Actor
· Acting
Adrian Edmondson
Born 1957-01-24
📍 Bradford, Yorkshire, England, UK
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).
Filmography 171
Sam & Ade Go Birding
2026
Alien: Earth
as Atom Eins
2025
Bergerac
as Nigel
2025
Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story
as Phil
2024
Bottom: Exposed
as Himself
2024
3 Body Problem
as Denys Porlock
2024
imagine... French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter
as Self
2023
Toad & Friends
as Toad
2023
A Spy Among Friends
as Sir Roger Hollis
2022
The Best Birthday Ever
as Granny (voice)
2022
The Trick
as Edward Acton
2021
The Pact
as Richard
2021
Letters Live from the Archive: Union Chapel
as Self
2021
King Rocker
as Self (archive footage)
2020
Out of Her Mind
as Lewis
2020
Between the Covers
as Self
2020
Completely Bad News
as Vim Fuego
2019
The Rizen: Possession
as The Interviewer
2019
Back to Life
as John Boback
2019
Cheat
as William Vaughan
2019
Celebrity Catchphrase
as Self - Contestant
2018
How The Young Ones Changed Comedy
2018
Save Me
as Gideon Charles
2018
RSC Live: Twelfth Night
as Malvolio
2018
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
2017
One of Us
as Peter Elliot
2016
Upstart Crow
as Dogberry
2016
War and Peace
as Ilya Rostov
2016
Rocky Horror Show Live
as Narrator
2015
Ronja, the Robber's Daughter
as Noodle Pete (voice, English version)
2014
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled
as Self
2014
Prey
as DCI Warner
2014
Catchphrase
2013
Gadget Man
2012
Five Go to Rehab
as Dick
2012
Blood
as Tom Tiernan
2012
Britain Beware!
as Self (Presenter)
2012
The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff
as Headmaster Wackville
2012
The Great Sport Relief Bake Off
as Self - Contestant
2012
Ade in Britain
2011
Death in Paradise
as Charles Crabtree
2011
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
as Self - Contestant
2009
Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments
as Self - Baron von Richthoven (archive footage) (uncredited)
2008
Rocky Horror Tribute Show
as Brad
2008
Teenage Kicks
2008
Miss Austen Regrets
as Henry Austen
2008
The Dangerous Brothers - Dangervision
as Sir Adrian Dangerous
2008
If It Ain't Stiff: The Stiff Records Story
as Self (Narrator)
2007
The Making of 'The Young Ones'
as Self (Archived Footage)
2007
Would I Lie to You?
as Self
2007
Britain's Got More Talent
as Self
2007
The Graham Norton Show
as Self
2007
The One Show
as Self - Guest
2006
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - 40th Anniversary Celebration
as Self
2006
Great British Menu
as Self - Guest Judge
2006
Surviving Disaster
2006
The Comic Strip - A Retrospective
as Self
2005
Twisted Tales
as Ed Barnes
2005
Bottom Mindless Violence
as Vyvyan / Eddie Catflap / Sir Adrian Dangerous / Dreamy Time Escort / Eddie Hitler / Eddie Ndingombaba (archive footage)
2004
Celebrity Mastermind
2003
Bottom Live 2003: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour
as Edward Hitler
2003
Spine Chillers
2003
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy
2003
The Best of French & Saunders
as Various
2002
Bottom Live 2001: An Arse Oddity
as Eddie
2001
Four Men in a Plane
as Ian Crisp
2000
Guest House Paradiso
as Eddie Elizabeth Ndingombaba
1999
The Making of 'Guest House Paradiso'
as Self
1999
Big Bottom Live - The Best of Bottom Live
1999
Holby City
as Percy "Abra" Durant
1999
Jack and the Beanstalk: The ITV Pantomime
as Dame Dolly
1998
Four Men in a Car
as Ian
1998
Bottom Live 3: Hooligan's Island
as Eddie Hitler
1997
Captain Star
1997
Jonathan Creek
as Brendan Baxter
1997
Midsomer Murders
as Hugo Welles
1997
Bottom Fluff
1996
Bottom Live 2: The Big Number 2 Tour
as Eddie
1995
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Treasure of the Peacock's Eye
as Zyke
1995
French and Saunders' Christmas Carol
as Tim Goodchance
1994
Ready, Steady, Cook
as Self - Guest
1994
If You See God, Tell Him
as Gordon Spry
1993
Bottom Live: The Stage Show
as Eddie
1993
Demonella
as Sid Vicious
1993
Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase
as Gregory Dawson
1993
Space Virgins from Planet Sex
as 'K' / Air Traffic Controller
1993
Absolutely Fabulous
as Hamish
1992
Holy - Bottom: Christmas Special
as Edward Elizabeth Hitler
1992
Red Nose of Courage
as John Major/Coco the Clown
1992
Bottom
as Edward Elizabeth Hitler
1991
The Pope Must Die
as Father Rookie
1991
Rita Rudner
1990
News Hounds
as Phil Burke
1990
Les Dogs
as Best Man
1990
Oxford
as 2nd MI5 Man / Fan
1990
South Atlantic Raiders: Part 1
as Billy
1990
South Atlantic Raiders: Part 2 Argie Bargie!
as Billy
1990
GLC: The Carnage Continues
as Billy/Prince Charles/Giles Cricket Bat Portland
1990
Snakes and Ladders
as Giles Tewkesbury
1989
Press Gang
as Simon Knowles
1989
The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball
as Self
1989
Just Like That!
as Self
1989
An Audience With Victoria Wood
as Self
1988
This Morning
as Self
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
1988
Eat the Rich
as Charles
1987
Going Live!
as Self
1987
French & Saunders
as John
1987
Hardwicke House
as Tiny
1987
Filthy Rich & Catflap
as Edward Catflap
1987
Filthy Rich & Catflap
as Edward Catflap
1987
The Comic Relief Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live
as Self
1986
Saturday Live
1986
Private Enterprise
as Brian
1986
Dangerous Brothers Present: World of Danger
as Sir Adrian Dangerous
1986
Consuela (or, The New Mrs Saunders)
as John
1986
The Dangerous Brothers
as Sir Adrian Dangerous
1986
The Supergrass
as Dennis Carter
1985
Happy Families
as Guy Fuddle / Grandpa Harold Fuddle
1985
Happy Families
as Guy Fuddle
1985
Slags
as Ace
1984
Eddie Monsoon - a Life?
as Eddie Moonson
1984
Gino: Full Story and Pics
as Gordon/Bill
1984
A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques
as Billy
1984
Susie
as Martin
1984
Dirty Movie
as Bean
1984
Five Go Mad on Mescalin
as Dick
1983
Natural World
as Narrator
1983
Blackadder
as Baron von Richtoven
1983
Summer School
as Peter
1983
Bad News
as Vim Fuego/Alan Metcalfe
1983
The Beat Generation
as Desmond
1983
War
as Various Roles
1983
Dead on Time
as Fool
1983
The Young Ones
as Vyvyan
1982
Five Go Mad in Dorset
as Dick
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Dick
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Eddie Monsoon
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Mike/Hatchett/Julio/Bolsen/Man in Cage/Jenkins/Zarkoff
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Desmond
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Gordon/Bill
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as John
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Peter
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Martin
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Billy
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Vim Fuego
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Ace
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Bean
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Dreamy Time Escort
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Brian
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Adrian/Slim/Policeman
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Michael
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Billy/Prince/Giles Cricket Bat Portland
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as 2nd MI5 Man/Fan
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
as Bestman
1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
1982
Kevin Turvey: The Man Behind the Green Door
as Keith Marshall
1982
The Comic Strip
1981
Boom Boom... Out Go the Lights
1980
An Audience with...
as Self
1978
The Secret Policeman's Ball
as Self
1976
Ade at Sea
as Self