Rowan Atkinson Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 11 in |
Weight | 80½ kg |
Date of Birth | January 6, 1955 |
Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
Eye Color | Hazel |
Rowan Atkinson is an English actor, comedian, and writer who is best known for portraying title roles in Blackadder, Mr. Bean, and Johnny English. He has also appeared in a variety of other TV shows and films such as Dead on Time, Never Say Never Again, The Tall Guy, Hot Shots! Part Deux, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Maybe Baby, Love Actually, Wonka, The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball, Bernard and the Genie, A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death, Man vs. Bee, and many more. His theatre credits include plays like The Nerd, The Sneeze, and Quartermaine’s Terms. For his acting skills, Rowan has been honored with numerous awards such as the British Academy Television Award and Olivier Award.
Born Name
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson
Nick Name
Row, Mr. Bean, Ro Atkinson
Sun Sign
Capricorn
Born Place
Consett, County Durham, England
Nationality
Education
Rowan attended Durham Choristers School from where he later transferred to St. Bees School.
After graduating from high school, Atkinson joined Newcastle University from where he did Electrical Engineering.
Upon his graduation, Rowan wanted to do an MSc in Electrical Engineering and so enrolled himself at The Queen’s College, Oxford where he became an Honorary Fellow in 2006.
Occupation
Actor, comedian, screenwriter
Family
- Father – Eric Atkinson (Farmer and company director)
- Mother – Ella May (nee Bainbridge)
- Siblings – Paul Atkinson (Older Brother) (Died as an infant), Rodney Atkinson (Older Brother) (Eurosceptic Economist), Rupert Atkinson (Older Brother)
Manager
Atkinson is signed with PBJ Management.
Build
Average
Height
5 ft 11 in or 180 cm
Weight
80½ kg or 178 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Rowan Atkinson dated –
- Leslie Ash – In the past, Rowan had been in a relationship with the British actress Leslie Ash.
- Sunetra Sastry (1990-2014) – On February 5, 1990, Rowan Atkinson married an English makeup artist Sunetra Sastry whom he met with back in the 1980s. The couple stayed together until 2014 when they parted ways. Rowan and Sunetra filled the divorce papers on November 10, 2015. Together they have a daughter Lily and a son Benjamin.
- Louise Ford (2014-Present) – Since 2014, Atkinson has been in a relationship with Louise Ford.
Race / Ethnicity
White
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Hazel
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Can make several funny faces
- Over-articulation of the “B” sound
- Eyebrows
Brand Endorsements
Atkinson has been seen in TV commercials for Snickers, Barclaycard (1991-1997), Fuji camera film (1999), M&M chocolate candy (1997), Kronenbourg 1644, Appletiser (1983), REMA 1000 Supermarkets, Nissan Tino, etc.
Religion
Rowan is an atheist.
Best Known For
His acts as Mr. Bean in the same named sitcom Mr. Bean (1990-1995) and as Johnny English in the comedy movies Johnny English (2003) and Johnny English Reborn (2011).
First Film
Rowan first acted in the movie Fundamental Frolics (1992) as himself.
However, he had his first featured role in the 1983 spy film Never Say Never Again where he played the character of Nigel Small-Fawcett.
First Radio Show
Rowan performed in the comedy show called The Atkinson People transmitted on BBC Radio 3 in 1978. The show included numerous interviews with fictional great people which were acted by Atkinson.
First TV Show
In 1979, Atkinson appeared in the pilot episode of the sitcom Canned Laughter as Robert Box.
Rowan Atkinson Facts
- He wanted to retire from the comedy show Mr. Bean. However, in January 2014, it was announced that the TV show would feature animated episodes of Mr. Bean which would also be acted by Atkinson himself.
- He often plays authority characters.
- Rowan has been diagnosed with a speech disorder called Stammer (also known as stuttering) which disturbs the flow of speech and results in repeating words or unnatural pauses (blocks) while talking.
- Many times, his visual outlook has been matched with the American actor Buster Keaton.
- In March 2001, Atkinson went to Kenya on a holiday but during his flight, the pilot of the plane collapsed. Rowan handled the situation by maintaining the plane in the air until the pilot recovered. The pilot later managed to land at Nairobi’s Wilson Airport.
- Rowan owns a driving license C+E (In the past known as “Class 1”).
- In the period from 1997 until 2015, Atkinson held ownership of a rare F1 McLaren car. He had several incidents with the car in 1999 in Cabus near Garstang and in 2011 when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. After the accident, Rowan’s F1 car needed to go through a rigorous repair process because serious damage was done. The insurance payout was worth 910,000 British pounds.
- Being a passionate car lover, Atkinson has owned a Honda NSX, Audi A8, Skoda Superb, Aston Martin V8 Zagato with which he had an accident in July 2001; then, Honda Civic Hybrid, Aston Martin DB7 Vantage which he used in the movie Johnny English (2003) and numerous others.
- In the 2013 Birthday Honors, for services to drama and charity, Rowan was decided the Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
- He is known for conflicting with the Serious Organized Crime and Police Act 2005 law.
- He has worked as a writer for CAR (British car magazine).
- Rowan holds an HGV license (Heavy Goods Vehicle – the term for a vehicle that weighs over 3.5 tons gross vehicle weight).
- In February 2024, he was blamed for bad car sales, especially the Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the UK by the House of Lords. He had written an article in 2023, which was published in The Guardian, in which, he had referred to EVs as ‘soulless’ and that he had been ‘duped’ by EVs.