About
John Cleese, born 27 October 1939 in Weston-super-Mare, is an English comedian and actor. A member of the Cambridge Footlights, he co-created Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) and co-wrote and starred as Basil Fawlty in the sitcom Fawlty Towers (1975, 1979), widely acclaimed. He won a BAFTA for Best Actor and received an Oscar nomination for A Fish Called Wanda (1988). He appeared in Harry Potter, James Bond, and Shrek films. He co-founded Video Arts, published his autobiography So Anyway… (2014), and taught at Cornell University.
* 1939-10-27
Major works
- Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)TV series
- Fawlty Towers (1975)TV series
- A Fish Called Wanda (1988)film
- So Anyway… (2014)autobiography
- Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide (2020)non-fiction
Key milestones
- 1969Co-created Monty Python's Flying Circus.
- 1975Co-wrote and starred in Fawlty Towers.
- 1988Won a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar for A Fish Called Wanda.
Themes
absurd humorsocial satirecreativityeducationimprovisation
Sources: britannica.com · oxfordreference.com