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).
Series | Alien | 2025 | |
Series | Kidnapped | 2025 | |
Series | A Spy Among Friends | Sir Roger Hollis | 2022-12-08 |
Movie | King Rocker | (archive footage) | 2020-10-31 |
Series | Out of Her Mind | Lewis | 2020-10-20 |
Series | Cheat | William Vaughan | 2019-03-11 |
Movie | The Rizen: Possession | The Interviewer | 2019-05-22 |
Movie | Completely Bad News | Vim Fuego | 2019-11-29 |
Movie | How The Young Ones Changed Comedy | 2018-05-26 | |
Movie | RSC Live: Twelfth Night | Malvolio | 2018-02-14 |
Movie | The Rizen | Interviewer | 2017-05-06 |
Series | Urban Myths | Leslie Conn | 2017-01-19 |
Movie | Interlude In Prague | Herr Luptak | 2017-05-25 |
Series | Bancroft | Superintendent Cliff Walker | 2017-12-11 |
Movie | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Captain Peavey | 2017-12-13 |
Series | War and Peace | Ilya Rostov | 2016-01-03 |
Series | One of Us | Peter Elliot | 2016-08-23 |
Movie | Rocky Horror Show Live | Narrator | 2015-11-17 |
Series | Ronja the Robber's Daughter | Noodle Pete (voice, English version) | 2014-10-11 |
Series | Prey | DCI Warner | 2014-04-28 |
Series | The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff | Headmaster Wackville | 2012-02-20 |
Movie | Blood | Tom Tiernan | 2012-10-09 |
Movie | Five Go to Rehab | Dick | 2012-11-07 |
Series | Ade in Britain | 2011-11-07 | |
Series | Monte Carlo or Bust | 2010-10-28 | |
Series | Let's Dance for Comic Relief | Unknown | 2009-02-21 |
Series | Teenage Kicks | 2008-03-28 | |
Movie | Miss Austen Regrets | Henry Austen | 2008-02-03 |
Movie | Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments | Baron von Richthoven/Self | 2008-10-16 |
Movie | Rocky Horror Tribute Show | Brad | 2008-10-14 |
Movie | If It Ain't Stiff: The Stiff Records Story | Self - Narrator | 2007-12-14 |
Series | The One Show | Unknown | 2006-08-14 |
Series | Surviving Disaster | Unknown | 2006-01-10 |
Movie | The Comic Strip - A Retrospective | Self | 2005-07-04 |
Series | Doctors and Nurses | 2004-01-13 | |
Movie | Bottom Mindless Violence | Eddie | 2004-11-22 |
Movie | Bottom Live 2003: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour | Edward Hitler | 2003-11-24 |
Series | Comic Relief Does Fame Academy | 2003-03-07 | |
Movie | Bottom Live 2001 An Arse Oddity | Eddie | 2001-10-19 |
Movie | The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Treasure of the Peacock's Eye | Zyke | 1999-10-26 |
Movie | The Making of 'Guest House Paradiso' | Himself | 1999-11-15 |
Movie | Guest House Paradiso | Eddie | 1999-12-03 |
Series | Jonathan Creek | Unknown | 1997-05-09 |
Series | Captain Star | 1997-07-08 | |
Movie | Bottom Live 3: Hooligan's Island | Eddie Hitler | 1997-10-27 |
Series | Look at the State We're In! | Dewhurst | 1995-05-20 |
Movie | Bottom Live The Big Number 2 Tour | Eddie | 1995-11-06 |
Series | Anna Lee | Unknown | 1994-02-27 |
Movie | Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase | Gregory Dawson | 1993-05-13 |
Movie | Space Virgins from Planet Sex | 'K' / Air Traffic Controller | 1993-04-29 |
Movie | Demonella | Sid Vicious | 1993-05-20 |
Series | If You See God, Tell Him | Gordon Spry | 1993-11-11 |
Movie | Bottom Live The Stage Show | Eddie | 1993-09-27 |
Series | Absolutely Fabulous | Unknown | 1992-11-12 |
Series | Bottom | Edward Elizabeth Hitler | 1991-09-17 |
Movie | The Pope Must Die | Father Rookie | 1991-06-21 |
Movie | GLC: The Carnage Continues | Billy/Prince Charles/Giles Cricket Bat Portland | 1990-02-05 |
Movie | South Atlantic Raiders: Part 2 Argie Bargie! | Billy | 1990-02-08 |
Movie | News Hounds | Phil Burke | 1990-09-02 |
Movie | Oxford | 2nd MI5 Man / Fan | 1990-02-22 |
Series | Rita Rudner | Unknown | 1990-09-18 |
Movie | Les Dogs | Best Man | 1990-08-03 |
Movie | The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball | Himself | 1989-01-01 |
Series | Happy Families | 1989-08-17 | |
Series | Press Gang | Simon Knowles | 1989-01-16 |
Series | Snakes and Ladders | Giles Tewkesbury | 1989-10-17 |
Movie | The Strike | Adrian/Slim/Policeman | 1988-02-20 |
Movie | More Bad News | Vim Fuego | 1988-02-27 |
Movie | Mr Jolly Lives Next Door | Dreamy Time Escort | 1988-03-05 |
Movie | The Yob | Michael | 1988-03-12 |
Movie | An Audience With Victoria Wood | Himself | 1988-12-10 |
Movie | Eat the Rich | Charles | 1987-10-23 |
Series | Filthy Rich & Catflap | Edward Catflap | 1987-01-07 |
Movie | Dangerous Brothers Present: World of Danger | Sir Adrian Dangerous | 1986-01-01 |
Movie | Honest Decent & True | Alun Pickersgill | 1986-02-09 |
Movie | Private Enterprise | Brian | 1986-01-02 |
Movie | The Comic Relief Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live | 1986-04-25 | |
Movie | The Supergrass | Dennis Carter | 1985-11-08 |
Series | Happy Families | 1985-10-17 | |
Movie | Gino: Full Story and Pics | Gordon/Bill | 1984-01-28 |
Movie | Slags | Ace | 1984-02-11 |
Series | Natural World | Narrator | 1983-10-30 |
Movie | Dead on Time | Fool | 1983-01-01 |
Movie | Bad News Tour | Vim Fuego/Alan Metcalfe | 1983-01-24 |
Series | Blackadder | Baron von Richtoven | 1983-06-15 |
Movie | Kevin Turvey: The Man Behind the Green Door | Keith Marshall | 1982-03-13 |
Series | The Comic Strip Presents | 1982-11-02 | |
Series | The Young Ones | Vyvyan | 1982-11-09 |
Movie | Five Go Mad in Dorset | Dick | 1982-11-02 |
Movie | The Comic Strip | 1981-01-01 | |
Series | An Audience with... | Himself | 1978-01-08 |
Series | The Secret Policeman's Ball | Self | 1976-04-01 |