Rik Mayall

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Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Singles
Noble England
  UK 7th 06/21/2014 (2 weeks)

Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall (born March 7, 1958 in Harlow (Essex) , † June 9, 2014 in London ) was a British comedian, author and actor . He became internationally known for his appearances on the Blackadder series with Rowan Atkinson and the feature film My Bad Friend Fred . In his British homeland he was popularized by the television series The Young Ones and The New Statesman . Together with his partner Ade Edmondson, he was one of the pioneers of alternative British comedy in the early 1980s.

Life

Mayall was the second of four children to John and Gillian Mayall. At the age of three he moved to Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire with his parents who worked as drama teachers , where he spent the remainder of his childhood performing in his parents' plays. After graduating from high school, Mayall went to Victoria University in Manchester to study acting. There he befriended his future partner Adrian (Ade) Edmondson and met Ben Elton and Lise Mayer, with whom he worked on the television series The Young Ones .

Mayall and Edmondson had initial success in 1980 at the Comedy Store , a comedian club in Soho , London. With other rising comedians like Alexei Sayle , Nigel Planer , Peter Richardson , Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders , they founded their own club called The Comic Strip .

1982 to 1984 Mayall directed the successful series The Young Ones for the BBC , in which he played the would-be anarchist Rik. Mayall became well-known through the program Saturday Live , which was based on the American Saturday Night Live . He also gained attention for his portrayal of Flashheart in Blackadder and his role as the windy Tory MP of the Thatcher era in The New Statesman . In 1991 he starred in the movie My Bad Friend Fred with Phoebe Cates .

Mayall died on June 9, 2014 at the age of 56 after a serious heart attack.

The actor had recorded the single Noble England in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup , in which he quoted Henry V from the Shakespeare drama . However, it remained unsuccessful in the charts. His death occurred shortly before the start of the 2014 World Cup , after which an internet campaign was launched to posthumously get the title into the charts. On June 21, the song debuted at number 7 on the UK charts .

Filmography (selection)

  • 1981: Couples and Robbers
  • 1981: American Werewolf
  • 1981: Shock Treatment
  • 1981: The needle (The Eye of the Needle)
  • 1982: The Young Ones
  • 1986: Filthy Rich & Catflap
  • 1986: Blackadder II
  • 1986: Whoops Apocalypse
  • 1987: Mr Jolly Lives Next Door
  • 1987: French & Saunders: The Ingenue Years
  • 1987: Eat the Rich
  • 1987: The New Statesman
  • 1989: Blackadder Goes Forth
  • 1991: My Bad Friend Fred (Drop Dead Fred)
  • 1991: Bottom
  • 1991: Princess Aline and the Groblins (The Princess and the Goblin)
  • 1992: Do It Again, Columbus (Carry On Columbus)
  • 1997: The Canterville Ghost
  • 1997: Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis
  • 1998: Jonathan Creek: Christmas Special
  • 1999: A Monkey's Tale
  • 1999: Guest House Paradiso
  • 1999: Blackadder: Back & Forth
  • 1999: Escape to Watership Down
  • 1999: Journey to Watership Down
  • 1999: Winter on Watership Down
  • 2000: Jesus Christ Superstar: 2000
  • 2000: Merlin : The Return
  • 2001: Chilly Dogs
  • 2001: Kevin of the North
  • 2002: Believe Nothing
  • 2003: Oh Marbella!
  • 2003: Chaos & Cadavers
  • 2004: Churchill: The Hollywood Years
  • 2004: ABBA: Our Last Video Ever
  • 2005: All About George (TV)
  • 2005: Valiant
  • 2008: Inspector Barnaby : Above the Roofs of Chattham ( Midsomer Murders: The Creeper )
  • 2010: Just for the Record
  • 2010: Cutey and the Sofaguard
  • 2012: Errors of the Human Body
  • 2013: Don't Fear Death
  • 2014: One by One
  • 2015: De ontsnapping

swell

  1. ↑ UK chart history
  2. ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27770266
  3. ↑ http://www.nndb.com/people/809/000060629/
  4. ↑ http://www.filmreference.com/film/96/Rik-Mayall.html
  5. ↑ Rik Mayall World Cup single breaks into Top 10 of Official UK Singles Chart , New Musical Express, June 13, 2014

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Mayall, Rik
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mayall, Richard Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British comedian and actor
DATE OF BIRTH March 7, 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH Harlow , Essex, England, UK
DATE OF DEATH June 9, 2014
Place of death London