Rowan Atkinson

Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is an English actor, comedian, and writer born on 6 January 1955. He first gained national prominence on the BBC sketch comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–1982). He is widely recognized for playing Edmund Blackadder in the BBC sitcom Blackadder (1983–1989), the title character in Mr. Bean (1990–1995), and the lead secret agent in the Johnny English film series (2003–present).

Atkinson was born in Consett, County Durham, or Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, as the youngest of four sons to Eric Atkinson, a farmer and company director, and Ella May Bainbridge. Raised Anglican, he was educated at Durham Chorister School—where he attended alongside future Prime Minister Tony Blair—and St Bees School. He earned a BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Newcastle University in 1975 and an MSc in Electrical Engineering from The Queen's College, Oxford. He briefly pursued PhD studies before shifting his full focus to acting.

While studying at Oxford, Atkinson wrote and performed for the Oxford University Dramatic Society and the Etceteras, meeting frequent creative collaborators Richard Curtis and Howard Goodall. He gained national attention at the 1976 Edinburgh Festival Fringe with The Oxford Revue. In 1979, he co-wrote and starred in the BBC Radio 3 series The Atkinson People, performed in The Secret Policeman's Ball, starred in the television pilot Canned Laughter, and joined Not the Nine O'Clock News as a key performer and writer.

Following his sketch comedy success, Atkinson starred in the mock-historical sitcom Blackadder (1983–1989), playing various generations of Edmund Blackadder across several historical periods. In 1990, he introduced his famous physical comedy character Mr. Bean. Atkinson reprised the role in feature films including Bean (1997) and Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007), and voices the character in Mr. Bean: The Animated Series (2002–present). His other television roles include Inspector Raymond Fowler in The Thin Blue Line (1995–1996), Jules Maigret in Maigret (2016–2017), and Trevor Bingley in Man vs. Bee (2022) and Man vs. Baby (2025).

In film, Atkinson made his feature debut in the James Bond entry Never Say Never Again (1983). His movie roles include The Witches (1990), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), voicing Zazu in Disney's The Lion King (1994), Rat Race (2001), Scooby-Doo (2002), Love Actually (2003), and Father Julius in Wonka (2023). His theatre credits include the 1984 West End play The Nerd and playing Fagin in the 2009 West End revival of Oliver!. He also performed as Mr. Bean during the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London.

Atkinson received British Academy Television Awards for Best Entertainment Performance in 1981 for Not the Nine O'Clock News and in 1990 for Blackadder, alongside an Olivier Award in 1981 for Rowan Atkinson in Revue. He was appointed CBE in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity, and he remains active across television, film, and voice work.