Acting · Bradford, Yorkshire, England, UK · Born January 24, 1957
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).
MovieRik Mayall: Magnificent B'Stard
2026
as Self
MovieRik Mayall's Sketches: Rare And Unseen
2026
as Self (archive footage)
TVSam & Ade Go Birding
2026
TVAlien: Earth
2025
as Atom Eins
TVBergerac
2025
as Nigel
TVKidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story
2024
as Phil
MovieBottom: Exposed
2024
as Himself
TV3 Body Problem
2024
as Denys Porlock
Movieimagine... French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter
2023
as Self
TVToad & Friends
2023
as Toad
TVA Spy Among Friends
2022
as Sir Roger Hollis
MovieThe Best Birthday Ever
2022
as Granny (voice)
MovieThe Trick
2021
as Edward Acton
TVThe Pact
2021
as Richard
MovieLetters Live from the Archive: Union Chapel
2021
as Self
MovieKing Rocker
2020
as Self (archive footage)
TVOut of Her Mind
2020
as Lewis
TVBetween the Covers
2020
as Self
MovieCompletely Bad News
2019
as Vim Fuego
MovieThe Rizen: Possession
2019
as The Interviewer
TVBack to Life
2019
as John Boback
TVCheat
2019
as William Vaughan
TVCelebrity Catchphrase
2018
as Self - Contestant
MovieHow The Young Ones Changed Comedy
2018
TVSave Me
2018
as Gideon Charles
MovieRSC Live: Twelfth Night
2018
as Malvolio
MovieStar Wars: The Last Jedi
2017
as Captain Peavey
TVBancroft
2017
as Superintendent Cliff Walker
TVRichard Osman's House of Games
2017
as Self - Contestant
MovieInterlude in Prague
2017
as Herr Luptak
MovieThe Rizen
2017
as Interviewer
TVGenius
2017
as David Hilbert
TVUrban Myths
2017
as Leslie Conn
TVOne of Us
2016
as Peter Elliot
TVUpstart Crow
2016
as Dogberry
TVWar and Peace
2016
as Ilya Rostov
MovieRocky Horror Show Live
2015
as Narrator
TVRonja, the Robber's Daughter
2014
as Noodle Pete (voice, English version)
TVAlan Davies: As Yet Untitled
2014
as Self
TVPrey
2014
as DCI Warner
TVAde at Sea
2014
as Self
TVCatchphrase
2013
TVGadget Man
2012
MovieFive Go to Rehab
2012
as Dick
MovieBlood
2012
as Tom Tiernan
MovieBritain Beware!
2012
as Self (Presenter)
TVThe Bleak Old Shop of Stuff
2012
as Headmaster Wackville
TVThe Great Sport Relief Bake Off
2012
as Self - Contestant
TVAde in Britain
2011
TVDeath in Paradise
2011
as Charles Crabtree
Monte Carlo or Bust
2010
TVLet's Dance for Comic Relief
2009
as Self - Contestant
MovieBlackadder's Most Cunning Moments
2008
as Self - Baron von Richthoven (archive footage) (uncredited)
MovieRocky Horror Tribute Show
2008
as Brad
TVTeenage Kicks
2008
MovieMiss Austen Regrets
2008
as Henry Austen
MovieThe Dangerous Brothers - Dangervision
2008
as Sir Adrian Dangerous
MovieIf It Ain't Stiff: The Stiff Records Story
2007
as Self (Narrator)
MovieThe Making of 'The Young Ones'
2007
as Self (Archived Footage)
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
2007
as Self
TVWould I Lie to You?
2007
as Self
TVBritain's Got More Talent
2007
as Self
TVThe Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
TVThe One Show
2006
as Self - Guest
MovieBonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - 40th Anniversary Celebration
2006
as Self
School's Out
2006
as Self
TVGreat British Menu
2006
as Self - Guest Judge
TVSurviving Disaster
2006
MovieThe Comic Strip - A Retrospective
2005
as Self
TVTwisted Tales
2005
as Ed Barnes
MovieBottom Mindless Violence
2004
as Vyvyan / Eddie Catflap / Sir Adrian Dangerous / Dreamy Time Escort / Eddie Hitler / Eddie Ndingombaba (archive footage)
Doctors and Nurses
2004
as Dr. Roy Glover
TVCelebrity Mastermind
2003
MovieBottom Live 2003: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour
2003
as Edward Hitler
TVSpine Chillers
2003
TVComic Relief Does Fame Academy
2003
MovieThe Best of French & Saunders
2002
as Various
MovieBottom Live 2001: An Arse Oddity
2001
as Eddie
MovieFour Men in a Plane
2000
as Ian Crisp
MovieGuest House Paradiso
1999
as Eddie Elizabeth Ndingombaba
MovieThe Making of 'Guest House Paradiso'
1999
as Self
MovieBig Bottom Live - The Best of Bottom Live
1999
The Man
1999
as Ash
TVHolby City
1999
as Percy "Abra" Durant
MovieJack and the Beanstalk: The ITV Pantomime
1998
as Dame Dolly
MovieFour Men in a Car
1998
as Ian
MovieBottom Live 3: Hooligan's Island
1997
as Eddie Hitler
TVCaptain Star
1997
TVJonathan Creek
1997
as Brendan Baxter
TVMidsomer Murders
1997
as Hugo Welles
MovieBottom Fluff
1996
MovieBottom Live 2: The Big Number 2 Tour
1995
as Eddie
Look at the State We're In!
1995
as Dewhurst
MovieThe Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Treasure of the Peacock's Eye
1995
as Zyke
MovieFrench and Saunders' Christmas Carol
1994
as Tim Goodchance
TVReady, Steady, Cook
1994
as Self - Guest
TVIf You See God, Tell Him
1993
as Gordon Spry
MovieBottom Live: The Stage Show
1993
as Eddie
MovieDemonella
1993
as Sid Vicious
MovieGregory: Diary of a Nutcase
1993
as Gregory Dawson
MovieSpace Virgins from Planet Sex
1993
as 'K' / Air Traffic Controller
TVAbsolutely Fabulous
1992
as Hamish
MovieHoly - Bottom: Christmas Special
1992
as Edward Elizabeth Hitler
MovieRed Nose of Courage
1992
as John Major/Coco the Clown
Pebble Mill
1991
as Self
TVBottom
1991
as Edward Elizabeth Hitler
MovieThe Pope Must Die
1991
as Father Rookie
TVRita Rudner
1990
MovieNews Hounds
1990
as Phil Burke
MovieLes Dogs
1990
as Best Man
MovieOxford
1990
as 2nd MI5 Man / Fan
MovieSouth Atlantic Raiders: Part 1
1990
as Billy
MovieSouth Atlantic Raiders: Part 2 Argie Bargie!
1990
as Billy
MovieGLC: The Carnage Continues
1990
as Billy/Prince Charles/Giles Cricket Bat Portland
TVSnakes and Ladders
1989
as Giles Tewkesbury
TVScreen One
1989
as Phil Burke
TVPress Gang
1989
as Simon Knowles
MovieThe Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball
1989
as Self
MovieJust Like That!
1989
as Self
MovieAn Audience With Victoria Wood
1988
as Self
TVThis Morning
1988
as Self
MovieThe Yob
1988
as Michael
MovieMr Jolly Lives Next Door
1988
as Dreamy Time Escort
MovieMore Bad News
1988
as Vim Fuego
MovieThe Strike
1988
as Adrian/Slim/Policeman
MovieEat the Rich
1987
as Charles
TVGoing Live!
1987
as Self
TVFrench & Saunders
1987
as John
TVHardwicke House
1987
as Tiny
MovieFilthy Rich & Catflap
1987
as Edward Catflap
TVFilthy Rich & Catflap
1987
as Edward Catflap
MovieThe Comic Relief Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live
1986
as Self
Honest Decent & True
1986
as Alun Pickersgill
TVSaturday Live
1986
MoviePrivate Enterprise
1986
as Brian
MovieDangerous Brothers Present: World of Danger
1986
as Sir Adrian Dangerous
MovieConsuela (or, The New Mrs Saunders)
1986
as John
TVThe Dangerous Brothers
1986
as Sir Adrian Dangerous
MovieThe Supergrass
1985
as Dennis Carter
MovieHappy Families
1985
as Guy Fuddle / Grandpa Harold Fuddle
TVHappy Families
1985
as Guy Fuddle
TVScreen Two
1985
as Alun Pickersgill
MovieSlags
1984
as Ace
MovieEddie Monsoon - a Life?
1984
as Eddie Moonson
MovieGino: Full Story and Pics
1984
as Gordon/Bill
MovieA Fistful of Travellers' Cheques
1984
as Billy
MovieSusie
1984
as Martin
MovieDirty Movie
1984
as Bean
MovieFive Go Mad on Mescalin
1983
as Dick
TVNatural World
1983
as Narrator
TVBlackadder
1983
as Baron von Richtoven
MovieSummer School
1983
as Peter
MovieBad News
1983
as Vim Fuego/Alan Metcalfe
MovieThe Beat Generation
1983
as Desmond
MovieWar
1983
as Various Roles
MovieDead on Time
1983
as Fool
TVThe Young Ones
1982
as Vyvyan
MovieFive Go Mad in Dorset
1982
as Dick
TVThe Comic Strip Presents...
1982
as Dick
MovieKevin Turvey: The Man Behind the Green Door
1982
as Keith Marshall
MovieThe Comic Strip
1981
TVBoom Boom... Out Go the Lights
1980
TVAn Audience with...
1978
as Self
TVThe Secret Policeman's Ball
1976
as Self
Film '72
1971
as Self
Codes
as Head of MI6
