Dominant in British comedy since the '60s, tall (6'4"), eccentric Cambridge law graduate John Cleese is associated with such landmark TV series as The Frost Report (BBC, 1966) and the iconoclastic Monty Python's Flying Circus (BBC, 1969-70, 1972-74) on which his cohorts included Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and director Terry Gilliam.
Mersault, The Out-of-Towners, Paramount, 1999 R, The World Is Not Enough (also known as Bond 19,Bond2000,Death Waits for No Man,Fire and Ice,Pressure Point, and T.W.I.N.E.), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1999The BFI London Imax Signature Film, British Film Institute, 1999Alexander Pentcho, Quantum Project, Sightsound.com, 2000Henry Marcus, Isn't She Great (also known as Ist sie nicht grossartig?), MCA/Universal, 2000Interviewer in lounge, Rockstar (short film), 2000Voice of Albert (title role), The Magic Pudding (animated), Twentieth Century-Fox Australia, 2000Voice, Edward Fudwupper Fibbed Big (animated short film), Nickelodeon Movies, 2000Donald P.
Sinclair, Rat Race (also known as Course folle),Paramount, 2001 Nearly Headless Nick, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (alsoknown as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone), Warner Bros., 2001Charles Merchant, Scorched, Juniper Productions, 2002James, The Adventures of Pluto Nash (also known as Pluto Nash), Warner Bros., 2002Nearly Headless Nick, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (also known as Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens), Warner Bros.,2002Q, Die Another Day (also known as D.A.D.), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 2002Voice of talking cricket for American version, Pinocchio (also known as Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio), Miramax, 2002Himself, Stupidity, Telefilm Canada/Trailervision, 2003Mr. 1971 (With others) Doctor in Charge, London Weekend Television, 1972-1973(With Connie Booth) Fawlty Towers, BBC, 1975-1979, PBS, 1980MiniseriesLook at the State We're In!, BBC, 1995(With others) The Human Face (also known as The Human Face withJohn Cleese), The Learning Channel, 2001Teleplays with Monty Python (Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle,Terry Jones, and Michael Palin)SpecialsMonty Python's Fliegender Zirkus, BBC, 1972Life of Python (also known as Life of Python: Monty Python 20thAnniversary Omnibus), BBC and Showtime, 1990Twenty Years of Monty Python (Parrot Sketch Not Included) (also known as Parrot Sketch Not Included: Twenty Years of Monty Python), Showtime, 1990It's the Monty Python Story (documentary; also known as Life ofPython), BBC, 1993TeleplaysSpecialsHow to Irritate People (also known as John Cleese on How to Irritate People), 1968Simply Sheila (also known as Show of the Week: Simply Sheila), BBC, 1968(With others) The Ronnie Barker Yearbook, [Great Britain], 1971The Mermaid Frolics, 1977(With others) That Was the Week That Was, ABC, 1985"Merchant Banker," Comic Relief (also known as The Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live), BBC, 1986"Four Yorkshiremen," We Know Where You Live (also known as Amnesty International's We Know Where You Live Live!), Channel 4, 2001Episodic(Uncredited; with others) The Muppet Show, syndicated, 1977Other(With Graham Chapman) Doctor in the House (pilot), London WeekendTelevision, 1969(With Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and MichaelPalin) Pythons in Deutschland (movie), Batavia Atelier, 1971(With Jack Hobbs and Joe McGrath) The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation as We Know It (movie), London Weekend Television, 1977Screenplays with Monty Python (Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin)(And idea for film) And Now for Something Completely Different (also known as Monty Python's And Now for Something Completely Different;adapted from Monty Python's Flying Circus), Columbia, 1972Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Cinema V, 1975, published by Methuen, 1977, published as Monty Python's Second Film: A First Draft, 1977Monty Python's Life of Brian (also known as Life of Brian),Warner Bros., 1979, published by Ace Books, 1979, published as Monty Python's Life of Brian (of Nazareth) [and] Montypythonscrapbook, Grosset, 1979Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Paramount, 1982(And song "Oh Lord Please Don't Burn Us Down") Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (also known as The Meaning of Life), Universal, 1983,published as Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, Grove, 1983Screenplays(With Chapman, Peter Sellers, Terry Southern, and Joseph McGrath) TheMagic Christian, Commonwealth United, 1970(With Graham Chapman, Peter Cook, and Kevin Billington) The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer, Seven Arts/Warner Bros., 1970(Uncredited; with Chapman) Rentadick, Virgin Films, 1972Romance with a Double Bass (short film), 1974(With others) The Secret Policeman's Ball (also known as The 1979 Amnesty International Comedy Gala), Tigon/Amnesty International/Island, 1979(And story with Charles Crichton) A Fish Called Wanda, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1988, published by Applause Theatre Book Publishers,1988(With Iain Johnstone) Fierce Creatures (also known as Death Fish II), Universal, 1995Stage Writings with Monty Python (Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, EricIdle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin)Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA, 1970Monty Python's First Farewell Tour, British and Canadian cities, 1973Monty Python Live!, New York City, 1976Stage Writings(With others) The Secret Policeman's Ball (comedy gala; also knownas The 1979 Amnesty International Comedy Gala), Her Majesty's Theatre, London, 1979Radio ScriptsCambridge Circus, BBC Radio, 1963The Dick Emery Show, BBC Radio, beginning 1963(As John Otto Cleese) I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (series), BBC Radio, 1964, 1966-1970, 1973Wrote (with others) specials related to I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, BBC Radio, 1968 and 1970, and BBC Radio 2, 1989.VideosMan Hunt, 1974The Selling Line: Awkward Customers (also known as Awkward Customers), 1975The Selling Line: The Competitive Spirit (also known as The Competitive Spirit), 1975The Selling Line: How Not to Exhibit Yourself (also known as How Not to Exhibit Yourself), 1975The Selling Line: I'll Think about It (also known as I'll Thinkabout It), 1975The Selling Line: In Two Minds (also known as In Two Minds), 1975The Selling Line: It's Alright, It's Only a Customer (also known as It's Alright: It's Only a Customer), 1975The Selling Line: More Awkward Customers (also known as More Awkward Customers), 1975The Selling Line: Who Sold You This, Then? (also known as Who Sold You This, Then?), 1975Meetings, Bloody Meetings, 1976, Video Arts, Ltd., 1994How Am I Doing?, 1977Grime Goes Green: Your Business and the Environment, 1990Writer for The Meeting of Minds; writer for several videos released by Video Arts, Ltd.Video Games with Monty Python (Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin)Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time, 1994Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail (based on the screenplay Monty Python and the Holy Grail), 1996Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (based on the screenplay of thesame name), 1997Monty Python Books with Monty Python (Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin)Monty Python's Big Red Book, edited by Eric Idle, Methuen, 1972, Warner Books, 1975(Also with Jerry Gillian [pseudonym of Gilliam]) The Brand New Monty Python Bok, edited by Eric Idle, illustrated by Terry Gilliam under the pseudonym Jerry Gilliam, and by Peter Brookes, Methuen, 1973, published as The Brand New Monty Python Papperbok, 1974, Regnery, 1976The Complete Works of Shakespeare and Monty Python: Volume One--MontyPython (contains Monty Python's Big Red Book and The Brand NewMonty Python Papperbok), Warner Books, 1976, Methuen, 1981The Monty Python Gift Books (contains Monty Python's Big Red Book and The Brand New Monty Python Papperbok), Methuen, 1988The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus: All the Words, two volumes, Pantheon, 1989Monty Python: Just the Words, Pantheon, 1989Pocketful of Python: Volume 2, Methuen Drama, 2000(And with Barry X.
Miller) The Pythons: Autobiography by the Pythons, Thomas Dunne Books, 2003 Writings Related to Other Television Productions(With Jack Hobbs and Joe McGrath) The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation As We Know It, Star Books, 1977(With Connie Booth) Fawlty Towers, Futura, Volume I, 1977, VolumeII, 1979, published in one volume as The Complete Fawlty Towers, Pantheon, 1989(With Brian Bates) The Human Face, DK Publishing, 2001Nonfiction(With Robin Skynner) Families and How to Survive Them, cartoons byBud Handelman, Methuen, 1983(With Skynner) Life and How to Survive It, 1993(Author of foreword) Jacob Needleman, Time and the Soul: Where Has Allthe Meaningful Time Gone--And Can We Get It Back?, Berrett-Koehler, 2003WritingsOther(With others) The Golden Skits of Wing-Commander Muriel Volestrangler,FHRS and Bar, Methuen, 1984Further ReferenceADAPTATIONS . Jones, 1983), on which he wrote as well as acted.The wild inventiveness revealed in 'Python' was harnessed to different anarchic effect in the TV series, Fawlty Towers (BBC, 1975, 1979), co-written and performed with his then-wife (1968-76) Connie Booth, and perhaps the funniest ever British sitcom.
In the courtroom, evidence of prior meetings that Tim has chaired are displayed, and he is reminded of the five biggest mistakes he has made. As Kate (Dawn French) and Charley (Neil Flynn) negotiate their way through such classic courtship rituals as deciding who picks up the tab on their first date, to agreeing on how many guests to invite to their wedding, viewers learn that negotiation isn't just a process that business people or organizations go through.
While doing work one night in bed, he comes to the realization that he is doomed forever to lose sleep, because he continually spends all night catching up for the time he has spent at poorly organized meetings.
He drifts off into a dream and finds himself before a judge, facing charges of inefficiency in the conduct of meetings. Peter, The Unorganized Manager, Part Two: Salvation, 1977 Julian Carruthers, The Balance Sheet Barrier, 1977, Video Arts, Ltd., 1993Julian Carruthers, The Control of Working Capital, 1978Julian Carruthers, Cost, Profit, and Break-Even, 1980Julian Carruthers, Depreciation and Inflation, 1980Fawlty Towers, six volumes, Time-Life Video, 1980Roasting--Roast Beef, Time-Life Video, 1980You'll Soon Get the Hang of It, 1981Julian Carruthers, Budgeting, 1984More Bloody Meetings, 1984Julian Carruthers, Return on Investment, 1986H.
Jones, 1979), The Secret Policeman's Ball (d. Rita is a successful, unrefined, penny-pincher who knows her way around a balance sheet. 63 New Yorker, August 26, 1972; May 5, 1975; May 12, 1975; August 27,1979New York Times, April 28, 1975; April 16, 1976; August 17, 1979; March 31, 1983; March 24, 2002New York Times Magazine, April 18, 1976; December 25, 1983People Weekly, August 22, 1982; September 26, 1983; November 29, 1999, pp.
And It's Goodnight from Him, 1996 Voice of an ape named Ape, George of the Jungle, Buena Vista, 1997Maurice Walpole, Parting Shots, Michael Winner/Scimitar Films, 1998Mr. However, his satire is precisely the right ingredient to make entertaining what might otherwise be frightfully dull stuff.
In Meetings, Bloody Meetings, this entirely serious situation is confronted: A recent survey found that one-third of 1,000 executives and managers from top American companies believe that the time they spend at meetings is wasted.
His varied contributions stamp him a polymath of British comedy in the last third of the 20th century. Brian McFarlane, Encyclopedia of British Film |