Rowan Atkinson
- Highest Rated: The Witches (1990)
- Lowest Rated: Scooby-Doo (2002)
- Birthday: Jan 6, 1955
- Birthplace: Consett, County Durham, England
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Best known to American audiences as the Black Adder and Mr. Bean, black-haired, bug-eyed, and weak-chinned comedian Rowan Atkinson is one of the most popular funnymen in England whose keen, often black humor and knack for physical comedy has earned him a huge international following. Born in Newcastle, Atkinson was educated at Newcastle University and Oxford. While at the latter, he teamed up with budding screenwriter Richard Curtis to write comedy reviews for the Oxford Playhouse. Shortly thereafter, the two created material for the Edinburgh Fringe. By 1978, Atkinson's humor had earned him a devoted fan base and he was offered leading roles in two British television comedies. Instead, Atkinson chose to get involved in the internationally acclaimed comedy series Not the Nine O'Clock News as a writer and a performer. His performances in the oft-distinguished show earned Atkinson a British Academy Award and got him designated "BBC Personality of the Year" in 1980. His stage performances also continued to significantly increase his popularity. In 1983, he and Curtis created the Black Adder, a cowardly and conniving Tudor Prince named Edmund who tries vainly to become King of England after inadvertently killing his father during a battle. Billed as a "situation tragedy" on the BBC, it ran three seasons and later spawned a couple of specials. Atkinson made his feature-film debut in the 1983 James Bond thriller Never Say Never Again. In the late '80s, he starred in a few films penned by Curtis. It was while they were filming The Tall Guy that Atkinson and Curtis created Mr. Bean, an average British Joe with a clumsy nature and a nasty streak and launched a series. Different from other shows in that it was largely silent, Atkinson's Bean demonstrated a rare gift for slapstick that has led to his being compared to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. During its six year run, Mr. Bean became the most popular show in the U.K. and has since been shown in 89 countries where it has gained a cult following comparable to Monty Python and Fawlty Towers. Atkinson himself attributes his character's popularity to the fact that the socially awkward, middle-aged Bean's mundane adventures, largely due to his clumsy inability to cope with even the smallest of life's foibles, mirror the feelings and experiences of people the world over. In 1997, Atkinson brought the character to the big screen in Bean. Other notable Atkinson film performances include his voice characterization of Zazu in The Lion King and that of the hilariously inarticulate priest in Four Weddings and a Funeral.Atkinson oversaw an animated television series based on his beloved Mr. Bean character, and then took a cameo part in his longtime collaborator Richard Curtis' directorial debut Love Actually. In 2003 he starred in another international comedy hit, the spy spoof Johnny English, a movie so successful it spawned a sequel in 2011. In addition, Atkinson returned to the well yet again in 2007 with the feature length Mr. Bean's Holiday, which co-starred Willem Dafoe.
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
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The Witches
97% -
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The Lion King
93% -
The Tall Guy
89%
Filmography
Movies
Rating |
Title |
Credit |
Box
|
Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37% | Johnny English Strikes Again | Johnny English | — | 2018 |
| Maigret's Night at the Crossroads | Jules Maigret | — | 2017 | |
| Maigret in Montmartre | Jules Maigret | — | 2017 | |
| Red Nose Day Actually | Actor | — | 2017 | |
| Maigret Sets a Trap | Actor | — | 2016 | |
| Maigret's Dead Man | Maigret | — | 2016 | |
| 38% | Johnny English Reborn | Johnny English | $8.3M | 2011 |
| 52% | Mr. Bean's Holiday | Mr. Bean | $32.6M | 2007 |
| 56% | Keeping Mum | Reverend Walter Goodfellow | $1.5M | 2006 |
| Spider-Plant Man | Actor | — | 2005 | |
| 64% | Love Actually | Rufus | $59.4M | 2003 |
| 33% | Johnny English | Johnny English | $28M | 2003 |
| 30% | Scooby-Doo | Mondavarious | $153.4M | 2002 |
| 44% | Rat Race | Enrico Pollini | $55.9M | 2001 |
| 50% | Maybe Baby | Mr. James | — | 2000 |
| Blackadder Back & Forth | Actor | — | 1999 | |
| Comic Relief: Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death | Actor | — | 1999 | |
| 41% | Bean | Screenwriter Executive Producer Mr. Bean | — | 1997 |
| Thin Blue Line, The - The Complete Line-Up | Actor | — | 1995 | |
| Full Throttle | Actor | — | 1995 | |
| 93% | The Lion King | Zazu | $94.3M | 1994 |
| 96% | Four Weddings and a Funeral | Father Gerald | — | 1994 |
| 57% | Hot Shots! Part Deux | Hayman | — | 1993 |
| Rowan Atkinson Live! | Actor Screenwriter | — | 1992 | |
| Bernard and the Genie | Charles Pinkworth | — | 1992 | |
| Rowan Atkinson Presents: The Driven Man | Actor Screenwriter | — | 1991 | |
| 89% | The Tall Guy | Ron Anderson | — | 1990 |
| 97% | The Witches | Mr. Stringer | — | 1990 |
| Blackadder's Christmas Carol | Actor | — | 1988 | |
| 67% | Never Say Never Again | Nigel Small-Fawcett | — | 1983 |
| 89% | The Secret Policeman's Other Ball | Actor | — | 1982 |
| The Secret Policeman's Ball | Himself | — | 1981 | |
| Canned Laughter | Actor | — | 1979 |
TV
Rating |
Title |
Credit |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
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The Graham Norton Show
2007
|
Guest |
|
|
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The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
2015
|
Guest |
|
|
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The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
1992-2014
|
Guest |
|
|
| 100% |
Mr. Bean
1990-1995
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Screenwriter Mr. Bean |
|
| 100% |
Blackadder Goes Forth
1989
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Edmund Blackadder |
|
| 83% |
Blackadder the Third
1987
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Edmund Blackadder |
|
| 100% |
Blackadder II
1986
|
Lord Edmund Blackadder |
|
|
Not the Nine O'Clock News
1979-1982
|
Performer |
|
|
| 57% |
The Black Adder
1983
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Screenwriter Edmund |
|
|
The Thin Blue Line
1996
|
Insp. Raymond Fowler Insp. Raymond C. Fowler |
|
QUOTES FROM Rowan Atkinson CHARACTERS
- Mr. Bean
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Bean!
- Zazu
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Wrong! The only checking out you will do, is to check out of here.
- Young Simba
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Aww, man!
- Zazu
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We're way beyond the boundaries of the Pride Lands.
- Simba
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Old banana beak is scared.
- Zazu
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That's Mr. Banana Beak to you fuzzy. And I sense right now we are all in very real danger.
- Young Simba
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Danger, ha! I look on the wild side. I laugh at the face of danger, hahahaha.
- Johnny English
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Pegasus, we have another lead! Vortex was in Mozambique. They were responsible for the death of President Chambal.
- Pamela Thornton
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No! You were responsible for the death of President Chambal.
- Johnny English
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Come off it, Fisher. You, a paid assasin? You couldn't even hit a barn door with a banana.
- Mr. Bean
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Are you feeling lucky, punk?
- Zazu
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[muffled] I beg your pardon ma'am, but GET OFF! Simba? Nala?
- Det. Brutus
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Mr. Bean, are you presently on any kind of medication?
- Mr. Bean
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Not that I know of.
- Det. Brutus
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Well you could certainly use some.
- Johnny English
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(Concerning Sauvage) You know, I think I'd rather have my bottom impaled on a giant cactus than exchange pleasantries with that jumped-up Frenchman.
- Johnny English
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[concerning Sauvage] You know, I think I'd rather have my bottom impaled on a giant cactus than exchange pleasantries with that jumped-up Frenchman.
- Mr. Bean
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Jennifer...Jennifer...wakey wakey...breakfast's ready!... Jennifer...
- Zack
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We have to find that heart!
- Mr. Pollini
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Don't worry, I have lost my heart many times.
- Zack
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What?
- Mr. Pollini
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I made a joke to distract you from how screwed you are.
- Mr. Pollini
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It's a race! I'm winning! I'm winning!
- Mr. Bean
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Brace yourself!
- Agent Tucker
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Sir, I don't think he's a Susan
- Johnny English
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Well your not a linguist Tucker, are you? It's pronounced Shu-Shang, from the Zingzhou region I presume.
- Johnny English
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"It can't be!"
- Johnny English
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It can't be!
- Johnny English
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It's time to kick some bottom.
- Kate
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"Come to the bedroom."
- Kate
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Come to the bedroom.
- Johnny English
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"Gladly."
- Johnny English
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Gladly.
- Kate
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"Hide here."
- Kate
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Hide here.
- Johnny English
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"Keep your eyes pealed Tucker. Were looking for a Chinease man in specticles."
- Johnny English
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Keep your eyes pealed Tucker. Were looking for a Chinease man in spectacles.
- Johnny English
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"Come on Tucker."
- Johnny English
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Come on Tucker.
- Ling
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"Good concentration, English.
- Ling
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Good concentration, English.
- Johnny English
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"Sorry?"
- Johnny English
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Sorry?
- Johnny English
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"That's a good pussy cat."
- Johnny English
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That's a good pussy cat.
- Johnny English
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"Give me 24 hours."
- Johnny English
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Give me 24 hours.
- Johnny English
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"Wheres the governor?"
- Johnny English
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Wheres the governor?
- Special Agent Simon Ambrose
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"It's me."
- Special Agent Simon Ambrose
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It's me.
- Johnny English
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"You wish.''
- Johnny English
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You wish.
- Kate
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Let's kick some bottom.
- Johnny English
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Let's kick some bottom.
- Johnny English
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I may not know much about golf Tiger, but I know how to hold the bat.
- Johnny English
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I may not know much about golf Tucker, but I know how to hold the bat.
- Zazu
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i've got a lovely bunch of coconuts
- Zazu
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[singing] I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts.
- Mufasa
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Zazu!
- Zazu
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Yes, sire?
- Mufasa
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Take Nala home. I've got to teach my son a lesson.
- Young Simba
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(Ducks down slowly)
- Young Simba
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[ducks down slowly]
- Zazu
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Come, Nala. Simba, good luck.
- Mufasa
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Simba!
- Zazu
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(Singing depressingly) Nobody knows, the trouble I've seen. Nobody knows, my sorrow...
- Zazu
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[singing] Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. / Nobody knows my sorrow.
- Scar
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Oh, Zazu, do lighten up. Sing something with a little bounce in it.
- Scar
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Oh, Zazu, do lighten up. Sing something with a little bounce in it.
- Zazu
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(Sings) It's a small world after all...
- Zazu
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[singing] It's a small world after all...
- Scar
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NO! NO! Anything but that!
- Scar
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NO! No, *anything* but that!
- Zazu
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[singing] I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts. / Here they are just standing in a row.
- Johnny English
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As far as I'm concerned, the only thing the French should be allowed to host is an invasion.
- Simba
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Zazu help me!
- Zazu
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Don't worry your father is on his way!
- Zazu
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Your father is on the way! Hold on!
- Simba
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Hurry!
- Simba
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[Losing grip] Hurry!
- Johnny English
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Observe boff...the dull incompetence of the criminal mind...it can never hope to match our level of technical expertise...
- Johnny English
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Observe, Bough, the dull incompetence of the criminal mind. It can never hope to match our level of technical expertise.
- Zazu
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LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!
- Zazu
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[caged while the battle rages around him] Let me out! Let me out!
- Timon
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LET ME IN!
- Timon
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[fleeing the hyenas] Lemme in! Lemme in!