John Cleese is a British actor and founding member of the Monty Python comedy group. He won an Emmy Award for best actor in a guest starring role in 1987 and was nominated for an Academy Award for best screenplay in 1988 for A Fish Called Wanda.

Cleese met his writing partner Graham Chapman at Cambridge, and the two wrote comedy together throughout the 1960s. Cleese met Michael Palin on The Frost Report, and the three teamed up with Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones for Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Cleese wrote several of the troupes most famous sketches, and appears in the Dead Parrot, Cheese Shop and Fish License sketches.

In 1975, he reteamed with the Python troupe to co-write Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where he plays Sir Lancelot, The Black Knight and the Taunting Frenchman.

In 1975 and 1979, Cleese wrote and starred in two series of the sitcom Fawlty Towers, where he plays a disgruntled hotel manager. Several episodes of the show are considered among the greatest sitcom episodes in television history, including The Germans, The Psychiatrist and The Kipper and the Corpse.

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• 27 October 1939: Born

• 1962: That Was the Week That Was

• 1965-1974: I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (Radio)

• 1968: How to Irritate People (TV)

• 1969-1974: Monty Python

• 1971: Founded Video Arts, a production company for business training videos

• 1971: And Now for Something Completely Different

• 1975: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

• 1975-1979: Television Series: Fawlty Towers

• 1977: The Muppet Show (Guest Appearance)

• 1976: Life of Brian

• 1980: The Taming of the Shrew

• 1981: The Great Muppet Caper

• 1981: Time Bandits

• 1983: The Meaning of Life

• 1987: Cheers "Simon Says" Episode, Won Emmy for Best Actor in a Guest-starring Role

• 1988: A Fish Called Wanda, Nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay

• 1991: An American Tail: Fievel Goes West

• 1993: Splitting Heirs

• 1994: Frankenstein

• 1994: The Swan Princess

• 1994: The Jungle Book

• 1997: Fierce Creatures

• 1997: George of the Jungle

• 1999: The Out-of-Towners

• 1999: The World Is Not Enough

• 2001: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

• 2002: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

• 2002: Die Another Day

• 2003: George of the Jungle 2 (V)

• 2004: Shrek 2

• 2005: Valiant

• 2006: Charlotte's Web

• 2007: Shrek the Third

• 2008: Igor

• 2009: Pink Panther 2

• 2009: Crood Awakening

• Amazon.com: John Cleese Merchandise and DVDs

• eBay: John Cleese Merchandise

• CafePress.com: John Cleese Merchandise

• AllPosters.com: John Cleese Posters

• Deep Discount: John Cleese DVDs

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