Rowan Atkinson played the character of Mr. Bean for years, and he has a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Initially, he got his undergraduate Electrical Engineering degree from Newcastle University, and then he applied for the master’s degree in The Queen’s College Oxford in 1975. During his degree, Rowan pursued acting in parallel. He joined acting clubs like the Oxford University Dramatic Society, the Oxford Revue, and the Experimental Theatre Club.
Atkinson’s masters were also the time he developed the character of Mr. Bean. The basis of this character was a ‘child in a grown man’s body,’ and it followed the same pattern. The idea had developed from similar brands of physical humor, the comedy portrayed by famous actors Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Jacques Tati.
Atkinson’s career took off with the character of Mr. Bean
Between Atkinson’s two choices, a master’s degree in electrical engineering and development of the character Mr. Bean, the former was meant to fruit him much more than the latter. The electrical engineering job would have taken him to pay off well in a traditional way. But, instead and surprisingly development of Mr. Bean proved to be more profitable than an actual course study.
The TV program based on the character run for five consecutive years, making it a wildly popular TV show throughout the UK. Peak ratings and a total of 19 million viewers Mr. Bean aka Rowan Atkinson, had a profitable and substantial growth over the years. Afterwards, he made two films featuring the personality Mr. Bean, specifically, “Bean” and also “Mr. Bean’s Holliday.” These films combined built half of a billion dollars throughout the world in the theatre, while the cost of production was only $22 million and $25 million, respectively.
More facts about Rowan Atkinson
- Atkinson earned a truck driver’s license and drove it in his early days of acting to support his career and establish himself as an actor. (a truck driver in the UK is called a lorry driver)
- With all his career endeavors, it is estimated that Rowan Atkinson has a net worth of $150 million.
- Atkinson being a major car enthusiast, occasionally wrote for distinct British vehicle publications like Car, Octane, Super Classics, and Evo. He also appeared in a motor vehicle show, Top Gear. He owns several cars, including the very incredible McLaren F1(the McLaren F1 can go from 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds, the vehicle has a top speed of 240 mph).
- A bean-style character has previously appeared on TV in a show called ‘Canned Laughter.’ The character was named’ Robert Box,’ and this earliest known performance is from the year 1979.
- The name of the character Bean was not thought of up until Atkinson had landed the show. Many names were considered like Mr. White, Mr. Carrot, and so on, and finally, they landed on the name Mr. Bean.
