British
actor
Rowan
Atkinson,
known
for
playing
the
iconic
character
Mr
Bean
and
for
his
popular
film
series
Johnny
English,
is
celebrating
his
68th
birthday
today,
January
6.
Many
people
may
not
be
familiar
with
the
name
Rowan
Atkinson,
but
almost
everyone
is
aware
of
his
iconic
character,
Mr
Bean.
Despite
appearing
in
other
shows
and
portraying
other
memorable
roles,
Atkinson
is
best
known
for
his
portrayal
of
the
comical
and
bumbling
Mr.
Bean.
However,
there
is
more
to
Atkinson
than
just
his
talent
for
physical
comedy.
Here
are
some
interesting
facts
about
the
actor,
comedian,
and
person.
MR
BEAN'S
CAREER
BEGAN
ON
STAGE
Atkinson
debuted
on
stage
when
he
was
in
his
first
year
at
Oxford.
The
actor
has
48
hours
to
develop
a
five-minute
act
for
a
stage
play,
and
he
stood
up
in
front
of
a
mirror
and
made
up
"a
strange,
surreal,
and
non-speaking
character"
by
making
faces
at
himself.
And
later,
people
started
recognising
him
after
a
series
of
performances
of
sketches
with
the
Oxford
Revue
at
the
Edinburgh
Festival
Fringe
in
1976.
MR
BEAN
STARTED
A
RADIO
Rowan
Atkinson,
after
his
stage
performance,
also
did
a
series
of
comedy
shows
for
BBC
Radio
3,
titled
The
Atkinson
People.
The
show
was
first
broadcast
in
1979.
Mr.
Bean
himself
acted
out
satirical
interviews
with
fictional
famous
men
in
the
series.The
series
script
was
written
by
Atkinson
in
collaboration
with
Richard
Curtis
and
produced
by
Griff
Rhys
Jones.
MR
BEAN
IS
SMART
AND
WELL-
TAUGHT
Even
though
we
might
recognise
Atkinson
for
his
silly
and
comedy
roles,
Mr
Bean
has
also
got
a
different
side
to
himself.
He
has
a
degree
in
electrical
and
electronic
engineering
from
Newcastle
University.
He
also
holds
a
MSc
in
Electrical
Engineering
from
Oxford
University.
Smart
indeed!
MR
BEAN
LOVES
BIG
TRUCKS
Apart
from
having
a
fleet
of
cars,
Mr.
Bean
has
a
passion
for
big
vehicles.
His
liking
for
huge
vehicles
might
have
begun
in
his
childhood,
when
he
used
to
drive
his
father's
tractor.
Atkinson's
love
for
tractors
has
grown
so
much
over
the
years
that
he
has
gotten
a
Class
1
licence
to
drive
a
lorry.
MR
BEAN
IS
ALSO
A
WRITER
Atkinson
is
an
outstanding
actor
and
comedian.
But
many
aren't
aware
that
he
is
also
a
writer.
The
actor
not
only
collects
cars
and
loves
racing
in
them,
he
also
writes
about
cars
for
a
British
magazine,
which
goes
by
the
very
authentic
title,
Car.
Octane
and
Evo
are
two
other
magazines
for
which
Mr.
Bean
has
written.