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‘Mr Bean’ Rowan Atkinson’s Biography And Net Worth

Rowan Atkinson is an actor, screenwriter, and comedian who is best known for his character, “Mr Bean”.

Lifestyle Nigeria reports that the accomplished theatre actor has appeared in a range of different roles that showcase his comedic range and skills.

Early Life

Atkinson was born in Consett, County Durham, England, on 6 January 1955. The youngest of four boys, his parents were Eric Atkinson, a farmer and company director, and Ella May (née Bainbridge), who married on 29 June 1945. His three older brothers are Paul, who died as an infant; Rodney, a Eurosceptic economist who narrowly lost the UK Independence Party leadership election in 2000; and Rupert.

Atkinson was brought up Anglican and was educated at the Durham Chorister School, a preparatory school, and then at St Bees School. Rodney, Rowan and their older brother Rupert were brought up in Consett and went to school with the future Prime Minister, Tony Blair, at Durham Choristers. After receiving top grades in science A levels, he secured a place at Newcastle University, where he received a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. In 1975, he continued for the degree of MSc in Electrical Engineering at The Queen’s College, Oxford, the same college where his father matriculated in 1935, and which made Atkinson an Honorary Fellow in 2006. His MSc thesis, published in 1978, considered the application of self-tuning control.

Atkinson briefly embarked on doctoral work before devoting his full attention to acting. First winning national attention in The Oxford Revue at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 1976, he had already written and performed sketches for shows in Oxford by the Etceteras – the revue group of the Experimental Theatre Club (ETC) – and for the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS), meeting writer Richard Curtis, and composer Howard Goodall, with whom he would continue to collaborate during his career.

Career
Some of Rowan Atkinson’s first work was in the world of radio. In 1979, he performed a radio show called The Atkinson People. This one-man show had Rowan interviewing various people, although he was actually interviewing himself and exhibiting his impressive voice-acting skills. During this time, he also appeared for the first time on television with Canned Laughter. He then went on to host the mock news show, Not the Nine O’Clock News. He also established himself in the theatre world with a production of The Secret Policeman’s Ball alongside members of Monty Python.

1983 was a major year in Atkinson’s career. He booked the lead role in one of his most iconic projects: a TV show called Black Adder. That year, he also made his film debut with Never Say Never Again, an “unofficial” James Bond movie. He then went on to make another film appearance in the short film Dead on Time. In 1984, Atkinson continued with his theatre career and performed The Nerd alongside Christian Bale, who was ten years old at the time.

Black Adder’s second season took several years to take shape, primarily because of budget concerns. However, the second season finally debuted in 1986. This became Atkinson’s primary focus over the next few years, as Black Adder II became Black Adder the Third in 1987, and finally, Black Adder Goes Forth in 1989. This series proved to be one of the most popular British comedies of all time. Towards the end of Black Adder’s final season, Atkinson appeared in the film The Tall Guy.

1990 represented another major step forward for Atkinson, as this was the year that the iconic character of Mr Bean was first introduced to audiences during a TV special. From that point onward, Mr. Bean was a regular television broadcast until 1995, after which Atkinson started to create movies centred around the character. In 1990, Rowan Atkinson made another film appearance with The Witches. He then went on to star in the parody film Hot Shots! Part Deux.

1994 saw Rowan Atkinson establish a firmer foothold in the film industry with two major roles. The first was in Four Weddings and a Funeral, in which he played a hilarious vicar. The second was in Disney’s Lion King, in which he voiced the character of Zazu. He also sang “I Can’t Wait To Be King” in Disney’s iconic film.

Atkinson returned to television in 1995 with a recurring role on the sitcom The Thin Blue Line. He continued to appear on the show until 1996. By 1997, Atkinson was ready to release his first Mr. Bean movie. Bean was a box office hit, generating over $250 million on an $18 million budget. Things were relatively slow for Rowan Atkinson over the next few years, until he appeared in the 2001 film Rat Race. Next year, he appeared in Scooby-Doo and also launched an animated Mr Bean series that ran until 2019. In 2003, he continued his run of movie roles with Love Actually. 2003 also marked the beginning of the Johnny English film series. The film series involved Atkinson parodying the character of James Bond. After the first film, there was Johnny English Strikes Back and Johnny English Strikes Again. Each film generally grossed around $160 million, with cumulative earnings of almost $480 million for all three films. In 2005, he returned to film roles once again with the crime comedy Keeping Mum.

In 2007, Rowan Atkinson released his second Mr Bean movie, Mr Bean’s Holiday. Like the first film in the series, it was very successful at the box office with earnings of over $232 million on a relatively small budget. In 2009, Atkinson returned to the world of theatre with a production of Oliver! A further theatre role came in 2013 with Quarantine’s Terms. From 2016 to 2017, Atkinson appeared in a short, four-part series called Maigret.

In addition, Rowan Atkinson has made guest appearances on a range of TV shows. These shows include Late Night With Conan O’Brien, Doctor Who, and Horrible Histories. He also appeared in a range of commercials with brands such as M&Ms, Snickers, and Nissan.

Personal Life
In 1990, Rowan Atkinson married Sunetra Sastry. They later had two children together before divorcing in 2015. That year, Atkinson began a relationship with fellow comedian Louise Ford. In 2017, they had a child together.

Cars
Atkinson is passionate about cars and has participated in many races over the years. His collection features a Honda NSX, Jaguar Mk7, Aston Martin DB2, vintage Ford Falcon, 1939 BMW 328, and Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe. Not only does he have a super collection of luxury cars, but he also knows how to drive them. Atkinson recorded the 2nd fastest time ever documented on the track at Top Gear in his F1.

In 1997 Rowan paid $1 million for a brand new factory-fresh McLaren F1. He crashed the car TWICE, once in 1999 and again in 2011. The repair bill for the 2011 crash came to $1.4 million. As a result, his insurance payment on this one car was bumped to $100,000 per year. That’s $8300 a month just to drive/own this one car. Rowan listed the car for sale in 2015 for $15 million. He ended up selling it for $12 million.

Net Worth

Atkinson ‘Mr Bean’ has a net worth of $150 million.

Related Topics:Atkinsons Bean Biography Net Rowan worth

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FAKE NEWS ALERT: Herbert Wigwe’s Father Did Not Slump

Sources have confirmed that Herbert Wigwe’s father, Pastor Shyngle Wigwe, did not slump during the funeral of his late son.

Some sections of the media, not Lifestyle Nigeria had published that the father of the late Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, collapsed during his son’s funeral service at Isiokpo in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers state.

The sections of the media reported that Pastor Shyngle Wigwe, who is in his 80s, was slumped following the shock of his billionaire son, Wigwe; daughter-in-law, Chizoba, and grandson, Chizzy. They died in a helicopter crash in the US on Saturday, March 9.

However, a credible police source who spoke to VANGUARD dismissed the wild news outrightly, saying that Wigwe’s father was “Hale and hearty”.

The source added, “Even the Senate President (Godswill Akpabio) met and prayed for him.

“The story of Pa Wigwe’s collapse is totally false. We should allow the family to mourn its dead and not add to the pain by writing false stories.”

The remains of the deceased have been interred at a private cemetery within the Wigwe University premises in Isiokpo.

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Group Launches Fact-Checking Platform To Counter Fake News

Lifestyle Nigeria gathered that a group concerned with socioeconomic development in Africa has launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered fact-checking platform to counter the spread of misinformation and disinformation on the continent.

Speaking at the unveiling of the AI-powered platform, named, ‘MyAIFactChecker’ on Monday in Ilorin, the Global Director of a Nigeria-based non-profit organization, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), Abideen Olasupo, said that FactCheck Africa, an initiative of the BBYDI, was launched in 2022 as an independent, non-partisan and non-profit fact-checking platform for Africans.

“MyAIFactChecker was a product of months of dedicated effort and research, with support from BECERA and the US State Department, noting that the initiative would revolutionise how Africans verify news and other online information.

“MyAIFactChecker is a demonstration of our organization’s unwavering commitment to combating the scourge of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news, thereby safeguarding the integrity of information. This platform leverages cutting-edge AI technology, is user-friendly, and allows you to verify the authenticity of news, social media posts, and other online content quickly and conveniently.”

Olasupo also said that the innovative platform would provide users with a range of functionalities, including a chatbot interface, feedback mechanism, and voice search capability that is available in English, Swahili, French, Arabic, and several popular local languages in Nigeria.

According to him, the launch of MyAIFactChecker comes at a critical time, as the proliferation of disinformation and harmful content continues to pose significant threats to the integrity of elections, democracy, public health, and stability in African nations.

The BBDYI global director, who said the impact of fake news and disinformation on elections could not be waved, expressed optimism that his organisation’s newly introduced AI fact-checking would help combat the spread of disinformation in African nations preparing to hold elections this year.

“It is worthy to note that 2024 is a year of elections in Africa as about 24 countries on the continent will hold elections this year.

During electioneering periods, there is always a proliferation of fake news, and its attendant consequences could negatively impact the electoral process.

With the launch of MyAIFactChecker, we are poised to curb the spread of misinformation and disinformation before, during, and after elections in these affected countries.

“We believe that access to accurate information is a fundamental right, and we are dedicated to empowering individuals with the tools to discern truth from falsehood in this digital age. We will continue to promote media literacy and critical thinking across Africa,” he said.

Olasupo, who said that he attended the 2024 United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum held in New York last week, added that he spoke on ‘The ethical use of AI and its implications for education in Africa’, saying that his organisation would continue to push for policies around the ethical use of AI in Nigeria and Africa as a whole to maximise its benefits and mitigate its risks.

He lauded Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, for spearheading the initiative to deliver a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the country, stressing that such endeavour was crucial in positioning Nigeria to effectively leverage AI for national development.

“In recognition of the immense potential of AI in addressing societal challenges, BBYDI will continue to advocate for policies and ethical frameworks to guide the deployment of AI technologies across Africa. It is imperative that we harness the power of AI for the collective good of our society,” he noted.

Earlier in his address, the Head of Programmes at FactCheck Africa, Habeeb Adisa, said the introduction of the innovative AI solution “represents a significant advancement in our stride to fight the dissemination of fake news that continues to undermine societal trust and cause discord among people.

“Our platform is designed to cater for a diverse linguistic landscape across the continent. Users can simply enter a new query, and our platform will provide them with an assessment of the article’s authenticity. It will also let them know if it’s credible, partially credible, or unreliable.”

He also disclosed that FactCheck Africa had launched a 3-month AI Journalism Fellowship for journalists in West Africa. According to him, the fellowship is a comprehensive training programme that will equip selected journalists with the knowledge, skills, and ethical considerations needed to navigate AI in journalism.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of BBYDI, Nura Jimoh, stated that the unveiling of MyAIFactChecker reinforced the commitment of their organisation to leverage tech solutions and digital tools to address societal challenges.

She recalled that BBYDI last year, in collaboration with Christian Aid, organised the first CivicTech Hackathon in Nigeria to address voter apathy and encourage increased citizens’ participation in the electoral process.

“We also launched evit.ng to track and report violence pre and post-election. We also unveiled conflictreport.org to curb the farmer-herders crisis in the northern part of the country.

“Additionally, we introduced KnowCovid19NG with support from the US Embassy to flatten the curve and provide psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years before the 2023 general elections, we launched Yvotenaija.org to promote civic education across grassroots communities and on various social media platforms,” Jimoh remarked.

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How 17-Year-Old Hacker Stuns EFCC Chairman With Impressive IT Skills

Lifestyle Nigeria gathered that the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, narrated an incident where a 17-year-old successfully hacked into his personal computer and bank account while being interrogated at his office in Lagos.

The anti-graft agency chairman made this known in a chat with editors at the EFCC Headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, last Tuesday.

Olukoyede recounted inviting the 17-year-old for questioning at his own office, only to witness the young hacker effortlessly bypass the security measures of his locked computer right before his eyes.

He said, “I brought into my Lagos office a seventeen-year-old boy who is studying History and Anthropology. He is in the 200 level. He is not doing anything science-related. The guy sat in my office in Lagos and demonstrated some things to me on my laptop.

“He asked for my number, I gave him my number and through my number, he got my BVN. He then mentioned the name of my account number to me at the bank. I didn’t tell him anything.”

According to him, the country must take all necessary measures to discourage these young individuals, as their actions could lead to imprisonment or even fatal consequences.

“The problem is, I see crime in that, and I also see opportunities in it. So, if you leave these guys, we don’t make them know that what they are doing is wrong, if you leave them, they will continue to see it as a way of life to make money.”

He mentioned that due to their young ages, the EFCC would administer light sentences to punish youths for the cybercrimes they committed, while also focusing on helping them change their orientation.

“We plead for light sentences so that we can reorientate them and that’s part of what we’re doing. What joy will I derive from sending a 17-year-old boy to jail? You have destroyed his future. You have destroyed his career.

“Sometimes they give them options of fines and all of that conviction, so we bring them in, lecture them and talk to them.”

In a bold demonstration of his skills, the boy confidently informed Olukoyede that he could transfer up to 10 million naira from any account in a single transaction.

He said the 17-year-old boy, when he was done, said, “Look, oga, I can make 10 million now. I will demonstrate it to you. I will move money from your account to mine.

“I said no, don’t do that in my office and he was ready to do that. When he opened my laptop, I didn’t give him the key to my laptop and he had access.

When questioned about his involvement in cybercrime, the boy explained that his parents, who are both farmers, were unable to work on their farm due to security concerns.

“He has two younger ones. One is in JSS2 and the other is in SSS2. He is the one feeding his parents and responsible for the payment of tuition for his younger ones.

“I saw a Bill Gates in that guy.”

Olukoyede, however, assured the boy that he would take responsibility for his schooling if he was able to stop the criminal act.

“I told my family, we are going to do that.

“I spoke to one of my friends who is also ready to help take up the schooling of the SSS 2 guy. So I’m still looking for someone who will take up the one for the JSS 2 sibling.”

This is not the first time the EFCC chairman has revealed the anti-graft agency’s plan to rehabilitate convicted internet fraudsters with reduced sentences.

Addressing a delegation of the National Association of University Students in March 2024, he said “when you think deeply, that tag ‘ex-convict’ is not a good thing. You can never tell where you will find yourself tomorrow, and they will want to profile you and discover that you are an ex-convict.”

“So, it is even in the interest of the youth that the EFCC is doing what it is doing to prevent them from indulging in the heinous act of cybercrime.”