Rowan Atkinson turns 70 As clumsy Mr. Bean from comedian to world star

Few personalities from Great Britain are as well-known around the world as Mr. Bean. His alter ego, British actor Rowan Atkinson, turns 70 on January 6.

His clumsy comedy character Mr. Bean is regarded worldwide as the epitome of British humor. However, comedian and actor Rowan Atkinson is not fond of the properly dressed slob. "Seen in the light of day, Mr. Bean is a terribly selfish and self-righteous bastard. A spoiled child trapped in an adult's body," said Atkinson in an interview in 2018. The British actor turns 70 on Monday.

Atkinson was born on January 6, 1955 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north-east of England and grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. He had three older brothers, one of whom died in infancy. His brother Rodney later became known as an anti-EU publicist and politician: in 2000, he ran unsuccessfully as leader of the Brexit party Ukip.

Atkinson attended Chorister School in Durham - another well-known former pupil is former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. After school, Atkinson studied electrical engineering in Newcastle and Oxford. As a student, he became a member of a theater group and performed his own sketches. Since then, he has also worked with his student friend Richard Curtis, who later became a successful screenwriter and director.

Satirical interviews and news satire to launch his career

Atkinson began his career as a comedian in 1979 with satirical interviews on BBC radio. He became known on television as the presenter of the BBC news satire "Not the Nine O'Clock News", and from 1983 he played the leading role in the popular historical comedy series "Blackadder".

Atkinson became known worldwide with his signature role Mr. Bean, who made faces in the series of the same name on ITV from 1990 and later also in the cinema. Atkinson also enjoyed success with "Johnny English", a parody of the James Bond films. His character of a dorky British secret agent has even more to do with reality than the legendary Agent 007, who is ultimately "a kind of Superman", Atkinson suggested in 2011.

Fittingly, Atkinson played his first small role in a feature film in 1983 in the James Bond film "Never Say Never" - but he was not satisfied with his performance, according to his own statement. In 1994, he played a confused priest in the successful film "Four Weddings and a Funeral". He also has a mini-appearance in the Christmas blockbuster "Tatsächlich... Love" from 2003.

Atkinson switched to the serious side with the leading role in the British crime series "Maigret", which is set in Paris in the 1950s and will also be shown on German television in 2017. He will then return to his comedy roots in 2022 with the Netflix series "Man vs.

Offense is the "essence of comedy"

Atkinson believes it is important to be able to laugh at everything and everyone. As an advocate of freedom of expression, he repeatedly speaks out against laws aimed at combating hate speech. He also comes to Boris Johnson's defense when the then British Prime Minister compares women in burkas to "letterboxes" - Atkinson defends the controversial statement as a successful joke. Insults are the "essence of comedy" and every joke has "a victim", says Atkinson.

However, Atkinson prefers to keep his private life out of the public eye. He has two children with make-up artist Sunetra Sastry, whom he met at the BBC. Since divorcing in 2015, he has been living with actress Louise Ford, with whom he has another daughter.

It is also known that the car enthusiast, who drives a Mini in "Mr. Bean", collects expensive sports cars - and has already crashed several of them. On a family vacation in Kenya in 2001, however, he turns out to be a life-saver who is not at all clumsy: when the pilot of a private plane falls unconscious, Atkinson takes the wheel and lands the plane.