Rik Mayall
Biography
Rik Mayall was an English comedian, actor and writer who helped pioneer alternative comedy in the 1980s. He met Adrian Edmondson while they were drama students at Manchester University, and they built a double act at the Comedy Store before helping launch the Comic Strip club. His early television work included a small role in An American Werewolf in London (1981) and the character Kevin Turvey in A Kick Up the Eighties. He played Rick in The Young Ones and appeared throughout The Comic Strip Presents..., while later starring in Filthy Rich & Catflap and Bottom, a slapstick series with Edmondson that ran from 1991 to 1995. He starred in Drop Dead Fred (1991), and in Guest House Paradiso (1999). He provided voices for The Princess and the Goblin (1991) and Valiant (2005), and won a British Comedy Award for his comedy performances and a Primetime Emmy for voicing Mr. Toad in The Willows in Winter. He died in 2014.
56years old at death
- Born Harlow
- Died Barnes
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- Also credited as Richard Michael Mayall
Movie Career
- Films
- 13
- Career span
- 24 years1981 to 2005
Genres
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A role that slipped away
Rik Mayall was cast as Peeves the Poltergeist in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first film adaptation of the book series. Although he had filmed his part, it was cut in post-production because director Chris Columbus and producer David Heyman were unsatisfied with the character's design.
A role that slipped away
In the early 1990s, Mayall auditioned for Banzai, Zazu and Timon in The Lion King. Lyricist Tim Rice asked him to try out, but the part of Zazu went to Rowan Atkinson.
Behind the award
Mayall took a Primetime Emmy Award for his voice work as Mr. Toad in The Willows in Winter, TVC London's 1996 animated movie. He had played Toad in the company's 1995 production of The Wind in the Willows, which the later film follows.
Beyond film
Mayall and his Young Ones co-stars recorded "Living Doll" with Cliff Richard for the inaugural Comic Relief campaign, and the song reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart.
Rik Mayall movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- An American Werewolf in London1981 Comedy, Fantasy, Horroras 2nd Chess Player
IMDb rating 7.5136K votes
Most often with
Three actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Miranda Richardson's page
Leslie Phillips's page
Hugh Laurie's page
Awards
One award and honor, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 1997 | Outstanding Voice-Over Performance | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.