John Marwood Cleese (born 27 October 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award winning English comedian and actor. He is best known for being one of the founding members of the renowned comedy group Monty Python, and as the writer and star of the popular television comedy Fawlty Towers.
He has won BAFTA and Emmy awards, and was an Academy Award nominated screen writer for his film, A Fish Called Wanda.

Biography
Cleese was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England to Reginald Francis Cleese and Muriel (Cross). His family's surname was previously "Cheese", but his father, an insurance salesman, changed his surname to "Cleese" upon joining the army in 1915.

Early life
After his return to England, Cleese started performing as a cast member of the highly successful BBC Radio show I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, which ran from 1965 to 1974.
The first series began on 19 September 1975, and whilst not an instant hit, soon gained momentum. However, the second series did not appear until 1979, by which time Cleese's marriage to Booth had broken down. Despite this the two reprised their writing and performing roles in the second series. Fawlty Towers consisted of only twelve episodes. Cleese and Booth both maintain that this was to avoid compromising the quality of the series.
In 1978, Cleese appeared as guest star on The Muppet Show. Instead of singing along, he showed up a pretend album, his own new vocal record "John Cleese: A Man & His Music", and finally strangled Kermit the Frog. Cleese won the TV Times award for Funniest Man On TV - 1978 / 1979. He was the first person ever to say 'shit' on British Television.
The city of Palmerston North in New Zealand christened a trash heap at the city's local dump Mt. Cleese in response to Cleese's coments about the city being a "suicide capital of New Zealand". Palmerston North has a normal suicide rate.

Career
During the 1980s and 1990s, Cleese focused on film, though he did work with Peter Cook in his one-off TV special Peter Cook and Co. in 1980. In the same year a theatrical piece for TV was released, with Cleese playing Petruchio, in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. He also rejoined the Pythons for Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982), and starred in The Secret Policeman's Ball for Amnesty International. He married Barbara Trentham on 15 February 1981. Their daughter Camilla Cleese was born in 1984.
In 1988 he wrote and starred in A Fish Called Wanda, as the lead, Archie Leach, along with Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and fellow Python Michael Palin. Wanda became the most successful British film ever, and Cleese was nominated for an Academy Award for his script. Cynthia Cleese starred as Leach's daughter.
However, his marriage was in trouble and in 1990 he and Trentham divorced. On 28 December 1992 he married Alyce Faye Eichelberger, his third blonde American actress wife.
Cleese's Monty Python writing partner and friend, Graham Chapman, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1989, and during his final hours, Cleese, along with Michael Palin, Peter Cook and David Sherlock, witnessed Chapman's passing. Chapman's death occurred one day before the 20th anniversary of the first broadcast of Flying Circus with Jones commenting, "the worst case of party-pooping in all history." Cleese gave a stirring eulogy at Graham Chapman's memorial service, in which he "became the first person ever at a British memorial service to say 'fuck'". This was an erroneous story, the result of an interview with The Times of London (the piece was not fact checked before printing).
In 2007, Cleese is appearing in ads for Titleist as a fictional (and miffed) golf course designer named "Ian MacCallister", who represents the equally fictional organization, "Golf Designers Against Distance".

Later career
John Cleese's most recent live comedic performance was at the 2006 Just For Laughs festival in Montreal, Canada. John Cleese was host for one of the galas and performed sketches very reminiscent to his Monty Python days. His first sketch was him performing his own eulogy as he promised to kill himself as the grand finale, remarking "Top that Jason Alexander...you bastard." The second sketch was him as the judge of 'Cleese Idol', where contestants from Montreal would be performing his skits, so he could find his successor. He shot the last contestant as well as the special guest host, Ben Mulroney (the host of Canadian Idol). The gala ended with his 'execution', where he asked people to choose the method of execution by text messaging a number (which was fake). The choices were stoning, electric chair, firing squad, hanging and guillotine. The guillotine won, and John Cleese was beheaded just as he was about to say something to the crowd.

Just For Laughs 2006

A species of lemur, Avahi cleesei, has been named in his honour. John Cleese mentioned this in television interviews. Also there is mention of this honour in "The New Scientist"
An asteroid, 9618 Johncleese, is named in his honour.
In the BBC documentary series, "The Human Face", it is claimed that Cleese is a Professor-At-Large at Cornell University, and that he is a best-selling author on psychology. Honours and tributes

I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again Radio credits

The Frost Report (1966)
Frost on Sunday
At Last the 1948 Show
The Avengers (1968, guest appearance as Marcus Rugman (egg clown-face collector) in the episode Look (Stop Me if You've Heard this One)...)
The Goodies (1973, guest cameo appearance as a Genie in the episode The Goodies and the Beanstalk).
Doctor Who (1979, guest cameo appearance as an Art Lover in the episode City of Death as a favour to writer / script editor Douglas Adams)
How to Irritate People (1968) with Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Connie Booth and Tim Brooke-Taylor
Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974)
Fawlty Towers (1975, 1979)
The Taming of the Shrew, as Petruchio (1980)
Cheers (episode "Simon Says"), he won an Emmy Award for best actor in a guest starring role (1987).
3rd Rock from the Sun (1998–2001) as recurring character Dr. Liam Neesam.
The Human Face (2001) Cleese was the host of this 4 episode BBC documentary. It also featured Michael Palin, Elizabeth Hurley, David Attenborough, Pierce Brosnan, Paul Ekman, and Dacher Keltner, among others.
Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central) (2002) as Red
Will & Grace (2003-2004) as recurring character Lyle Finster.
Monty Python's Flying Circus, John Cleese's Personal Best (At the beginning of the episode, the show was dedicated to "Mr. John Cleese, who has recently died". A lot of Monty Python fans were saddened for his demise. It turned out it was just part of a skit; John Cleese was portraying himself as a 97-year-old, senile, old man who is being interviewed by a newswoman before succumbing to a heart attack.)
Hosted the TV show Wine for the Confused
Numerous commercials, including for supermarket chain Sainsbury's, snack firm Planters and a British government Stop Smoking campaign
Party political broadcasts for the Liberal Democrats and predecessor, the SDP-Liberal Alliance
Song "Don't Mention The World Cup" animated video played on ITV, BBC and Channel 4 News June 2006
Host of the PBS series The Human Face (2007) Television credits
Video game credits

Interlude (1968)
The Magic Christian (1969) (had written w/ Chapman an earlier version of the script, of which only the scenes they appear in survived)
The Best House in London (1969)
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970) (writer and actor)
And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) (writer and actor)
Romance with a Double Bass (1974) (writer and actor)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) (writer and actor: Sir Lancelot, Tim the Enchanter, swallow obsessed guard #2, Peasant #1, the Black Knight, French Taunter, body cart customer)
Meetings, Bloody Meetings (1976) (a humorous business-oriented training video)
The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977) (Arthur Sherlock Holmes, a descendant of the original)
Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) (writer and actor: various roles including Reg)
The Secret Policeman's Ball (1980)
The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
Time Bandits (1981) (as a gormless Robin Hood)
Privates on Parade (1982) (Major Giles Flack)
Yellowbeard (1983) (Blind Pew)
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) (writer and actor) (various roles)
Silverado (1985) (plays Langston an English sheriff in a town in the western USA. His first line, as he walks in to a bar to break up a brawl, is, "What's all this, then?")
Clockwise (1986) (as Mr. Stimpson, a school headmaster)
A Fish Called Wanda (1988) (writer and actor) (as lawyer Archie Leach (Cary Grant's real name))
Erik the Viking (1989) (as Halfdan the Black)
Bullseye! (1990) (as Man on the Beach in Barbados Who Looks Like John Cleese)
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) (Cat R. Waul)
Splitting Heirs (1993) (Raoul P. Shadgrind)
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)
Disney's Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1994) (Dr. Julien Plumford)
The Swan Princess (1994) (Jean-Bob)
The Wind in the Willows (1996) (as Mr. Toad's lawyer)
Fierce Creatures (1996) (as Rollo Lee, manager of an English zoo; the novelization suggests that he is actually the twin brother of Archie Leach from A Fish Called Wanda, with a slight change of surname)
George of the Jungle (1997) (as the voice of an ape named Ape)
The Out-of-Towners (1999 film) (1999) (as Mr. Mersault, the hotel manager)
The World Is Not Enough (1999) (a James Bond film) (as Q's assistant, nicknamed R by Bond)
Isn't She Great (2000)
Quantum Project (2001) (as father of Stephen Dorff's character)
Here's Looking at You: The Evolution of the Human Face narrator
Rat Race (2001) (as eccentric millionaire Donald P. Sinclair)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) ("Nearly Headless Nick")
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) ("Nearly Headless Nick")
Die Another Day (2002) (second appearance in a James Bond film; replaces Desmond Llewelyn as Q in the series)
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) (Father of Alex)
Scorched (2003) (Local Millionaire)
George of the Jungle 2 (2003) (as the voice of an ape named Ape)
Shrek 2 (2004) (voice of Princess Fiona's father, King Harold)
Around the World in 80 Days (2004) (Grizzled Sergeant)
Valiant (2005) (voice of captured pigeon, Mercury)
Charlotte's Web (2006) (voice of Samuel the sheep)
Shrek the Third (2007) (King Harold)
Crood Awakening (2008) (Alvan) Voice (also writer)
Pink Panther 2 (2008) (Insp. Dreyfus)
Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time (1994) 7th Level
Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail (1996) 7th Level
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1997) Panasonic
Starship Titanic (1998) Simon & Schuster Interactive (voice of the Bomb) — (Credited as Kim Bread)
007 Racing (2000) Electronic Arts
The World Is Not Enough (video game) (2000) Electronic Arts
Everything or Nothing (video game) (2004) Electronic Arts
Trivial Pursuit: Unhinged (2004) Atari
Jade Empire (2005) BioWare (as Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard) Filmography

In 2003, John Cleese took part in Mike Oldfield's re-recording of the 1973 hit Tubular Bells, Tubular Bells 2003. He took over the "Master of Ceremonies" duties in the 'Finale' part, in which he announced the various instruments eccentrically, from the late Vivian Stanshall.
Cleese recorded the voice of God for Spamalot, the musical based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
In an episode of Will & Grace, he referred to the maid character, Rosario, as Manuel, a homage to his previous television show Fawlty Towers.
Cleese narrated the audio version of C. S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters.
In the late-1990s Cleese appeared in a set of poorly-received commercials for the UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's. Around the same time, his Fawlty Towers co-star, Prunella Scales, appeared in more well-received commercials for rival chain Tesco.
He has enunciated a very welcome set of directions for the TomTom in-car navigation system. This allows itself humorous notes at non-critical moments, for instance when asking for a U-turn and when signing off: "I'm not going to carry your baggage — from now on, you're on your own".
He plays the voice of Samuel the Sheep in the 2006 adaption of Charlotte's Web. Samuel keeps on telling the other sheep to be individuals, not sheep. This is a reference to Monty Python's Life of Brian.
He has a speaking part at the end of the Alan Parsons song "Chomolungma" from the album A Valid Path. Other credits

The Rectorial Address of John Cleese, Epam, 1971, 8 pages Dialogues

List of people who have declined a British honour