Q
(John Cleese)
Character
John Cleese
takes over the title of Q ,although the character is different to that of Desmond
Llewelyn's Major Boothroyd.
The new Q shares some personal traits of his
predecessor ("I never joke about my work"), although the relationship
with Bond is different. Whereas the previous Q got to like Bond over the years,
Cleese's Q openly shows disdain for Bond's activities and his careless use of
the department's equipment.
In "Die Another Day", Q is based in
a secret underground tube station laboratory ("so this is where you hide
out these days"), where he leads a somewhat hermit-like existence.
Biography
John
Cleese takes over the role of gadgetmeister Q after Desmond Llewelyn sadly died
in December 1999. Cleese is perhaps best known for his seminal comic work on British
television, starting with The Frost Report in 1966 before going on to co-create
Monty Python's Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers. In addition to the hit TV series,
the Monty Python group also produced four hugely successful feature films: And
Now For Something Completely Different, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Life
of Brian and The Meaning of Life.
Cleese's other film credits include The
Great Muppet Caper, Time Bandits, Silverado, Clockwise, Erik the Viking, Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein, The Jungle Book, The Wind in the Willows, and The Out
of Towners.
In 1988, Cleese starred in and co-wrote the enormous commercial
hit A Fish Called Wanda, which received Academy Award, BAFTA and Writers Guild
of America nominations for Best Screenplay as well as the Italian Oscar for Best
Screenplay and a BAFTA award for Best Actor for Cleese. He also wrote, produced
and starred in Fierce Creatures.
His other television and movie writing,
directing and acting credits include producing and directing four Secret Policeman's
Ball concerts for Amnesty International, playing "Petruchio" in "The Taming of
the Shrew" for the BGC Shakespeare Series, an Emmy Award for a guest appearance
on Cheers, and a guest appearance last season on the popular American TV series
Third Rock From the Sun.