About John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese (born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and presenter. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report. In the late 1960s, he cofounded Monty Python, the comedy troupe responsible for the sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. Along with his Python costars Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, Cleese starred in the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979), and The Meaning of Life (1983).
Cleese and his first wife Connie Booth cowrote the sitcom Fawlty Towers (1975-79), in which he starred as hotel owner Basil Fawlty, earning him the 1980 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance. In 2000, the show topped the British Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes. He wrote and starred in the comedy film A Fish Called Wanda (1988), for which he received Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award nominations, and its quasi-sequel Fierce Creatures (1997). His prominent franchise film roles include R and Q in the James Bond films The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002), and Nearly Headless Nick in the Harry Potter films. He received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Cheers (1987).
Cleese was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, the only child of Reginald Francis Cleese, an insurance salesman, and his wife Muriel Evelyn. He was educated at St Peter's Preparatory School and later at Clifton College, before taking up a place at Downing College, Cambridge, to read law, where he joined the Cambridge Footlights. He specialised in political and religious satire, black comedy, sketch comedy, and surreal humour, and was ranked the second best comedian ever in a 2005 Channel 4 poll of fellow comedians. He cofounded Video Arts and The Secret Policeman's Ball benefit shows to raise funds for Amnesty International.
Videos (15)
Videos 1 to 15 of 15.
2:50Why The Beatles' George Harrison Funded Monty Python's "Life of Brian"
456.6K views
2:10John Cleese Genes
95.1K views
1:05John Cleese - A Message to my Belgian Fans
69.6K views
43:27John Cleese - In Conversation with Graham Johnson & John Ford
32.6K views
0:57Happy Easter from the Ministry of Silly Walks
25.9K views
3:31John Cleese - The Dead Planet Sketch (Born Free)
23K views
4:20John Cleese Interview on Rejection and Notes from Executives at Disney, the BBC, CBS, and more.
14.4K views
0:11John Cleese Thirst Trap
7.5K views
2:05John Cleese Cheese Assembly Line - How To Get Me To Do Anything!
6.2K views
1:55John Cleese on Pitching Monty Python to the BBC
6K views
1:13Fawlty Towers Live - Goes Pro
5.3K views
1:57John Cleese Packs It In - The Importance of Humour (Clip)
5.3K views
1:41Fawlty Towers Live - Opening Night Audience Reaction
5.2K views
1:51So Anyway - An Excerpt - The O2 Shows
5.2K views
1:27John Cleese - Will Work For Cheese!
5.1K viewsGuest appearances (21)
Videos on other comedians' channels featuring John Cleese.
Guest appearances 1 to 21 of 21.
6:28John Cleese Did Not Enjoy Filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Seth Meyers
3.3M views
4:06John Cleese and Eric Idle's Secrets To A Perfect Marriage | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
3.2M views
3:51John Cleese Offered To Kill His Mom To Cheer Her Up | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
2.7M views
1:56John Cleese’s German Lessons | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
1M views
2:58The Early Years Of John Cleese | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
832K views
2:24John Cleese and Eric Idle's New Song, "F*** Selfies" | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
828.1K views
2:36John Cleese Is Looking Forward To KGB-Trained President Trump | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
799.9K views
6:08Eric Idle On His Disagreement With John Cleese | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
Conan O'Brien
731.3K views
3:27John Cleese Remembers Monty Python's "Dead Parrot" Sketch - Late Night with Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers
401.6K views
18:39I Asked AI If It Would Destroy Us | Ricky Gervais | Live
Ricky Gervais
152.1K views
14:38John Cleese and Islamist intimidation in Britain
Leo Kearse
142.5K views
4:12John Cleese On How Monty Python Invaded America | CONAN on TBS
Conan O'Brien
133.1K views
2:55John Cleese on Reuniting with Monty Python for the Money - Late Night with Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers
123.1K views
15:59John Cleese On Performing Monty Python Live At The O2 To 16,000 Fans
Robert Brydon Jones
92.3K views
6:34John Cleese’s Path to Comedy Started While Studying Science at Cambridge University
Seth Meyers
79.5K views
2:57John Cleese and Seth: After the Interview - Late Night with Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers
57K views
0:52Stephen Merchant on John Cleese
Neal Brennan
20.8K views
2:41John Cleese Surprises Fans - Steve Hofstetter & Camilla Cleese
Steve Hofstetter
18.7K views
1:28Impressionist Jim Meskimen Celebrity Fortune Cookie | 2023 | Day 58 | John Cleese
Jim Meskimen
280 views
1:45Impressionist Jim Meskimen Celebrity Fortune Cookie | 2023 | Day 49 | John Cleese
Jim Meskimen
250 views
1:34Impressionist Jim Meskimen Celebrity Fortune Cookie | 2023 | Day 39 | John Cleese
Jim Meskimen
225 viewsChannels on this page: Seth Meyers, Conan O'Brien, Ricky Gervais, Leo Kearse, Robert Brydon Jones, Neal Brennan, Steve Hofstetter, Jim Meskimen
Frequently asked questions
When and where was John Cleese born?
John Marwood Cleese was born on 27 October 1939 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, the only child of Reginald Francis Cleese, an insurance salesman, and his wife Muriel Evelyn.
What comedy troupe did John Cleese cofound?
In the late 1960s he cofounded Monty Python, the comedy troupe responsible for the sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus, alongside Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.
What sitcom did John Cleese cowrite and star in?
Cleese and his first wife Connie Booth cowrote the sitcom Fawlty Towers (1975-79), in which he starred as hotel owner Basil Fawlty, earning him the 1980 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance.
What awards did A Fish Called Wanda earn John Cleese?
He wrote and starred in the 1988 comedy film A Fish Called Wanda, for which he received Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award nominations.
What did John Cleese study at Cambridge?
He took up a place at Downing College, Cambridge, to read law, where he also joined the Cambridge Footlights.
