Portrait of Adrian Edmondson

Adrian Edmondson

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).

Born: January 24, 1957

Place of Birth: Bradford, Yorkshire, England, UK

Filmography

2025
Alien: Earth

as Atom Eins

2024
Bottom: Exposed

as Himself

2024
3 Body Problem

as Denys Porlock

2023
2022
A Spy Among Friends

as Sir Roger Hollis

2022
The Best Birthday Ever

as Granny (voice)

2021
The Trick

as Edward Acton

2021
The Pact

as Richard

2020
King Rocker

as Self (archive footage)

2020
2019
2019
The Rizen: Possession

as The Interviewer

2019
Cheat

as William Vaughan

2018
Celebrity Catchphrase

as Self - Contestant

2018
Save Me

as Gideon Charles

2017
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

as Captain Peavey

2017
Bancroft

as Superintendent Cliff Walker

2017
Richard Osman's House of Games

as Self - Contestant

2017
Interlude In Prague

as Herr Luptak

2017
The Rizen

as Interviewer

2017
Genius

as David Hilbert

2017
Urban Myths

as Leslie Conn

2016
One of Us

as Peter Elliot

2016
Upstart Crow

as Dogberry

2016
War and Peace

as Ilya Rostov

2015
2014
Ronja, the Robber's Daughter

as Noodle Pete (voice, English version)

2014
Prey

as DCI Warner

2012
2012
Blood

as Tom Tiernan

2012
Britain Beware!

as Self (Presenter)

2012
The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff

as Headmaster Wackville

2012
2011
Death in Paradise

as Charles Crabtree

2009
Let's Dance for Comic Relief

as Self - Contestant

2008
Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments

as Baron von Richthoven/Self

2008
Miss Austen Regrets

as Henry Austen

2008
2007
The Making of 'The Young Ones'

as Self (Archived Footage)

2006
The One Show

as Self - Guest

2006
Great British Menu

as Self - Guest Judge

2005
Twisted Tales

as Ed Barnes

2004
Bottom Mindless Violence

as Vyvyan / Eddie Catflap / Sir Adrian Dangerous / Dreamy Time Escort / Eddie Hitler / Eddie Ndingombaba (archive footage)

2000
1999
Guest House Paradiso

as Eddie Elizabeth Ndingombaba

1999
Holby City

as Percy "Abra" Durant

1997
Jonathan Creek

as Brendan Baxter

1997
Midsomer Murders

as Hugo Welles

1994
Ready, Steady, Cook

as Self - Guest

1993
1993
Demonella

as Sid Vicious

1993
1993
Space Virgins from Planet Sex

as 'K' / Air Traffic Controller

1992
1992
Red Nose of Courage

as John Major/Coco the Clown

1991
Bottom

as Edward Elizabeth Hitler

1991
The Pope Must Die

as Father Rookie

1990
News Hounds

as Phil Burke

1990
Les Dogs

as Best Man

1990
Oxford

as 2nd MI5 Man / Fan

1989
Snakes and Ladders

as Giles Tewkesbury

1989
Press Gang

as Simon Knowles

1989
1988
1988
The Yob

as Michael

1988
Mr Jolly Lives Next Door

as Dreamy Time Escort

1988
More Bad News

as Vim Fuego

1988
The Strike

as Adrian/Slim/Policeman

1987
Eat the Rich

as Charles

1987
1987
1987
Filthy Rich & Catflap

as Edward Catflap

1987
Filthy Rich & Catflap

as Edward Catflap

1986
1986
The Dangerous Brothers

as Sir Adrian Dangerous

1985
The Supergrass

as Dennis Carter

1985
Happy Families

as Guy Fuddle

1984
Slags

as Ace

1984
Eddie Monsoon - a Life?

as Eddie Moonson

1984
1984
Susie

as Martin

1984
1983
Natural World

as Narrator

1983
Blackadder

as Baron von Richtoven

1983
1983
Bad News

as Vim Fuego/Alan Metcalfe

1983
1983
War

as Various Roles

1983
1982
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...

as Mike/Hatchett/Julio/Bolsen/Man in Cage/Jenkins/Zarkoff

1982
1982
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...

as Adrian/Slim/Policeman

1982
The Comic Strip Presents...

as Dreamy Time Escort

1982
The Comic Strip Presents...

as Billy/Prince/Giles Cricket Bat Portland

1982
The Comic Strip Presents...

as 2nd MI5 Man/Fan

----
Ade at Sea

as Self