Comedy legend and Hollywood icon Eddie Izzard is 60 years old today.
The star, who was born on February 7 1962, rose to fame as a stand-up comedian, before appearing in films including My Super Ex Girlfriend, Velvet Goldmine and Six Minutes to Midnight.
She also recently appeared in the hit Netflix series Stay Close, as the solicitor Harry Sutton.
Away from the stage however, she has also led a very interesting life, which has included a high profile political career and completing epic marathons for charity, as well as speaking publicly about a tragic loss when she was younger.
Tragic loss
(Image: eddieizzard.com)
Eddie’s parents were BP Chief Accountant Harold Izzard and Dorothy Ella, who were working in Yemen when the comedian was born.
The family moved to Northern Island when Eddie was one year old, before settling in Wales.
However when Eddie was just six years old and her elder brother Mark was eight, their mother died of cancer.
She has since spoken openly about her death, particularly in her autobiography Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens and in the documentary, Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story, where she also made an emotional revelation, saying: “I know why I’m doing this [my career].
(Image: © © Eddie Izzard)
“Everything I do in life is trying to get her [her mother] back. I think if I do enough things . . . then maybe she will come back.”
Later reflecting on this comment, she told The Guardian that her death also had a huge affect on her pursuing a career as a performer, saying: “I do believe I started performing and doing all sorts of big, crazy, ambitious things because on some level, on some childlike magical-thinking level, I thought doing those things might bring her back.”
Alternative careers
(Image: eddieizzard.com)
Although Eddie Izzard has become one of the world’s most popular comedians and actors, her career path could have been very different.
The star has admitted in both her stand-up programmes and in the press that she originally wanted to join the Special Forces when she was younger.
However after deciding against a career in the Special Forces, Eddie studied A-Level sciences and went on to study accounting at University.
(Image: James Stack)
It was not long before her talent for performance inspired her to pursue her dream, and inspired by comedy legends such as the Monty Python team, Eddie left university a year later to pursue a career as a street performer.
The star has since lived out a variety of careers on screen, including as a solicitor in the hit Netflix series Stay Close in 2022.
Comedy roots and Hollywood fame
(Image: Getty Images)
Eddie began performing stand up comedy routines in the eighties, and from there it was onwards and upwards for the star, gaining awards for her stand up shows including Dress To Kill, which won two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Eddie also made a mark in Hollywood too, appearing in hit blockbuster films including My Super Ex Girlfriend, Five Children and IT, Velvet Goldmine, The Chronicles of Narnia series, Six Minutes to Midnight and TV series Hannibal.
She has continued to work in both Hollywood and comedy, performing tours across the world throughout the decades.
(Image: Sky Cinema Original)
Her love for connecting with audiences also extended to learning new languages, so she could better communicate her comedy to her fans in different countries.
Eddie has performed shows in German, French and Spanish, and can also speak Russian, Arabic and Italian, telling Newsbeat: “It’s a very positive thing to do.
“It means something if you’re going to learn the whole language.”
Eddie added: “You could not tour France and you couldn’t really tour Germany in English.
“You could do certain big cities but you wouldn’t really get through. I want to get through.”
Epic marathon challenge
(Image: Getty Images)
Eddie Izzard made headlines around the world when she completed a series of epic marathons for charity.
In 2009, the star ran the length of the UK and clocked up 30 miles a day, running from London to Cardiff to Belfast to Edinburgh and back to London.
In total the challenge was 1,100 miles, which is the equivalent of competing in 43 marathons in just one event.
(Image: BBC/Sport Relief/Amanda Searle)
Eddie raised over £250,000 for the charity, but during scenes that were broadcast as part of the TV series Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man, she admitted that she does not enjoy running much.
Speaking to Harry Potter actor Jason Isaacs while running the 13th marathon, Eddie admitted she “didn’t like running” but completed the challenge to “fight for a fair life for everyone”.
She has also completed a charity marathon for Sport Relief in 2012, running 27 miles in 27 days in South Africa, to honour Nelson Mandela.
Political career
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Eddie Izzard is passionate about politics and revealed in 2020 that she aims to be elected as a Labour MP in the next general election, saying that her “worldview is that everyone should have a fair chance in life”.
She explained her political ambition during an interview on Tom Watson’s Persons of Interest Podcast, saying: “I want to be a Member of Parliament.
“I was trying to get in at the last election. I absolutely, definitely want to get in at a by-election or at the next general election.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Talking about her ambitions, Eddie added: “We need to be heading towards a more positive future, so I will fight for that.
“My world vision is positive, it’s for everyone.
“I feel I can communicate because I have been communicating through comedy and drama and politics, being an activist, for over 10 years, and I feel I can put ideas forward – you need to put them forward in a grabbable way for people.”
Relationships
(Image: Mark Thomas/REX/Shutterstock)
Although Eddie Izzard is one of comedy’s most well known faces, the star tends to keep her personal life away from the public eye.
She has confirmed in the past that she is single, saying: “Relationship-wise? Oh, this old chestnut.
“No, relationships are tricky. If you’re trans and you’re touring a lot, it’s difficult to put it together.
“‘Cause I’m choosy and someone else will be choosy.”
She added: “Yeah, it’s difficult to get everything working perfectly.”
The comedian and actor has not revealed since if she is still single or if she is now in a relationship.
Campaign for more roles for transgender people in Hollywood
(Image: GC Images)
During an episode of Sky Arts programme Portrait Artist Of The Year, Eddie Izzard confirmed that her preferred pronouns were she and her.
The star, who identifies as transgender, revealed in an interview with The Guardian that she first identified as transgender when she was four years old, and that she came out as transgender at the age of 23.
However, she also revealed that after coming out as transgender, she was was told to hide her identity, saying to The Hollywood Reporter: “If you are coming out as transgender or gay or lesbian, it’s such a tough rite of passage and quest.
“It assaults your senses because, back in ‘85, everyone said, ‘No, no. Hide about it.’ I just thought they were all wrong.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Speaking about her career, she added: “I have boy mode and girl mode. I do feel I have boy genetics and girl genetics. I have played one transgender character.
“I will play hopefully more transgender roles in the future, but there are a lot of boy genetics in me so I am happy to play boy roles.
“It would be great if more transgender actors can play more transgender characters.”
She added: “We have come a long way, so let’s keep forging our way forward.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
