He is best known for his iconic roles in beloved British sitcoms such as Blackadder and Mr Bean.
And over the course of his 40-year career, Hollywood actor Rowan Atkinson has brought comedy to millions of homes up and down the country. He first came to prominence in the BBC sketch comedy show Not the Nine O’Clock News.
Since then, he has gone on to act in a number of favoured blockbuster films including the James Bond film Never Say Never, Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The Lion King. He later went on to star in the comedy spy film series Johnny English alongside Ben Miller and Natalie Imbruglia.
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But little is known about his quiet family life in Oxfordshire. So as the award-winning actor celebrates his 69th birthday, Daily Star has taken a deep dive inside his family life.
65-second divorce
(Image: PA)
The actor met his first wife Sunetra Sastry in the late 1980s when she worked as a makeup artist for the BBC. The couple instantly connected and later married in 1990 and had two children together, Benjamin and Lily.
From the outside, the happy couple were the picture of happiness. But things became rocky for the long-term couple in 2014 when reports emerged Rowan had an affair outside of his marriage. After 24 incredible years together, the pair made the decision to legally separate, completing their divorce a year later in 2015.
According to reports at the time, Sunetra filed for divorce under the grounds of “unreasonable behaviour”. Dur to the fact that the actor was not present at the Central Family Court to hear the divorce proceedings, the divorce was finalised in as little as 65 seconds.
District Judge, Stephen Alderson, who was handling the case, ordered a “quickie” procedure and the couple’s marriage was ended in just over a minute.
Younger girlfriend
(Image: Mirrorpix)
Following his divorce, Rowan started dating English actress Louise Ford who is known to fans for playing the role of Kate Middleton in The Windsors. The loved-up couple first met in 2013 when they both starred in Quartermain’s Terms in the West End.
Before dating the famous actor, Louise dated comedian James Acaster, who she left for the Blackadder star according to reports. Louise is 30 years younger than Rowan but the pair have previously said that their age gap has never been an issue for either of them.
In December 2017, the couple welcomed their first child together, a daughter, now seven, they named Isla Atkinson.
Burlesque dancer daughter
(Image: PA)
Rowan Atkinson’s daughter Lily decided to follow in her father’s artistic career and also has an impressive career on the stage and screen. The brunette beauty appeared in two of her father’s films during her childhood.
The star portrayed a small role in the 2007 feel-good film Mr Bean’s Holiday and went on to portray the Girl with Crash Helmet in his 2011 hit Johnny English Reborn. In 2015, she launched her career as a burlesque dancer and singer.
And it didn’t take long before she dazzled fans with her impressive moves in the West End one year later. The 29-year-old took her show to the stage, gracing the famous St James Theatre with her racy performance.
While her father has insisted he is “on board” with Lily’s career choice, the actor was pictured apparently falling asleep in the audience when she performed in the heart of Chelsea. But in 2017, Lily decided to ditch her father’s name Atkinson and adopted her maiden name Sastry.
(Image: Instagram)
After a series of successful performances, Lily suddenly disappeared from social media which was the main platform she relied on to promote her work and upcoming gigs – leaving her 45,000 followers in the dirt.
The star also deleted her entire catalogue of posts on the beloved platform over the past two years. But what sent tongues wagging was her decision to remove all traces of her father from her public profile.
In 2020, she returned to Instagram where she promoted her new artwork and music to her loyal legion of fans. Two years later, Lily released an album called My Tone followed by the launch of her latest art exhibition in November that year. Little is known about the actor’s eldest son. Unlike his sister, Benjamin Atkinson pursued a career in the British Armed Forces.
In 2018, the 30-year-old was part of the ceremonial welcome of then the-British Prime Minister Theresa May, and the President of France Emmanuel Macron, part of the 34th United Kingdom-France Summit.
New addition
(Image: Getty Images)
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Rowan became a father for the third time in 2017 with his girlfriend Louise. The actor surprised fans two years after the birth of his daughter, when he announced he would be taking a year off work to look after his child he nicknamed “Baby Bean”.
The star confirmed he would be a full-time dad to the then one-year-old to allow his girlfriend to focus on her acting career. It was reported that the actor told friends: “I am going to take care of Baby Bean while Louise has the chance to concentrate on acting.”
A source added: “Rowan has a habit of surprising people – and he has done it again with this announcement. He has said he will take a back seat from work to be with Isla, and this will obviously allow Louise to focus on her career which is going well.
(Image: How To Videos and Tips/Youtube)
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“Rowan loves spending time with Isla, he completely dotes on her. She is mischievous like any baby and gets into scrapes at home, which is why Rowan calls her ‘Baby Bean’. But the gesture is very generous and typical of Rowan, and it is very good for Louise.”
In 2016, The Sun reported that Rowan had moved Louise into his £5million North London cottage, which they now share with their little one, Isla.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
