John Cleese

John Cleese

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Biography

John Cleese (27.10.1939) John Cleese is an English, Oscar-winning comedian, writer and actor. He rose to fame as a part of the Monty Python comedy troupe.

Childhood: John Cleese was born to Muriel and Reginald Cleese, in Weston-Super-Mare. His mother was an acrobat and his father was an insurance salesman.

John Cleese attended St. Peter's Preparatory School in Weston-Super-Mare, where he was considered a star pupil. He was grated a part-scholarship to Clifton College, a Bristolian public school. When he left school, he initially returned to his prep school to teach science. He eventually took up a place at Cambridge University to study Law. Whilst there, he joined the Cambridge Footlights Revue. It was here that he met Graham Chapman, his future writing partner.

Show Business Career: Whilst he a member of the Footlights Revue, Cleese was a member of the cast for A Clump of Plinths, which was hugely successful at the 1963 Edinburgh Festival. The cast also featured in some sketches on the Ed Sullivan Show. Whilst in America, Cleese met Terry Gilliam whilst he performed in Half a Sixpence.

Cleese was offered work as a BBC writer and worked on shows such as The Dick Emery Show and I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again. In 1965, he started working on the Frost Report along with a number of other writers, including Barry Cryer, Bill Oddie, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. The list also included Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, future Monty Python members.

Monty Python's Flying Circus ran for four seasons on the BBC, between 1969 and 1974. Notable moments include the Ministry of Silly Walks, the Cheese Shop and Cleese's Mr Praline character. John Cleese and Graham Chapman formed a writing partnership on the show, actually writing together, unlike Palin and Jones. Cleese left the group before the fourth series but returned to feature in the writing and production of the films, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.

Life after Python saw John Cleese star in the enduringly popular Fawlty Towers. Cleese wrote the show with his wife at the time, Connie Booth. The show also starred Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs.

In 1977, John Cleese appeared on The Muppet Show, also co-writing much of the episode. He also makes a cameo in the 1981 film The Great Muppet Caper.

Also in 1981, John Cleese starred in the Terry Gilliam-directed film Time Bandits, along with Michael Palin and Sean Connery.

In 1988, John Cleese wrote and starred in A Fish Called Wanda. The comedy film also starred Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin and Kevin Kline. It was a commercial and critical success. The script earned Cleese an Academy Award nomination. He later landed a role in Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, along with Robert De Niro.

In 1996, John Cleese rejected an invitation to accept a CBE (Commander of the British Empire).

The follow-up to A Fish Called Wanda was entitled Fierce Creatures. Featuring much of the same cast, the film was not so well received as its predecessor.

John Cleese appeared in the 1999 James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough. In the film, he plays Q's assistant, referred to as R. In the film, Bond was played by Pierce Brosnan and the film also stars Denise Richards, Robert Carlyle and Sophie Marceau. Cleese then went on to reprise his role in Die Another Day, with Brosnan at the helm as well as Halle Berry and Rosamund Pike.

In 2003, John Cleese made a brief appearance in the popular US sitcom Will and Grace, starring Debra Messing and Eric McCormack. He also filmed the sequel to the remake of The Pink Panther (entitled The Pink Panther 2) with Steve Martin and the Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai.

Personal Life: John Cleese married Connie Booth in 1968. Their only child, Cynthia Cleese, was born in 1971. After divorcing Booth, Cleese married the actress Barbara Trentham. Their daughter Camilla was born in 1984. He divorced Trentham in 1990.

Cleese then married Alyce Faye Eichelberger, an American psychotherapist. When they divorced in 2008, the settlement was worked so that Eichelberger would end up with more of Cleese's money than he would.



Biography by Contactmusic.com

John Cleese Leaving Britain In Protest At Brexit Debate


John Cleese

British comedy legend John Cleese has announced that he’s upping sticks to quit Britain and move to the Caribbean, in protest over the media debate regarding Brexit.

The 78 year old ‘Monty Python’ star, a long-time supporter of the Liberal Democrats, has said that his frustration at what he called the “lying and triviality” of British newspapers over the country’s impending exit from the European Union is behind his decision to move to the island of Nevis – a place with a 98% literacy rating and whose people are “really kind”.

Cleese told BBC’s ‘Newsnight’ programme that he was planning to move in the autumn, having visited Nevis, with a population of just 11,000, for the first time last November and finding it was “one of the nicest islands” to which he had ever travelled.

Continue reading: John Cleese Leaving Britain In Protest At Brexit Debate

Terry Gilliam Describes Himself As A "Black Lesbian" As He Hits Back In Diversity Debate


Terry Gilliam John Cleese

Filmmaker and comedian Terry Gilliam has lashed out at comments made regarding diversity during a BBC debate that referenced ‘Monty Python’.

In June this year, the BBC’s controller of comedy commissioning, Shane Allen, was discussing the network’s policy regarding diversity for new programming during a panel, and was reported as describing the ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’ team as “six Oxbridge white blokes” and that a show like theirs would not get commissioned in 2018 because the BBC was committed to telling “the stories that haven't been told and the voices we haven't yet heard”.

“If you're going to assemble a team now, it's not going to be six Oxbridge white blokes,” Allen said during the conference, according to the Independent. “It's going to be a diverse range of people who reflect the modern world.”

Continue reading: Terry Gilliam Describes Himself As A "Black Lesbian" As He Hits Back In Diversity Debate

John Cleese To Return To BBC For First Sitcom In Nearly 40 Years


John Cleese Alison Steadman Jason Watkins

Comedy legend John Cleese is set to star in his first BBC sitcom in nearly four decades, having once vowed never to work with the British national broadcaster again.

The 77 year old former ‘Monty Python’ star is set to appear alongside Alison Steadman in the upcoming comedy series ‘Edith’, a six-part series that will also feature BAFTA-winning actor Jason Watkins, the BBC announced in a statement on Tuesday (April 11th).

As such, it will be the first time that Cleese has held down such a prominent role in a Beeb sitcom since the classic ‘Fawlty Towers’ finished in 1979.

Continue reading: John Cleese To Return To BBC For First Sitcom In Nearly 40 Years

Trolls Review

Excellent

Almost pathologically buoyant, this brightly colourful animated comedy is so cheeky that it's impossible to dislike. The plot may be thin, and the wackiness a bit too full-on, but every moment is packed with smart verbal and visual jokes. This rapid-fire energy keeps us laughing all the way through, while the lively song score has us humming along and wishing we could get up there and dance.

It's set in a garish fantasy world in which sweetly happy trolls are locked in a mortal battle with gloomy bergen who think the only way they can achieve happiness is to eat a troll. It's been 20 years since the trolls escaped to form a secret forest community, so they throw a party to celebrate. Led by Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick), the festivities feature so much music, glitter and hugging that the bergen's Chef (Christine Baranski) spots their location. The paranoid troll Branch (Justin Timberlake) had warned that this might happen, and sure enough Chef sweeps in and grabs a handful of trolls to take back to bergen King Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Feeling responsible, Poppy sets out on a quest to rescue them, and Branch grudgingly accompanies her. They also get help from the lovelorn bergen scullery maid Bridget (Zooey Deschanel).

There isn't a moment in this story that carries even a hint of actual suspense, but the action scenes are still exhilaratingly madcap, and the darker moments along the way generate proper emotion. Thankfully, the lesson is so painfully obvious (you don't need to eat a troll to be happy!) that the filmmakers don't bother hammering it in. Instead, they fill every scene with deranged wit, ridiculous gags and lively character detail.

Continue reading: Trolls Review

Hotel That Inspired 'Fawlty Towers' Is Demolished


FAWLTY TOWERS John Cleese Prunella Scales ANDREW SACHS Connie Booth

The seaside hotel in Torquay that inspired John Cleese to make the iconic BBC sitcom ‘FAWLTY TOWERS’ is to be demolished in order to make way for the construction of retirement homes.

Cleese, who co-created the legendary comedy series, stayed at the Gleneagles Hotel in 1971 with his ‘Monty Python’ colleagues when they were in the area filming ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’, and he and the rest of the party were flabbergasted at the stony reception he received from the hotel’s owner Donald Sinclair.

Fawlty Towers'Fawlty Towers' stars John Cleese and Prunella Scales, Connie Booth and ANDREW SACHS (front l-r) in 2009

Continue reading: Hotel That Inspired 'Fawlty Towers' Is Demolished

Absolutely Anything Review

Terrible

Simon Pegg continues his rollercoaster career, alternating between superior blockbuster franchises (Mission: Impossible and Star Trek) and awkward British romantic-comedies (Hector and the Search for Happiness). And this might just be his most disastrous move yet. Despite a promising cast, which includes a reunion of the surviving Monty Python members, this madcap sci-fi comedy never finds its tone, veering wildly from nutty slapstick to sentimental silliness. It's hard to remember laughing even once while watching it.

The story kicks off when an American space probe launched in 1972 is intercepted by the Intergalactic Council (voiced by the Pythons). Their investigation into Earth consists of watching YouTube videos, so of course they decide to destroy the planet. But first, they'll give one earthling a chance to save the world: they randomly choose North London schoolteacher Neil (Simon Pegg) and give him superpowers that allow him to do absolutely anything. After a few mishaps, he tries to use his abilities to improve his life, making his his dog Dennis speak (in the voice of Robin Williams) and appearing irresistible to his neighbour Catherine (Kate Beckinsale). Even though she already likes him. But Neil only has 10 days to do the right thing with his powers, or Earth is doomed.

Yes, this is essentially the same plot as Bruce Almighty, but the film never quite settles on an approach. It's produced in the style of an over-wacky child's movie, but the humour is eerily adult-oriented, so it's difficult to see who would enjoy it. The main plot is never remotely coherent, meandering through the story without any sense of direction. There are also a few corny sideroads to pad out the slim running time, including Neil's work colleague (Sanjeev Baskar) becoming an object of religious devotion, while Catherine's American military one-night-stand (Rob Riggle) becomes an obsessive stalker. Neither of these strands goes anywhere funny. Nor do extended cameos by Eddie Izzard (as a gruff headmaster) or Joanna Lumley (as a snooty TV presenter).

Continue reading: Absolutely Anything Review

John Cleese - John Cleese seen out and about in London - London, United Kingdom - Friday 19th June 2015

John Cleese

Absolutely Anything Trailer


If you could change absolutely anything in the world, what would it be? This is the ultimate question that Neil Clarke finds himself faced with when he wakes up with the ability to become whoever he wants to be, have whatever he wants and make the impossible very easily possible. Little does he know that this is a test set up by some disgruntled extra-terrestrial lifeforms, who have given the following ultimatum: use this ultimate power for good, or watch the Earth burn. Unfortunately, Neil has a lot of things in his own life that he would like to change, let alone important things in the rest of the world. He wishes for an easier life, to be more attractive and to win the heart of his neighbour Catherine. But, as Spider-Man once said, with great power comes great responsibility, so if he is thinking of making some big changes, he ought to make sure he's really thought them through first.

Continue: Absolutely Anything Trailer

John Cleese - 2015 Tribeca Film Festival - Special Screening Narrative: 'Monty Python And The Holy Grail' at Beacon Theatre at Tribeca Film Festival, Beacon Theatre - New York City, New York, United States - Friday 24th April 2015

John Cleese

Maisie Williams, 'Game Of Thrones'' Arya Stark, To Guest Star In 'Doctor Who'.


Maisie Williams Peter Capaldi Jenna-louise Coleman Joe Dempsie Doctor Who Game Of Thrones Hugh Bonneville Anne Robinson John Cleese Nick Frost Kylie Minogue

Game Of Thrones star Maisie Williams will guest star in Doctor Who when it returns to our screens this autumn. The BBC announced the news on their blog on Monday (30th March).

Maisie Williams
Maisie Williams will guest star in Doctor Who.

Read More: Game of Thrones Fans Told To "Follow The Three Eyed Raven" With New Teaser Trailer And Website.

Continue reading: Maisie Williams, 'Game Of Thrones'' Arya Stark, To Guest Star In 'Doctor Who'.

Monty Python To Reunite At Tribeca, As Film Festival Marks 40th Anniversary Of 'Holy Grail'


Monty Python John Cleese Eric Idle Michael Palin Terry Gilliam Terry Jones

It’s been four decades since Monty Python gave moviegoers an unforgettable laugh, when their first film Monty Python and the Holy Grail hit cinemas in 1975. So of course it's only fitting that the comedy troupe have found the best way possible to celebrate the landmark anniversary, by attending the Tribeca Film Festival for a special screening of the cult classic.

Monty PythonThe Python boys are headed to Tribeca

The film will be shown on April 24th at The Beacon Theatre during the annual movie festival which runs from April 15th to 26th in downtown Manhattan. Surviving Python members John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin have all been confirmed as making the trip, which will also include the premiere of a new documentary filmed around the group’s reunion shows in London last year.

Continue reading: Monty Python To Reunite At Tribeca, As Film Festival Marks 40th Anniversary Of 'Holy Grail'

John Cleese To Star As Villain In Baywatch-but-not-Baywatch Spin-Off. What?


John Cleese David Hasselhoff Pamela Anderson

We’ll admit to being a tad confused with this one. A new Baywatch spin-off movie has been announced; with Monty Python star John Cleese fulfilling the role of antagonist. 

David HasselhoffDavid Hasselhoff chanells the spirit of Baywatch in this Splice: Real Fruit promo - Getty 2005, Phil Walter

But even though David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson and Alexandra Paul - who appeared as Mitch Buchannon, CJ Parker and Stephanie Holden in the original Baywatch series – will star, the film doesn’t really have anything to do with Baywatch. They don’t have the rights. They can’t mention the word Baywatch. And they probably don’t need to.

Continue reading: John Cleese To Star As Villain In Baywatch-but-not-Baywatch Spin-Off. What?

John Cleese

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John Cleese

Date of birth

27th October, 1939

Occupation

Actor

Sex

Male

Height

1.96




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John Cleese Movies

Trolls Movie Review

Trolls Movie Review

Almost pathologically buoyant, this brightly colourful animated comedy is so cheeky that it's impossible to...

Monty Python And The Holy Grail - 40th Anniversary Trailer

Monty Python And The Holy Grail - 40th Anniversary Trailer

The comedians behind Monty Python have turned into household names and The Holy Grail is...

Absolutely Anything Movie Review

Absolutely Anything Movie Review

Simon Pegg continues his rollercoaster career, alternating between superior blockbuster franchises (Mission: Impossible and Star...

Absolutely Anything Trailer

Absolutely Anything Trailer

If you could change absolutely anything in the world, what would it be? This is...

Planes Movie Review

Planes Movie Review

Disney takes over Pixar's "World of Cars" with this spin-off that no-one really asked for...

Planes Trailer

Planes Trailer

Dusty is a super swift cropduster whose horsepower would be a force to be reckoned...

Planes Trailer

Planes Trailer

Dusty may be a super speedy cropdusting aircraft but there's a reason why he spends...

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A Liar's Autobiography Movie Review

A Liar's Autobiography Movie Review

Subtitled "The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman", this outrageously colourful animated movie certainly...

A Liar's Autobiography Trailer

A Liar's Autobiography Trailer

The 'Monty Python' group are returning to our screens once more with 'A Liar's Autobiography:...

The Big Year Trailer

The Big Year Trailer

Brad Harris is having what he calls a 'no-life crisis'. He is stuck in a...

Winnie The Pooh Trailer

Winnie The Pooh Trailer

Hundred Acre Wood is home to a very special group of friends, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore,...

Shrek 2 Movie Review

Shrek 2 Movie Review

When Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) pulls off his helmet to reveal a hairnet in the...

Die Another Day Movie Review

Die Another Day Movie Review

Until director Lee Tamahori blasts right past a perfectly good ending, only to burn a...

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