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.