John Cleese Biography: Age, Wife, Net Worth & Career

John Marwood Cleese, known professionally as John Cleese, is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer best known as a co-founder of the sketch comedy troupe Monty Python. He rose to international fame through "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969–1974) and the Monty Python films "Holy Grail," "Life of Brian," and "The Meaning of Life." Cleese also co-wrote and starred in the sitcom "Fawlty Towers" and voiced Nearly Headless Nick in the "Harry Potter" film series. He remains active on social media, with 240K followers on Instagram, 5.6M on Twitter/X, and 36.2K subscribers on YouTube.

Who Is John Cleese?

Born on October 27, 1939, in Weston-super-Mare, England, Cleese is a British national and a Scorpio by zodiac sign. His father, Reginald Francis Cleese, worked as an insurance salesman, and his mother, Muriel Evelyn Cleese, was the daughter of an auctioneer. He attended St Peter's Preparatory School before earning a scholarship to Clifton College, an English public school in Bristol, at age 13.

What Does John Cleese Do for a Living?

Cleese began his career writing and performing with the Cambridge Footlights, contributing to the 1963 revue "A Clump of Plinths," later renamed "Cambridge Circus," which toured London's West End, New Zealand, and Broadway. He went on to write for BBC Radio, including the series "I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again" (1965–1974), and co-wrote "The Frost Report" with Graham Chapman starting in 1965.

From 1969 to 1974, Cleese starred in and co-wrote "Monty Python's Flying Circus," leaving after the third series but remaining closely involved with the group's films, including the Black Knight scene in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." He also co-wrote and starred alongside then-wife Connie Booth in the two-series sitcom "Fawlty Towers" (1975, 1979), widely regarded as one of British television's greatest comedies.

• Served as rector of the University of St Andrews from 1970 to 1973
• Founded the production company Video Arts, known for business training films such as "Meetings, Bloody Meetings"
• Played Petruchio in the BBC's "The Taming of the Shrew" (1980) and Robin Hood in Terry Gilliam's "Time Bandits" (1981)
• Appeared in "A Fish Called Wanda" (1988), Kenneth Branagh's "Frankenstein" (1994), and "Rat Race" (2001)
• Voiced Nearly Headless Nick in the first two "Harry Potter" films (2001, 2002)
• Co-authored two relationship books with psychiatrist Robin Skynner, and the graphic novel "Superman: True Brit" (2004)
• Cast in Roman Polanski's "The Palace" (2022) and co-hosted a GB News show with Andrew Doyle

Cleese's other credits include a cameo in "The Great Muppet Caper" (1981), the role of Donald P. Sinclair in "Rat Race" (2001), a supporting part in "The Pink Panther 2" (2009) alongside Steve Martin, and voice work as Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom in the video game "Jade Empire" (2006). He was a contributing editor for The Spectator from 2009 and hosted comedy galas at the Montreal Just for Laughs festival in 2006 and 2009. In 2020, he publicly defended a "Fawlty Towers" episode temporarily pulled from UKTV over its use of racial slurs, arguing it satirized prejudice rather than endorsed it; the episode was later reinstated with a content disclaimer. In 2021, he canceled a planned appearance at Cambridge University after a fellow speaker was blacklisted by the student union, saying he was "blacklisting myself before someone else does" in protest of what he described as cancel culture.

Awards and Recognition

• BAFTA Film Award for "A Fish Called Wanda" and "Fawlty Towers"
• Emmy Award for his guest role in "Cheers"
• Ranked second in a 2005 Channel 4 "Comedians' Comedian" poll
• Honored with a namesake lemur species, Avahi cleesei, and asteroid 9618 Johncleese

Selected Bibliography

• Families and How to Survive Them
• Life and How to Survive It
• So, Anyway... (2014)
• Professor at Large: The Cornell Years (2018)
• Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide (2020)

Who Is John Cleese Married To?

Cleese married English jewelry designer and former model Jennifer Wade in 2012 on the island of Mustique, and the couple remains together. He was previously married to Connie Booth (1968–1978), with whom he has a daughter, Cynthia Cleese; to Barbara Trentham (1981–1990), with whom he has a daughter, Camilla; and to psychotherapist Alyce Faye Eichelberger (1992–2008), whose divorce settlement awarded her £12 million. Cynthia Cleese's marriage to writer-director Ed Solomon gave John Cleese two grandchildren, Evan and Olivia.

What Is John Cleese's Net Worth?

As of 2023, John Cleese has an estimated net worth of $20 million, built over a decades-long career in acting, writing, and production, supplemented by an annual salary exceeding $500K and endorsement deals with brands including Lexus, Magnavox, Melba Snack Crackers, and Little Tikes.

How Tall Is John Cleese?

Cleese stands 6 ft 5 in (195.5 cm) tall, with gray hair and hazel eyes. His towering height has often been used to comic effect in his portrayals of uptight or overbearing characters throughout his career.