Adrian Edmondson
Born: 1957-01-24 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, UK
Known For: Acting
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).
Filmography
2025
- Alien: Earth as Atom Eins
- Alien: Earth - On Set Dispatches as Self
2024
- 3 Body Problem as Denys Porlock
- Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story as Phil
- Bottom: Exposed as Himself
2023
- imagine... French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter as Self
- Toad & Friends as Toad
2022
- A Spy Among Friends as Sir Roger Hollis
- The Best Birthday Ever as Granny (voice)
2021
- The Trick as Edward Acton
- The Pact as Richard
- Letters Live from the Archive: Union Chapel as Self
2020
- Between the Covers as Self
- Out of Her Mind as Lewis
- King Rocker as Self (archive footage)
2019
- The Rizen: Possession as The Interviewer
- Cheat as William Vaughan
- Completely Bad News as Vim Fuego
2018
- Celebrity Catchphrase as Self - Contestant
- How The Young Ones Changed Comedy
- Save Me as Gideon Charles
- RSC Live: Twelfth Night as Malvolio
2017
- Genius as David Hilbert
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi as Captain Peavey
- Richard Osman's House of Games as Self - Contestant
- The Rizen as Interviewer
- Urban Myths as Leslie Conn
- Interlude In Prague as Herr Luptak
- Bancroft as Superintendent Cliff Walker
2016
- War and Peace as Ilya Rostov
- Upstart Crow as Dogberry
- One of Us as Peter Elliot
2015
- Rocky Horror Show Live as Narrator
2014
- Ronja, the Robber's Daughter as Noodle Pete (voice, English version)
- Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled as Self
- Prey as DCI Warner
2013
2012
- Blood as Tom Tiernan
- Gadget Man
- The Great Sport Relief Bake Off as Self - Contestant
- The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff as Headmaster Wackville
- Five Go to Rehab as Dick
- Britain Beware! as Self (Presenter)
2011
- Death in Paradise as Charles Crabtree
- Ade in Britain
2010
2009
- Let's Dance for Comic Relief as Self - Contestant
2008
- Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments as Baron von Richthoven/Self
- Miss Austen Regrets as Henry Austen
- Rocky Horror Tribute Show as Brad
- Teenage Kicks
- The Dangerous Brothers - Dangervision as Sir Adrian Dangerous
2007
- The Graham Norton Show as Self
- Would I Lie to You? as Self
- The Alan Titchmarsh Show as Self
- Britain's Got More Talent as Self
- If It Ain't Stiff: The Stiff Records Story as Self (Narrator)
- The Making of 'The Young Ones' as Self (Archived Footage)
2006
- The One Show as Self - Guest
- Great British Menu as Self - Guest Judge
- School's Out as Self
- Surviving Disaster
- Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - 40th Anniversary Celebration as Self
2005
- Twisted Tales as Ed Barnes
- The Comic Strip - A Retrospective as Self
2004
- Doctors and Nurses as Dr. Roy Glover
- Bottom Mindless Violence as Vyvyan / Eddie Catflap / Sir Adrian Dangerous / Dreamy Time Escort / Eddie Hitler / Eddie Ndingombaba (archive footage)
2003
2002
- The Best of French & Saunders as Various
2001
- Bottom Live 2001: An Arse Oddity as Eddie
2000
- Mirrorball ... (Director)
- Four Men in a Plane as Ian Crisp
1999
- Holby City as Percy "Abra" Durant
- Guest House Paradiso as Eddie Elizabeth Ndingombaba
- The Making of 'Guest House Paradiso' as Self
- The Man as Ash
- Big Bottom Live - The Best of Bottom Live
1998
- Jack and the Beanstalk: The ITV Pantomime as Dame Dolly
- Four Men in a Car as Ian
1997
- Midsomer Murders as Hugo Welles
- Jonathan Creek as Brendan Baxter
- Captain Star
- Bottom Live 3: Hooligan's Island as Eddie Hitler
1996
1995
- Young Indiana Jones and the Treasure of the Peacock's Eye as Zyke
- Look at the State We're In! as Dewhurst
- Bottom Live 2: The Big Number 2 Tour as Eddie
1994
- Ready, Steady, Cook as Self - Guest
1993
- Demonella as Sid Vicious
- Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase as Gregory Dawson
- If You See God, Tell Him as Gordon Spry
- Space Virgins from Planet Sex as 'K' / Air Traffic Controller
- Bottom Live: The Stage Show as Eddie
1992
- Absolutely Fabulous as Hamish
- Red Nose of Courage as John Major/Coco the Clown
1991
- Pebble Mill as Self
- Bottom as Edward Elizabeth Hitler
- The Pope Must Die as Father Rookie
1990
- Les Dogs as Best Man
- Oxford as 2nd MI5 Man / Fan
- South Atlantic Raiders: Part 2 Argie Bargie! as Billy
- GLC: The Carnage Continues as Billy/Prince Charles/Giles Cricket Bat Portland
- South Atlantic Raiders: Part 1 as Billy
- Rita Rudner
- News Hounds as Phil Burke
- French & Saunders LIVE ... (Director)
1989
- Press Gang as Simon Knowles
- The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball as Self
- Snakes and Ladders as Giles Tewkesbury
- Just Like That! as Self
1988
- The Strike as Adrian/Slim/Policeman
- The Yob as Michael
- An Audience With Victoria Wood as Self
- More Bad News as Vim Fuego
- Mr Jolly Lives Next Door as Dreamy Time Escort
- This Morning as Self
1987
- Going Live! as Self
- French & Saunders as John
- Eat the Rich as Charles
- Filthy Rich & Catflap as Edward Catflap
- Hardwicke House as Tiny
- Filthy Rich & Catflap as Edward Catflap
1986
- Honest Decent & True as Alun Pickersgill
- Saturday Live
- Consuela (or, The New Mrs Saunders) as John
- The Comic Relief Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live as Self
- The Dangerous Brothers as Sir Adrian Dangerous
- Dangerous Brothers Present: World of Danger as Sir Adrian Dangerous
- Private Enterprise as Brian
1985
- The Supergrass as Dennis Carter
- Happy Families as Guy Fuddle
1984
- Slags as Ace
- Susie as Martin
- Dirty Movie as Bean
- Gino: Full Story and Pics as Gordon/Bill
- A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques as Billy
- Eddie Monsoon - a Life? as Eddie Moonson
1983
- Natural World as Narrator
- Blackadder as Baron von Richtoven
- Summer School as Peter
- Dead on Time as Fool
- The Beat Generation as Desmond
- Five Go Mad on Mescalin as Dick
- Bad News as Vim Fuego/Alan Metcalfe
- War as Various Roles
1982
- The Comic Strip Presents... as Dick
- The Young Ones as Vyvyan
- Kevin Turvey: The Man Behind the Green Door as Keith Marshall
- Five Go Mad in Dorset as Dick
1981
1978
- An Audience with... as Self
1976
- The Secret Policeman's Ball as Self