Adrian Edmondson

Actor · Born January 24, 1957 · Bradford, Yorkshire, England, UK

Biography

Adrian Edmondson was born in Bradford, Yorkshire. He went to Manchester University to study drama. Whilst he was there he met Rik Mayall, and the pair began performing as 20th Century Coyote. The act continued after university when Adrian & Rik moved to London, and they became two of the leading lights in the new 'alternative comedy' scene, performing at the newly established Comedy Store, and setting up their own club, The Comic Strip, with 'Peter Richardson', Nigel Planer, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, and Alexei Sayle. This spawned two 1980s TV series: The Young Ones (1982), and The Comic Strip Presents... (1982) In the 1990's Ade & Rik continued their partnership with a new series called Bottom (1991), which ran for three seasons and became a major success on the live circuit. It was basically a live sitcom, liberally sprinkled with slapstick humour, and the pair did 5 long tours between 1993 and 2003. Simultaneously, Adrian established himself as an actor, doing two improvised TV films under the Screen One and Screen Two umbrella, with director Les Blair: Screen Two: Honest, Decent and True (1986), and Screen One: News Hounds (1990) (winner of the BAFTA for best single drama). He was a regular in the hospital drama Holby City (1999) from 2005 - 2008. He took the lead in a drama documentary about the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster in the series Surviving Disaster (2006), and appeared as Henry Austen in the TV movie Miss Austen Regrets (2008), the film Blood (2012), and the drama series Prey (2014). But his most notable dramatic role to date is that of Count Rostov in the BBC series War & Peace (2016).

Acted in 118

2020s

2026
Codes
Head of MI6
Sam & Ade Go Birding
TV
2025
Alien: Earth
Atom Eins · 8 episodes
72
Bergerac
Nigel · 6 episodes
65
2024
Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story
Phil · 4 episodes
3 Body Problem
Denys Porlock · 3 episodes
75
2023
Toad & Friends
Toad · 52 episodes
2022
A Spy Among Friends
Sir Roger Hollis · 6 episodes
70
The Best Birthday Ever
Granny (voice)
2021
The Trick
Edward Acton
The Pact
Richard · 6 episodes
2020
Out of Her Mind
Lewis · 6 episodes

2010s

2019
Completely Bad News
Vim Fuego
The Rizen: Possession
The Interviewer
Back to Life
John Boback · 5 episodes
Cheat
William Vaughan · 4 episodes
2018
How The Young Ones Changed Comedy
Movie
Save Me
Gideon Charles · 1 episode
73
RSC Live: Twelfth Night
Malvolio
2017
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Captain Peavey
76
Bancroft
Superintendent Cliff Walker · 7 episodes
69
Interlude in Prague
Herr Luptak
66
The Rizen
Interviewer
38
Genius
David Hilbert · 1 episode
80
Urban Myths
Leslie Conn · 1 episode
72
2016
One of Us
Peter Elliot · 4 episodes
Upstart Crow
Dogberry · 1 episode
76
War and Peace
Ilya Rostov · 6 episodes
79
2014
Prey
DCI Warner · 3 episodes
71
2013
Catchphrase
TV · 10 Seasons · Family · Reality TV
2012
Gadget Man
TV · 4 Seasons · Documentary
73
Five Go to Rehab
Dick
Blood
Tom Tiernan
55
The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff
Headmaster Wackville · 3 episodes
2011
Ade in Britain
TV
Death in Paradise
Charles Crabtree · 1 episode
77

2000s

2008
Rocky Horror Tribute Show
Brad
Teenage Kicks
TV
Miss Austen Regrets
Henry Austen
67
2006
Surviving Disaster
TV
2005
Twisted Tales
Ed Barnes · 1 episode
2004
Bottom Mindless Violence
Vyvyan / Eddie Catflap / Sir Adrian Dangerous / Dreamy Time Escort / Eddie Hitler / Eddie Ndingombaba (archive footage)
2003
Celebrity Mastermind
TV · 24 Seasons
Bottom Live 2003: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour
Edward Hitler
Spine Chillers
TV
More Great Comedy Moments
Vyvyan Basterd / Eddie Hitler (archive footage)
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy
TV
2002
The Best of French & Saunders
Various
2001
Bottom Live 2001: An Arse Oddity
Eddie
2000
Four Men in a Plane
Ian Crisp