Adrian Edmondson

Born: January 24 1967
Where: Bradford, Yorkshire, UK

The veteran TV comic has made several forays onto the big screen as part of the Comic Strip comedy team.

Appearances have included the comedies Guest House Paradiso, The Pope Must Die and The Supergrass.

As a youngster he lived with his father, who taught abroad for the armed forces in places ranging from Cyprus to Uganda, and at the age of 12, went to Pocklington public school.

During his drama studies at Manchester University he met Rik Mayall, and the pair were apparently so confident of their imminent success they'd parade around chanting: "We're going to be stars!".

They formed the partnership Twentieth Century Coyote and in 1977 Edmondson took a one-man show to the National Student Drama Festival while TCC appeared at the Edinburgh Festival to critical acclaim.

Following appearances at London's Comedy Store, he co-founded The Comic Strip who went on land a series on Channel 4.

Edmondson was also successful with the character of Vyvyan in TV's The Young Ones alongside Mayall and Nigel Planer.

He made his big screen debut in 1985 in The Comic Strip's first-time feature The Supergrass as the hapless Dennis Carter.

However, his film career would always play second fiddle to his TV work, which includes Bottom, Blackadder Goes Fourth, Jonathan Creek and Holby City.

In 1987, he starred alongside Angela Bowie and Kathy Burke in Comic Strip director Peter Richardson's action comedy Eat The Rich.

His next big screen role was Father Rookie alongside Robbie Coltrane in another Richardson offering - The Pope Must Die in 1991.

Edmondson made his big screen directorial debut in the 1999 black comedy Guest House Pradiso, in which he starred alongside his old sparring partner Rik Mayall.

Recent work includes voicing the black cartoon comedy Terkel in Trouble.