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Who is John Cleese and what is his net worth?

JOHN Cleese is a household name thanks to his career on TV and movies.

The star is best known for being in Fawlty Towers, but who is he?

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John Cleese has lived a life of fame

Who is John Cleese?

John Cleese is an actor, comedian and producer.

Born in Somerset in October 1939, John studied at Cambridge where he perfected his skills as an entertainer.

It's been reported that his family surname was originally Cheese but John's father changed it due to embarrassment when enlisting for the British Army during the First World War.

John Cleese won critical acclaim for his turn as Basil Fawlty in the hit BBC sitcom Fawlty TowersCredit: Alamy

What has John Cleese starred in?

John Cleese is best known for his comedy work in Monty Python and Fawlty Towers.

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He won a Best Entertainment Performance Bafta for his performance as Basil Fawlty in the popular sitcom.

John reunited with surviving members of the Monty Python clan for a sold-out reunion tour in 2014.

He first came to prominence in The Frost Report in the sixties before the start of Monty Python.

The actor also landed roles in several high-profile sequels including Shrek 2, The Pink Panther 2 and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.

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, it is thought John is worth an estimated $20million.

Is John Cleese married?

John married Connie Booth in 1968, three years before they welcomed Cynthia, their only child but they divorced in 1978.

He later became a father for a second time upon the birth of Camilla to second wife Barbara Trentham (1981-1990).

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John has since remarried a further two times, first to Alyce Eichelberger from 1992 until 2008, and now with jewellery designer and fourth wife Jennifer Wade.

How many episodes of Fawlty Towers did John Cleese write?

John co-wrote all twelve episodes of the show with his then wife and co-star Connie Booth.

Despite winning three Baftas in it's time and topping the British Film Institute's list of 100 Greatest British Television Programmes in 2000, the show only ran for two series.

Both seasons contained only six episodes each, which both Cleese and Booth maintained was to preserve the quality of the script.

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Between the first series in 1975 and the second in 1979 the couple's marriage had ended, though they continued to collaborate together on the follow-up season.

What does John Cleese do now?

Although John has had a very long and extensive film career, most recently he has been predominantly lending his voice to animated movies.

For example in 2018's Charming in which he voiced the role of The Fairy Godmother.

That same year he starred in BBC's Hold the Sunset as Phil as well as the ABC sitcom Speechless in which he had a special guest role as Martin, the father of Minnie Driver's character Maya.

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In 2019 he took on the role of Otto Von Walrus in Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad.

In April 2022, he was cast in Roman Polanski's drama film The Palace.

In October, it was announced that Cleese will present a news show on GB News in 2023, alongside Andrew Doyle.

He said he wanted to promote "proper argument"

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It has also been confirmed that Fawlty Towers will be making a return.

John will be writing the show alongside his daughter.

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