Rowan Atkinson is an English comedian, actor and writer. He is famous around the world for his character Mr.

Bean.
He was listed in the top 50 funniest people ever by a group of comedians. Atkinson shot to fame in Britain in the
late 1970s. Throughout the 1980s he starred in one of Britain’s most successful comedies, Black Adder. Mr. Bean
brought him worldwide fame and acclaim.

Atkinson was born in the north of England in 1955. He went to very good schools and graduated with a Bachelor’s
degree in electrical engineering. While studying for a Master’s degree at Oxford University he fell in love with acting
and comedy and joined an amateur theatre company. He took his comedy sketches to the Edinburgh Festival in
1976 and performed on the street.

After university, Atkinson got a lucky break and made a one-off comedy show for a British TV company. He quickly
went on to appear in the hit comedy show ‘Not the Nine O'clock News’. This made him one of Britain’s most
popular comedians. From 1993, he starred in the incredibly successful Black Adder series, which he also co-wrote.

Mr. Bean came along on New Years Day, 1990. It was originally just a one-off show. The character was a hit and
Atkinson made more episodes throughout the 1990s. It was eventually made into a movie which made Atkinson an
international star. His visual comedy style has earned him the nickname "the man with the rubber face".

In January 2014, ITV announced a new animated series featuring Mr. Bean with Rowan Atkinson
returning to the role. It was expected to be released online as a Web-series later in 2014, as a television
broadcast followed shortly after. In October 2014, Atkinson also appeared as Mr. Bean in a TV advert for
Snickers. In 2015, he starred alongside Ben Miller and Rebecca Front in a sketch for BBC Red Nose Day
in which Mr. Bean attends a funeral. In 2017, he appeared as Mr.Bean in the Chinese film Huan Le Xi Ju.

A. Fill in the chart with the right information from the text. (3 pts)
1955 ……
1976
1990
2014
2015
2017
B. Are these statements true or false? Justify. (3 pts)
1. Rowan Atkinson was listed in the top 50 funniest people of all time by the BBC1 television.(…………………..)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2. Rowan Atkinson graduated from Oxford University in acting .(………………..)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. The character of Mr. Bean was first created at the Edinburgh Festival in 1976.(……………………..)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
C. Answer these questions. (3 pts)
1. Which television programme made Rowan Atkinson Known worldwide?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
2. When did Rowan Atkinson become interested in comedy?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. Why was Mr.Bean nicknamed the man with the rubber face ?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
D. What do the words in bold in the text refer to :(3 pts)?
1. Him: ……………………………………… 2.This: ………………………………………3. The character: ………………………………………..
E. Find in the text words that mean almost the same as: (3 pts)
1. Stardom (paragraph 1): ……………………………………………………………………..
2. Short humorous scenes (paragraph 2): ……………………………………………………………
3. Appeared(paragraph4):………………………………………………………………………………………..
F.

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