he hosted the 1998 BBC documentary In the Wild: Operation Lemur with John Cleese, which tracked the progress of a reintroduction of black-and-white ruffed lemurs back into the Betampona Reserve in Madagascar.
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But was greeted with mixed reception by critics and audiences
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1992· 2 entries
Cleese married American psychotherapist, author, and talk radio host Alyce Faye Eichelberger
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The Health Education Authority recruited Cleese—an ex-smoker—to star in a series of anti-smoking public service announcements (PSAs) on British television, which took the form of sketches rife with morbid humour about sm
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1989· 2 entries
Awarded BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for A Fish Called Wanda (1989).
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A day before the 20th anniversary of the first broadcast of Flying Circus, with Jones commenting that it was "the worst case of party-pooping in all history
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1988· 1 entry
Cleese wrote and starred in A Fish Called Wanda as the lead, Archie Leach, along with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin
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1987· 1 entry
Awarded Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Cheers (1987).
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1986· 1 entry
Starred in the British comedy film Clockwise as an uptight school headmaster obsessed with punctuality and constantly getting into trouble during a journey to speak at the Headmasters' Conference
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1985· 1 entry
Cleese had a small dramatic role as a sheriff in the American Western Silverado, which had an all-star cast that included Kevin Kline, with whom he starred in A Fish Called Wanda three years later
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1984· 1 entry
Their daughter Camilla, Cleese's second child, was born in 1984.
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1981· 2 entries
Appeared in the Terry Gilliam-directed Time Bandits as Robin Hood
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“s marriage to American filmmaker Ed Solomon. Cleese married American actress Barbara Trentham in 1981. Their daughter Camilla, Cleese”
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1979· 5 entries
“Technology frightens me to death. It's designed by engineers to impress other engineers, and they always come with instruction booklets that are written by engineers for other engineers — which is why almost no technology ever works.”
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“If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.”
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“If God did not intend for us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat?”
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Starred in a TV special, To Norway, Home of Giants, produced by Johnny Bergh
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“He who laughs most, learns best.”
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1976· 1 entry
'friended' the then-struggling Amnesty International (according to Martin Lewis, the very notion of Human Rights was then not the domain of hipsters and students, but just of foreign-policy wonks) first with a cheque
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1971· 1 entry
Booth gave birth to their only child, Cynthia Cleese, who went on to appear with her father in his films A Fish Called Wanda and Fierce Creatures
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1970· 1 entry
While the Monty Python team were staying at the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay while filming inserts for their television series
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1969· 1 entry
Cleese and Chapman were offered their very own series
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1966· 1 entry
Cleese and Chapman were invited to work as writers and performers with Brooke-Taylor and Feldman on At Last the 1948 Show, during which time the "Four Yorkshiremen sketch" was written by all four writers/performers (the
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1965· 1 entry
Cleese and Chapman began writing on The Frost Report
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1939· 1 entry
Born 1939-10-27.
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