Rowan Sebastian Atkinson

Background

Rowan Sebastian Atkinson was born on January 6, 1955, in Consett, County Durham, England. He was the youngest of four sons of Eric Atkinson, a farmer and company director, and Ella May Atkinson. His brothers included Rupert, Rodney and Paul, who died in infancy.

Atkinson grew up in the North East of England and attended the Durham Chorister School before St. Bees School. His early education emphasized the sciences, while his later career developed through university revues and theatrical performance. He has described himself as a quiet and introspective child who became more confident through performing.

Education

Atkinson attended the Durham Chorister School, a preparatory school associated with Durham Cathedral's choral tradition, and then St. Bees School in Cumbria, an independent boarding school founded in the sixteenth century. His school education prepared him for scientific study at university.

He studied electrical and electronic engineering at Newcastle University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1975. Newcastle University, founded in 1834 and granted independent university status in 1963, had a strong tradition in engineering and applied science. He continued at The Queen's College, Oxford, where he completed a master's degree in electrical engineering and researched self-tuning control systems. Queen's, founded in 1341, is one of Oxford's historic colleges and combines tutorial education with advanced research.

Career

Atkinson began performing publicly through university revues and appearances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe during the 1970s. While studying at Oxford, he worked with Richard Curtis and Howard Goodall through student theatrical organizations. Their collaboration connected Atkinson's performance style with Curtis's writing and Goodall's musical work.

In 1978 he appeared in BBC Radio 3's The Atkinson People, a series of satirical interviews with fictional public figures. He then performed with Angus Deayton and made the television pilot Canned Laughter for London Weekend Television. In 1979 he became a writer and performer on the BBC sketch series Not the Nine O'Clock News, working alongside Pamela Stephenson, Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith. The program used topical satire and sketch comedy to comment on British public life.

Atkinson moved from sketch performance to character-led television comedy in Blackadder, first broadcast in 1983. He played Edmund Blackadder across successive historical settings, and the series became one of the best-known British television comedies of the 1980s. He later starred in The Thin Blue Line and developed Mr. Bean, whose largely visual comedy brought him international recognition through television, animation and the films Bean and Mr. Bean's Holiday.

His film work has included Never Say Never Again, Dead on Time, The Tall Guy, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bean, Johnny English, Johnny English Reborn and Love Actually. He has also performed on stage, including Rowan Atkinson in Revue and West End productions. In 2012 he reprised Mr. Bean in a comedy segment at the opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games. His screen career has continued through later television and film projects, including Man vs. Bee.

Achievements

• He co-created and performed the central character Edmund Blackadder in the Blackadder television series, which became one of Britain's best-known historical comedy productions.

• He created and developed Mr. Bean, a largely visual comic character whose television, animated and film appearances achieved international popularity.

• He led public campaigns with other British actors and writers concerning freedom of expression in proposed British legislation on religious hatred and homophobic speech.

Works

• screenplay

  • Johnny English

    (Atkinson originated and played the title character in the...)

    2003

• TV series

  • Mr. Bean

    (Atkinson created and performed the title character in the...)

    1990
  • Not the Nine O'Clock News

    (Atkinson was a principal performer and writer on the BBC ...)

    1979

  • Blackadder

    (Atkinson starred as Edmund Blackadder and contributed to ...)

    1983

Religion

Atkinson is associated with Anglican Christianity, the tradition historically established as the Church of England. Anglicanism combines catholic and reformed elements, emphasizes Scripture and liturgical worship, and developed within the English religious settlement of the sixteenth century.

His public biography does not document a distinctive theological program or extensive religious practice. His professional career developed within the cultural environment of modern Britain, where Anglican institutions remained an important part of the country's historical and ceremonial life.

Views

Atkinson's comedy frequently depends on the contrast between formal social settings and irrational, childish or physically awkward behavior. Mr. Bean in particular develops comedy through visual action, misunderstanding and the disruption of ordinary routines, allowing the character to communicate across linguistic and cultural boundaries.

His public comments on free expression indicate a strong commitment to artistic and personal freedom. In 2005 he joined other British actors and writers in opposing the proposed Racial and Religious Hatred Bill, and in 2009 he criticized proposed restrictions on speech in legislation concerning homophobic hatred.

Personality

Atkinson has described himself as quiet and introspective outside performance. Interviews and profiles consistently portray him as technically minded, private and disciplined in his approach to scripted comedy and rehearsal.

Quotes from others about the person

• John Lloyd, producer of Not the Nine O'Clock News, recognized Atkinson's exceptional comic potential after seeing his student work. Richard Curtis has described their Oxford partnership as a complementary relationship between a writer and a performer who could bring scripts to life.

Interests

• Cars, engineering and mechanical work

• Sport & Clubs

  Cars and motor racing

Connections

Atkinson married Sunetra Sastry, a makeup artist who worked on Blackadder, in 1990; they later divorced. They have two children, Benjamin and Lily. Atkinson also has a daughter, Isla, with actor Louise Ford, his partner in the later part of his personal life.

His professional and creative connections include long-running collaborations with writer Richard Curtis and composer Howard Goodall, whom he met during his Oxford years. Curtis contributed to several of Atkinson's best-known comedy projects, while Goodall composed music for productions associated with Atkinson's television career.

Father:

Eric Atkinson

He was a farmer and company director and Rowan Atkinson's father.

Mother:

Ella May Atkinson

She was Rowan Atkinson's mother.

Brother:

Rodney Atkinson

He is one of Rowan Atkinson's older brothers.

Brother:

Paul Atkinson

He was Rowan Atkinson's brother and died in infancy.

Brother:

Rupert Atkinson

He is one of Rowan Atkinson's older brothers.

Wife:

Sunetra Sastry

She worked as a makeup artist on Blackadder and was married to Atkinson from 1990 until their divorce.

Son:

Benjamin Atkinson

He is Atkinson's son with Sunetra Sastry.

Daughter:

Lily Sastry

She is Atkinson's daughter with Sunetra Sastry.

Partner:

Louise Ford

She is an actor and comedian and the mother of Atkinson's youngest daughter.

Daughter:

Isla Atkinson

She is Atkinson's daughter with Louise Ford.

References

• Newcastle University alumni profile Documents Atkinson's BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, his work as an actor, comedian and screenwriter, his major television roles and his 2013 CBE.
• The Queen's Birthday Honours 2013 Official government announcement documenting Atkinson's appointment as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to drama and charity.
  2013
• British GQ interview with Rowan Atkinson Discusses Atkinson's upbringing near Consett, education at Durham Choristers School, St. Bees and Newcastle University, Oxford studies, technical interests and approach to comedy.
• The Guardian profile of Rowan Atkinson Provides career and family context, including Atkinson's marriage to Sunetra Sastry and their children, and discusses his work in Blackadder and the West End.
  2008