Biography & Career Of Eddie Izzard

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Biography & Career Of Eddie Izzard

Eddie Izzard is a British stand-up comedian, actor, and activist born in Aden, Yemen, on February 7, 1962.

She is known for her surreal and digressive monologues and pantomime and her roles in films such as Ocean’s Twelve, Ocean’s Thirteen, Valkyrie, and The Lego Batman Movie.

She has also performed on stage in plays such as The Cryptogram, Edward II, Lenny, and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.

She has won two Emmy Awards for her comedy special Dress to Kill and was nominated for a Tony Award for her Broadway performance in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.

Early Life & Education

Eddie Izzard was born on February 7, 1962, in Aden, Yemen, where her father, Harold, worked as an accountant for British Petroleum.

Her mother, Dorothy, was a nurse and a midwife. She has a younger brother, Mark, who was born in 1963. Her parents were English and belonged to the Church of England. She is of French Huguenot descent on her mother’s side.

When she was six, her family moved to Northern Ireland, where they lived in Bangor for a year. Then they moved to Skewen, Wales, where they stayed until she was 12. She attended St John’s Primary School and Penyrheol Comprehensive School.

She lost her mother to cancer when she was eight years old, which had a profound impact on her life. She later said that her mother’s death made her “feel that I have to do something with my life” and that she “became more of a performer” after that.

Monty Python, The Goon Show, and The Beatles inspired her. She also enjoyed reading books, especially science fiction and fantasy.

She was fascinated by history, geography, and languages. She learned to speak French by listening to language records. She also taught herself some German, Spanish, and Arabic.

She moved to East Sussex, England, when she was 13 and attended Eastbourne College, a boarding school. She was unhappy there and felt isolated and bullied.

She rebelled against the strict rules and regulations of the school and often got into trouble. She participated in some school plays and joined the cadet force.

She also started experimenting with cross-dressing and makeup, which she kept secret from her peers and teachers.

She later said that she realized she was transgender when she was four years old, but she did not come out until much later in her life.

She left school at 16 and applied to join the Royal Air Force but was rejected because of her eyesight. She then decided to pursue a career in comedy and acting.

She enrolled at the University of Sheffield, where she studied accounting and financial management. She joined the student drama society and performed in various shows.

Personal Life

Eddie Izzard is a transgender woman who uses she/her pronouns and identifies as a lesbian. She came out as transgender in 1985 when she was 23 years old.

She said she was “a boy plus half girl” and had “boy genetics and girl genetics”. She also said that she was “not a drag queen” but “a transvestite or a male lesbian”.

She described her gender identity as “somewhat boyish and somewhat girlish” and her sexuality as “a straight transvestite or a male lesbian”.

She said that she was attracted to women and that she had dated both cisgender and transgender women.

She has been open and honest about her gender identity and expression throughout her career. She often performed in women’s clothing and makeup, which became part of her trademark style.

She said that she wanted to “break down the barriers between men and women” and that she hoped to “make everyone more relaxed about gender and sexuality”.

She also said she wanted to “use comedy to promote human rights” and believed in “universal human values”.

She has been a vocal supporter of the LGBT+ community and has campaigned for various causes and charities. She has also been involved in politics and activism. She is a member of the Labour Party and a pro-European.

She has advocated for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union. She has expressed interest in running for mayor of London or a member of parliament in the future.

She has also run several marathons for charity, raising millions of pounds for causes such as Sport Relief, UNICEF, and Amnesty International.

She is currently single and does not have any children. She has said she would like to have children someday but is still determining how to go about it.

Career

Eddie Izzard’s career as a comedian and actor spans over three decades. She started to perform stand-up comedy in London in the late 1980s, where she developed her unique style of surreal and digressive humour.

She often improvised on stage and used various accents and languages. She also incorporated pantomime, mime, and physical comedy elements into her act.

She gained popularity and recognition in the 1990s when she performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and won the Perrier Comedy Award in 1993.

She also appeared on television shows such as The Comic Strip Presents, Have I Got News for You, and Whose Line Is It Anyway?

She made her breakthrough in the United States 1998 when she performed her comedy special Dress to Kill in San Francisco.

The show was filmed and broadcast on HBO, receiving critical acclaim and winning two Emmy Awards.

She then performed several more comedy specials, such as Glorious, Circle, Sexie, Stripped, Force Majeure, and Wunderbar.

She also performed her stand-up in multiple languages, including Arabic, French, German, Russian, and Spanish.

She said she wanted to “make people laugh in different languages” and hoped to “spread goodwill worldwide” through comedy.

She also pursued a career in acting, both on stage and on screen. She made her film debut in 1996 when she played a minor role in The Secret Agent.

She then appeared in several films, such as Velvet Goldmine, The Avengers, Mystery Men, Shadow of the Vampire, Ocean’s Twelve, Ocean’s Thirteen, Valkyrie, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Victoria & Abdul, and The Lego Batman Movie.

She also voiced characters in animated films like The Wild, Igor, Cars 2, and The Lion King. She received positive reviews and awards for her performances, especially for portraying Elizabeth I in the miniseries Elizabeth I and Lenny Bruce in the play Lenny.

She has also performed on stage in various plays, such as The Cryptogram, Edward II, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, The Riches, Race, and The Iceman Cometh.

She has also written and produced some of her shows, such as The Cat and the Canary, What About Dick?, and Six Minutes to Midnight.

She has been nominated for several awards for her stage work, including a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and an Olivier Award.

She is widely regarded as one of her generation’s most original and influential comedians. She has been praised for her intelligence, creativity, versatility, and courage. She has also been admired for her activism, humanitarianism, and personal style.

She has influenced and inspired many other comedians and performers, such as Ricky Gervais, Russell Brand, Sarah Silverman, and John Oliver.

She has also received several honours and awards for her contributions to comedy, culture, and society, such as the Outstanding Achievement Award from the British Comedy Awards.

Death

Eddie Izzard is still alive and well as of 2023. She has not been involved in any fatal accidents or illnesses.

She has, however, faced some health challenges and risks in her life. She has suffered from dyslexia, which has affected her learning and reading abilities.

She has also received some death threats and hate messages from some people who do not approve of her gender identity and expression.

She has, however, overcome these obstacles and challenges with courage and resilience. She has said that she is not afraid of death and that she believes in reincarnation.

Controversy

Eddie Izzard has been involved in some controversies and criticisms throughout her career. Some of them are:

In 2000, fellow comedian Sean Lock accused her of plagiarism, claiming she had copied some of his jokes and routines. She denied the allegations and said she had never seen Lock’s act. She also said that she had developed her material over the years and had no intention of stealing from anyone.

In 2008, she was criticized by some animal rights activists for wearing a fur coat during her Stripped tour. She defended her choice and said that she had bought the coat from a second-hand shop and did not support the fur industry. She also said she was a vegetarian and cared about animals.

In 2016, she was involved in a heated debate with Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party, on the BBC’s Question Time. She challenged Farage’s views on immigration, Brexit, and the European Union.

She also wore a pink beret and a badge with the EU flag, which Farage mocked and called “a comedy prop”.

She responded by saying that she was proud of being a European and wanted to stand up for the rights of the people.

In 2019, she sparked some controversy when she announced that she would use she/her pronouns and that she identified as a transgender woman. Some people praised her for her bravery and honesty, while others questioned her decision and accused her of being confused and attention-seeking.

She said she had always felt like a woman and wanted to be honest with herself and the world. She also said that she respected the opinions of others and that she hoped to receive respect in return.