20 Fascinating Facts About Rowan Atkinson
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Rowan Atkinson is one of the rarest actors with zero haters, and if you are still trying to figure out who we are talking about, let's call him - Mr Bean! Yup, the most lovely and funny British character with an unforgettable yellow car and famous teddy bear. Today we will introduce you to fascinating facts about this legendary actor who gave us memorable characters we will always enjoy.
1. Atkinson has 2 degrees from the University.
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That is right! This legendary actor is relatively well-educated and has graduated from 2 universities: Oxford University and Newcastle University. He also was quite a good student in school. Atkinson's thesis was about self-tuning control systems.
2. His acting career started with comedy shows.
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Young Rowan Atkinson started his career in sketches which were quite popular on BBC. The name of the show was Not the Nine O'Clock News. This is where his popularity began.
3. After the BBC Comedy Show was the leading role.
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As soon as the BBC show became popular, Atkinson was noticed by several people, and that is how he got the leading role in the sitcom called The Black Adder.
4. Atkinson loves cars so much.
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Cars are one of the biggest loves for Rowan Atkinson. In some interviews, he talks about his passion for cars. Once, the actor said that one of the happiest moments in his life was when he got a license to drive a lorry.
5. Atkinson has an impressive collection of cars.
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Since childhood, Atkinson has loved cars, so it is not surprising that he made an excellent collection after he could afford it. In Atkinson's collection, you will find some fancy cars, such as Audi, McLaren F1, and Aston Martin.
6. Atkinson is not a big fan of Porsche.
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Yes, even most of us adore Porsche, but Rowan Atkinson is not one of us. The actor once said that Porsche cars are nice, but he is uncomfortable with them. He will never be a typical Porsche person.
7. A big fan of cars has quite often had car accidents.
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The actor is an excellent driver but also has some bad experiences. One of the most serious was in 2011, with MC Laren F1, when he hydro-planed into a tree and severely injured his shoulder. The insurance company billed 1 million pounds for the first time in history.
8. Atkinson is known for his public speeches about government.
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We had some moments when the actor clearly outlined his position about the Labour government's plans and introduced some of the solutions for having free speech rights for everyone.
9. Atkinson has a great relationship with the Royal Family.
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Everybody remembers the lovely meeting with Princess Diana and Rowan Atkinson. But we also saw the actor in the meeting with King Charles and Camilla and at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
10. Atkinson suffers from a mild stammer.
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He has had a moderate stammer for most of his life, which may also explain why he has a reputation for being entirely reserved in private and detesting interviews. In actuality, Mr Bean rarely speaks.
11. The actor is a big fan of James Bond Movies.
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Atkinson loves this character so much that he asked to play in the movie, and fortunately, he got the chance. You can see him in Never Say Never Again with Sean Connery.
12. Rowan Atkinson and Leslie Ash were a couple.
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Yes, we had such an unusual and lovely couple during the early career of Atkinson. Even though Rowan Atkinson is not very romantic in person, he showed romantic feelings to the actress Leslie Ash. They had a great relationship, but unfortunately, their relationship did not work out.
13. Atkinson met the love of his life in the 1980s.
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Rowan Atkinson and Sunetra Sastry were a great couple. The wife was a BBC make-up artist. The couple have two daughters, but unfortunately, their relationship ended with divorce in 2014.
14. Rowan Atkinson is one of the wealthiest actors.
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Yes, Mr Bean was the most triumphant moment of his career. Unsurprisingly, he got pretty great wealth during his career, which today is more than 130 million dollars.
15. Atkinson saved his and his family's life.
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Thanks to the actor's excellent ability to manage risk and avoid being panicked, he saved the plane from crashing during the holiday trip to Kenya. Pillot unexpectedly passed out, and the plane started to go down. Atkinson took control of the aircraft, and before the pilot woke up, he managed everything to be safe. Fortunately, the plane landed safely.
16. The legendary character had a different name than Mr Bean.
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This name will stick in our heads forever, but it could be another. The previous versions differed, including Mr White and Mr Cauliflower. But fortunately, they selected Mr Bean finally.
17. Atkinson created Mr Bean's character during his university years.
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While learning Electrical Engineering Master's at Oxford University, he portrayed a character named Robert Box. This was for the one-off comedy show Canned Laughter, which was performed in Edinburgh.
18. His Legendary Character is named Mr Mr Bean.
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Yes, two, Mr is not a mistake. During the show, we can see the character's passport where the official name is Mr, and the surname is Bean. So Atkinson's legendary character is originally named Mister Bean.
19. Rowan Atkinson is also the commander of a British Order.
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Yes, one of the biggest comedy stars in the UK was named a commander of the most excellent order of the British Empire in 2013. Some famous people like Stephen Hawking and Hugh Lorie also hold this status.
20. We Hear Atkinson in the original Lion King movie.
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One of the loved characters in the Lion King animation, Zazu, is initially played by Rowan Atkinson. Even though the character's voice is quite different and unforgettable, many people do not recognize Atkinson behind the character.