John Cleese

By Patrick Bunker

John Cleese

The Inspirational Life Story of John Cleese; Comedian, Public Speaker, and The Movie Star Who Helped Introduce Monty Python to the World

By Patrick Bunker

John Cleese was born on October 27th, 1939 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. He was the only child of Muriel and Reginald Francis Cleese. His parents earned a modest living. His father worked as an insurance salesman while Muriel was a stay-at-home mother, but they still sent their young son to private schools, intending to give him the best education and opportunities imaginable. John began his schooling at St. Peter's, a preparatory school when he was eight years old. Early on, Mr. Cleese showed promise, receiving a prize for English. Additionally, John was an athlete, excelling in cricket and soccer for much of his young life.
Unfortunately even during his early life, John had a complicated upbringing. His relationship with his mother was strained. Cleese is quoted as saying, “When I was a child and I was upset about something, my mother was not capable of containing that emotion, of letting me be upset but reassuring me, of just being with me in a calming way. She always got in a flap, so I not only had my own baby panics, fears and terrors to deal with, but I had to cope with hers, too. Eventually I taught myself to remain calm when I was panicked, in order not to upset her. In a way, she had managed to put me in charge of her. At eighteen months old, I was doing the parenting.” Cleese would later go on to say that his mother was “supremely self-centred” and that she “did not take interest in anything that did not immediately involve her.” Those issues would persist throughout much of Cleese's life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Summary Station
• Release date: Mar 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463712993

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John Cleese

The Inspirational Life Story of John Cleese; Comedian, Public Speaker, and The Movie Star Who Helped Introduce Monty Python to the World

By Patrick Bunker

Copyright © 2015 by Patrick Bunker

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

without the express written permission of the publisher

except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2015

Smashwords Edition

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Early Days

Major Successes and Personal Life

Popular John Cleese Films

Cleese's Famous Attitude'

What Makes John Cleese's Comedy Unique

Unwavering Influence and Lasting Legacy

Conclusion

Introduction

"If I had not gone into Monty Python, I probably would have stuck to my original plan to graduate and become a chartered accountant, perhaps a barrister lawyer, and gotten a nice house in the suburbs, with a nice wife and kids, and gotten a country club membership, and then I would have killed myself."

The telling quote above is from the man himself, John Cleese. The normal or proper way of life never appealed to him much, and we are thankful for that. Largely considered to be one of the most prolific and hilarious actors, writers and creators of all-time, Cleese is a certified comedic genius. Most recognizable for his work on The Monty Python series and the film A Fish Called Wanda, Cleese has been dazzling us with his silliness for decades and will continue to do so, certainly, for years to come. Let's get to know the man behind Basil Fawlty and explore the life of one of the absolute greats.

The Early Days

John Cleese was born on October 27th, 1939 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. He was the only child of Muriel and Reginald Francis Cleese. His parents earned a modest living. His father worked as an insurance salesman while Muriel was a stay-at-home mother, but they still sent their young son to private schools, intending to give him the best education and opportunities imaginable. John began his schooling at St. Peter's, a preparatory school when he was eight years old. Early on, Mr. Cleese showed promise, receiving a prize for English. Additionally, John was an athlete,