Eddie Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor born in Aden, United Kingdom, in 1962. Their work is known for a rambling, surreal, stream-of-consciousness style that moves quickly between unrelated subjects. Izzard also appears on screen in film and television, and maintains a touring career alongside acting.

Early life and start in comedy

Izzard is born in Aden as the youngest child of John and Ella Izzard. The family moves to Northern Ireland in 1963, then to Bangor, County Down, before relocating again in 1967 to Skewen in Wales and Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex. Izzard’s mother dies in 1968. They say they know they are transgender from the age of four and want to be an actor from the age of seven.

Izzard begins performing comedy at the University of Sheffield with student friend Rob Ballard. After leaving accountancy, the pair performs on the street, often in Covent Garden. After they split, Izzard spends much of the early 1980s as a street performer in Europe and the United States, developing material through solo escape acts and direct audience interaction. The first stand-up gig is at the Banana Cabaret in Balham, London, and the first stage appearance at the Comedy Store in London follows in 1987.

Stand-up career

During the 1980s Izzard refines their material, and in the early 1990s gains wider recognition through improvisation, including at their own Soho club, Raging Bull. A major breakthrough comes in 1991 after the televised AIDS benefit Hysteria 3, where the “Raised by Wolves” sketch draws attention. Their stand-up work wins British Comedy Awards in 1993 for Live at the Ambassadors and in 1996 for Definite Article. After touring the UK, Definite Article plays major cities outside Britain, including a successful run in New York City. International recognition grows further with Dress to Kill, which is shown on HBO and later earns two Emmy Awards in 2000.

Style and recurring material

Izzard’s comedy often uses long, digressive monologues and surreal leaps between topics. They describe the method as part of an oral tradition. Monty Python is a stated influence, and John Cleese refers to Izzard as “the lost Python”. Recurring subjects in the act include impressions of James Mason and Sean Connery, with the latter often placed in exaggerated historical roles. Other repeated themes include the name Jeff, bees, pigs, banjos, badgers, Adolf Hitler, toasters, Engelbert Humperdinck, Star Wars, Azerbaijan, Belgium, the British monarchy, and the NRA, which Izzard pronounces “Riffle”. Their performance also includes repeated verbal and physical mannerisms, such as “So... yeah...”, “and, uh...”, imaginary note-taking when a routine loses the room, and self-parodying pantomime.

Izzard also creates a sitcom, Cows, in 1997 for Channel 4, a live-action comedy with performers dressed in cow suits.

Acting and television

Izzard begins appearing in films in 1996 with The Secret Agent. Other film roles include Charlie Chaplin in The Cat’s Meow, Gustav von Wangenheim in Shadow of the Vampire, General Erich Fellgiebel in Valkyrie, Mr Kite in Across the Universe, Lussurioso in Revengers Tragedy, and criminal expert Roman Nagel in Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen. Voice roles include the title character in Five Children and It, Nigel in The Wild, and Reepicheep in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

On television, Izzard appears in the 2009 BBC miniseries The Day of the Triffids, in United States of Tara as Dr. Hatteras, and in six episodes of Hannibal from 2013 to 2015 as Dr. Abel Gideon. In 2014, they play Robert Watson-Watt in the BBC drama film Castles in the Sky.

Other work and public life

Izzard presents medals to athletes in the 800m T54 race at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, including gold medallist David Weir. In June 2017, they read excerpts from the autobiography Believe Me for BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week. They appear on The Daily Show in 2019, discussing comedy, political ambitions, and marathon running.

Izzard lives in Victoria, London. They describe themselves as genderfluid and say they prefer either “he” or “she”, depending on whether they are in boy mode or girl mode; they later request she/her pronouns for an appearance on Portrait Artist of the Year.

Comedy team work

Izzard is associated with the “Just a Minute” Team.