John Cleese



""John Cleese is very, very tall. He also has a very Silly Walk.""

- TeeVeePedia article on John Cleese

John Marwood Cleese (b. 1939) is a British actor. He is most famous for his work in Monty Python, where he played a lot of authority figures. His leaving the show before the fourth season is widely seen to be the moment when it Jumped the Shark. Beyond that, he, along with his then-wife Connie Booth, created Fawlty Towers, co-wrote and starred in A Fish Called Wanda, helped write a Superman Elseworld, made cameo appearances all over the place, and gave a rather famous eulogy to friend and fellow Pythonite Graham Chapman.

He is the straightest Straight Man possible, without having to resort to Asimo or attaching girders to one's back. Except when he's playing a raving lunatic.

Partial list of roles:

 * At Last The 1948 Show
 * Monty Python's Flying Circus -- Many characters, but most memorably, the "And now for something completely different..." guy.
 * Monty Python and The Holy Grail -- A lot of characters, but chiefly known for Sir Lancelot, The Black Knight, the taunting French Knight and Tim the Enchanter.
 * Fawlty Towers -- Basil Fawlty
 * Monty Pythons Life of Brian
 * Monty Pythons the Meaning of Life
 * Time Bandits -- Robin Hood
 * A Fish Called Wanda -- Archie Leach
 * Starship Titanic -- The Bomb
 * Rat Race -- Donald Sinclair
 * Jade Empire -- Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard
 * An American Tail: Fievel Goes West -- Cat R. Waul (voice)
 * George of the Jungle (the movie) -- Ape (voice)
 * James Bond -- R (The World Is Not Enough), Q (Die Another Day) (Same character, he just got promoted between films)
 * Shrek 2 -- King Harold (voice)
 * Planet 51 -- Professor Kipple (voice)
 * Fable 3 -- Jasper (voice)
 * Harry Potter -- Nearly Headless Nick
 * Winnie the Pooh -- The Narrator
 * Silverado -- Sheriff Langston

"Ooh, ooh, I see. Going to another page, eh? YOU YELLOW BASTARDS!! Come back here and read the article again! I'll bite your legs off!!"