Eddie Izzard | |
|---|---|
 Izzard in 2015 | |
| Born | Edward John Izzard (1962-02-07)7 February 1962 (age 63) |
| Other names | Suzy Eddie Izzard |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Website | eddieizzard |
Suzy Eddie Izzard[a] (/ˈɪzɑːrd/IZ-ard; bornEdward John Izzard, 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her[b] comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues.
Izzard's stand-up comedy tours have includedLive at the Ambassadors (1993),Definite Article (1996),Glorious (1997),Dress to Kill (1998),Circle (2000),Stripped (2009),Force Majeure (2013) andWunderbar (2022). She starred in the television seriesThe Riches (2007–2008) and has appeared in numerous films, includingOcean's Twelve (2004),Ocean's Thirteen (2007),Valkyrie (2008),Absolutely Anything (2015) andSix Minutes to Midnight (2020). Izzard has also worked as a voice actor on films such asFive Children and It (2004),The Wild (2006),The Lego Batman Movie (2017) and theNetflix original seriesGreen Eggs and Ham (2019). Among various accolades, she won twoPrimetime Emmys forDress to Kill and was nominated for aTony Award for her Broadway performance inA Day in the Death of Joe Egg.
In 2009, Izzard completed 43 marathons in 51 days forSport Relief, despite having no history of long-distance running. In 2016, she ran 27 marathons in 27 days in South Africa in honour ofNelson Mandela, raising £1.35 million. In addition to her native English, she has performed stand-up in Arabic, French, German, Russian and Spanish, and is an active supporter ofEuropeanism and theEuropean Union.
A dedicatedLabour Party activist, Izzard twice ran unsuccessfully for the party'sNational Executive Committee and then joined as the most successful initially non-elected person afterChristine Shawcroft resigned in March 2018. In 2022 and 2023, Izzard attempted to become the party'sprospective parliamentary candidate (forSheffield Central andBrighton Pavilion respectively); she was not selected in the members' ballots.
Edward John Izzard[5] was born inAden (then inAden Colony and now inYemen)[6] on 7 February 1962,[7] to English parents Dorothy Ella Izzard (1927–1968) and Harold John Michael Izzard (1928–2018). Their surname is ofFrench Huguenot origin.[8] Dorothy was a midwife and nurse, while Harold was an accountant who was working in Aden forBritish Petroleum at the time of Edward's birth.[9][10] A brother, Mark, was born two years earlier.[10]
When Izzard was a year old, the family moved to Northern Ireland and settled inBangor, where they lived until Izzard was five.[6][9][11][12] The family then moved to Wales, where they lived inSkewen.[10]
Izzard was six when her mother died of cancer.[10][11][13] The siblings built a model railway to occupy their time while their mother was ill, which was later donated toBexhill Museum in 2016.[14] Following the death, Izzard attended theprivateSt John's School inNewton,[15]St Bede's Prep School inEastbourne,[16] andEastbourne College.[10][11][17] She has said that she knew she wastransgender at the age of four, after watching a boy being forced to wear a dress by his sisters,[18] and knew she wanted to be an actor at the age of seven.[19]
She studied drama at theUniversity of Sheffield.[20]
Izzard began to toy with comedy while at university with her friend Rob Ballard.[21][22] The two took their act to the streets,[21][22] often in theCovent Garden district ofLondon.[15][23][24] After splitting with Ballard, Izzard spent a great deal of the early 1980s working as a street performer in Europe and the United States. She says that she developed her comedic voice by talking to the audience while doing solo escape acts.[25] She then moved her act to the stand-up comedy venues of Britain, performing her routine for the first time at the Banana Cabaret in London'sBalham area.[11][26]
In 1987, Izzard's first stage appearance was at theComedy Store in London.[12] She refined her comedy material throughout the 1980s and began earning recognition through improvisation in the early 1990s, in part at her own club, Raging Bull inSoho.[24] Her breakthrough came in 1991 after she performed her "raised by wolves" routine on the televisedHysteria 3AIDS benefit.[27]
In 2000, for the comedy specialDress to Kill, Izzard won twoPrimetime Emmy Awards:Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program andOutstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program, while the special was nominated forOutstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special.[28]
Izzard is fluent in French and has performed stand-up shows in the language; since 2014, she has also started to perform in Arabic, German, Russian and Spanish,[29] languages that she did not previously speak.[30]
In 1994, Izzard'sWest End drama debut as the lead in the world premiere ofDavid Mamet'sThe Cryptogram withLindsay Duncan, in the production at London's Comedy Theatre. The success of that role led to a second starring role, in David Beaird's black comedy900 Oneonta. In 1995, she portrayed the title character inChristopher Marlowe'sEdward II.[31]
In 1998, Izzard appeared briefly on stage withMonty Python inThe American Film Institute's Tribute to Monty Python (also referred to asMonty Python Live at Aspen). As part of an inside joke, she walked on stage with the five surviving Pythons and was summarily escorted off byEric Idle andMichael Palin when attempting to participate in a discussion about how the group got together.[32] In July 2014, she appeared on stage with Monty Python during their live showMonty Python Live (Mostly) as the special guest in their "Blackmail" sketch.[33]
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Izzard portrayed comedianLenny Bruce in the 1999 production of Julian Barry's 1971 playLenny. In 2001, she replacedClive Owen inPeter Nichols' 1967 playA Day in the Death of Joe Egg at theComedy Theatre. Izzard andVictoria Hamilton repeated their lead roles when the show was brought to Broadway in 2003 in theRoundabout Theatre Company production. The revival received fourTony Award nominations, including Best Revival of a Play, Best Leading Actor and Best Leading Actress for its stars Izzard and Hamilton in their Broadway debuts, and Best Direction for Laurence Boswell. In June 2010, she replacedJames Spader in the role of Jack Lawson inDavid Mamet's playRace on Broadway.[34]
Izzard has appeared in numerous films, starting withThe Secret Agent in 1996, and has appeared as several real-life individuals, includingCharlie Chaplin inThe Cat's Meow, actorGustav von Wangenheim inShadow of the Vampire, GeneralErich Fellgiebel inValkyrie and wartime pioneer ofradarRobert Watson-Watt in the BBC drama filmCastles in the Sky. Other roles have included Mr Kite inAcross the Universe, Lussurioso inRevengers Tragedy and criminal expertRoman Nagel inOcean's Twelve andOcean's Thirteen. Her voice work has included the titular "It" inFive Children and It, Nigel inThe Wild and the mouse warriorReepicheep inThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Izzard declined to reprise the role as Reepicheep, a role understudied bySimon Pegg inThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Izzard has stated that she felt she learned to act while working on the filmCircus.[35]
In 2009, Izzard was the subject ofSarah Townsend's documentaryBelieve: The Eddie Izzard Story,[36] which addressesBBC'sWatchdog[37] reporting[38] of "recycling material from an old tour".[39][40][41]
Izzard appeared in the 2009 BBC science fiction miniseriesThe Day of the Triffids, based on the1951 novel, alongsideJason Priestley,Vanessa Redgrave,Joely Richardson,Dougray Scott andBrian Cox.[42] She played Dr. Hatteras, a sceptical psychology professor, in the Showtime seriesUnited States of Tara[43] and appeared in six episodes of the 2013–15 American psychological horror television seriesHannibal as Dr. Abel Gideon.[44] In 2021, she appeared in the television seriesThe Lost Symbol based onDan Brown's 2009novel of the same name.[45]
At the London2012 Paralympic Games, Izzard presented the medals to the athletes who had won the 800mT54 race, including gold medalistDavid Weir.[46]
She has appeared on a number of episodes ofBBC One'sHave I Got News for You and as a guest onThe Daily Show.[47] In 2017, she read excerpts from her autobiographyBelieve Me forBBC Radio 4'sBook of the Week.[48]
From 25 January to 3 March 2024, Izzard performed a one-person version of Shakespeare'sHamlet, adapted by her brother Mark and directed bySelina Cadell, at theGreenwich House Theater in New York.[49] The run was extended three times. The show transferred toRiverside Studios, London, with previews from 23 May 2024.[50][51]
On 27 July 2009, with only five weeks' training and no significant prior running experience, Izzard began seven weeks of back-to-back marathon runs (with Sundays off) across the UK to raise money forSport Relief.[55] She ran from London toCardiff toBelfast toEdinburgh and back to London, carrying the flag of the country—England, Scotland, or Wales—in which she was running. In Northern Ireland, she carried a self-designed green flag bearing a white dove. The blogEddie Iz Running documented the 43 marathons in 51 days, covering at least 27 miles per day (totalling more than 1,100 miles), ending on 15 September 2009. The BBC reported that Izzard took 5 to 10 hours per marathon.[56][57] Izzard received a special award atBBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2009 for these achievements.[58] In March 2010, she took part in the Sport Relief Mile event.[59]
On 16 February 2016, the BBC announced that Izzard would attempt to run 27 marathons in 27 days through South Africa for Sport Relief.[60] The significance of the number 27 came from the number of yearsNelson Mandela was held in prison. In total, she would aim to run more than 700 miles in temperatures of up to 40 °C. Izzard had attempted such a project in South Africa in 2012, but withdrew due to health concerns.[61] She completed the first marathon on 23 February 2016, completing the marathon challenge on 20 March 2016 at the statue of Mandela in front of theUnion Buildings inPretoria. Because she had spent a day in hospital, she had to run two consecutive marathons on this last day. She raised more than £1.35M for Sport Relief.[62] A BBC documentary detailing the feat was broadcast on 28 March.[63]
On 8 December 2020, Izzard announced[64] that she would attempt to run 31 marathons and perform 31 stand-up gigs, in the 31 days of January 2021 to raise money for a range of charities including Fareshare,Walking With The Wounded,Care International, United to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases andCovenant House.[65] The series of marathons raised in excess of £275,000.[66]
Izzard is a vocal supporter ofEuropeanism andEuropean integration, and has campaigned in support of theEuropean Union. In May 2005, she appeared on theBBC's political debate showQuestion Time, describing herself as a "British-European", comparing this with other cultural identities such as "African-American". As part of her campaigning, Izzard was one of the first people to spend a euro in London. This pan-European approach has influenced her work, regularly performing in French[23][43] and occasionally in German.[24] On a June 2017 episode ofReal Time with Bill Maher, she claimed to be working in English, French, German and Spanish.[30][29]
Izzard campaigned in favour of replacingfirst-past-the-post with thealternative vote as a system for electingMPs ina 2011 referendum[67][68] and is a supporter of theLabour Campaign for Electoral Reform. She is also a proponent ofBritish republicanism, believing that the UK should have a democratically elected head of state instead of a monarchy.[69] She has stated that she is asocial democrat, but not asocialist.[70] During the2014 Scottish independence referendum, Izzard led a campaign encouraging Scottish people not to vote for independence and said the rest of the UK would feel a "deep sense of loss" if Scotland were to leave.[71]
Izzard campaigned unsuccessfully against the closure of the departments of Drama and Languages, Linguistics and Translation at theUniversity of East Anglia, although the department of Drama was later reprieved.[72]
Izzard joined theLabour Party in 1995[73] and in 1998 was listed as one of the largest private donors to the party.[74] In 2008, she donated nearly £10,000 to it.[75] She appeared inparty political broadcasts for the Labour Party in the run-up to the2005 general election and2009 European election, as well as a 2010 election video entitledBrilliant Britain. During the2015 general election, she attended a rally with fellow comedianBen Elton and actorSally Lindsay.[76] Expressing support for Labour in the2017 general election, she said that the then-leader of the partyJeremy Corbyn "believes in what he says".[77]
At various times, Izzard said she would run forMayor of London in 2020.[78][79] When asked on the comedy panel showThe Last Leg why she would be elected, Izzard replied, "Boris Johnson."[80] However, she was not a candidate for the delayed2021 London mayoral election.[81] Izzard unsuccessfully ran for a seat on theNational Executive Committee of the Labour Party in 2016 and 2018.[82][83][84] AfterChristine Shawcroft resigned in March 2018, Izzard replaced her as the next runner-up, but failed to secure re-election that summer.[85][86]
On 25 August 2022, Izzard stated in an interview onBBC Radio Sheffield that she would like to ask the localConstituency Labour Party to stand inSheffield Central, replacing the incumbent MPPaul Blomfield, who is standing down at the2024 election.[87] Local reaction, according to theSheffield Star newspaper, was mixed.[88] She launched her election campaign on 11 October.[89] On 5 December, it was reported that a localSheffield City councillor had been selected as the party's candidate for thesafe seat, with Izzard coming second in the members' vote.[73]
In August 2023, Izzard announced her campaign to become the Labour candidate forBrighton Pavilion at the next general election, following the decision of the incumbentGreen MPCaroline Lucas not to recontest the seat.[90] On 17 December 2023, it was announced that Izzard had not been selected as a Labour candidate at the next general election and thatTom Gray would be contesting Brighton Pavilion on behalf of the Labour Party instead.[91]
Izzard uses astream-of-consciousness delivery that jumps between topics, saying in a 2004 interview withThe Guardian that "it's theoral tradition [...] human beings have been doing it for thousands of years".[92] Her bent towards the surreal went so far as to produce a sitcom calledCows in 1997 forChannel 4, a live-action comedy with actors dressed in cow suits.[93] She has citedMonty Python as her biggest influence, and Python memberJohn Cleese once referred to her as "the lost Python".[12]
Izzard has identified asgenderfluid.[94][95] She realised by age four that she was a transvestite, but did not come out until the age of 29.[96] According to her 2017 memoirBelieve Me, she first cross-dressed in public at the age of 23 with the help of a lesbian friend, an experience which ended in a verbal confrontation with three 13-year-old girls who followed Izzard home from a public toilet.[97] She started to publicly identify as transvestite in venues such as the Edinburgh Festival as early as 1992.[98][99] She remarked inUnrepeatable (1994) "Women wear what they want and so do I." In 2004 Izzard said "I'm a straight transvestite or male lesbian. … I'd say I'm a complete boy plus half a girl."[96] She stated in 2014 that the way she dressed was neither part of her performance, nor asexual fetish: "I don't call itdrag; I don't even call it cross-dressing. It's just wearing a dress. It's not about artifice. It's about me just expressing myself."[100]
In 2015 she expressed the conviction that being transgender is caused by genetics and that someday this will be scientifically proven; in preparation, she has had her owngenome sequenced.[101] In 2016 Izzard described herself as "somewhat boy-ish and somewhat girl-ish".[18] and as a "transgender guy".[102]
When asked in 2019 what pronouns she preferred, Izzard responded, "either 'he' or 'she'" and explained, "If I am in boy mode, then 'he', or girl mode, 'she'".[103] In 2020, she requestedshe/her pronouns for an appearance on the TV showPortrait Artist of the Year and said she wants "to be based in girl mode from now on".[104] In March 2023, she announced that she would begin using the name Suzy in addition to Eddie, saying that she is "going to be Suzy Eddie Izzard".[2][1] Explaining that she had wanted to use the name Suzy since she was 10 years old, she added that people "can choose" which name they want to use to refer to her,[1][2] and that she would keep using Eddie Izzard as her public name since it is more widely recognised.[105]
Izzard keeps her romantic life private, citing the wishes of her companions not wanting to become content for her show.[106] She once dated Irish singerSarah Townsend, whom Izzard first met while running a venue at theEdinburgh Festival Fringe in 1989.[107] Townsend later created the documentaryBelieve: The Eddie Izzard Story.[23]
Izzard is anatheist. During the 2008Stripped tour, she said, "I was warming the material up in New York, where one night, literally on stage, I realised I didn't believe in God at all. I just didn't think there was anyone upstairs."[106] She has since described herself as aspiritual atheist, saying, "I don't believe in the guy upstairs, I believe in us."[108]
Izzard supportsCrystal Palace and became an associate director at the club on 16 July 2012.[109] She is also a train modeller.[110]
In 2003, Izzard received an honoraryDoctorate of Letters from theUniversity of East Anglia,Norwich, for her work promoting "modern languages and tolerance of other cultures and lifestyles", and for having "transcended national barriers" with humour.[72][111] She has also received honorary doctorates from theUniversity of Sunderland in 2012,[112]York St John University in 2018,[113] theUniversity of Sussex in 2025[114] and theUniversity of Sheffield in 2006,[115] where she had spent a year on an Accounting and Financial Management course in the early 1980s and established the now-defunct Alternative Productions Society in the Union of Students with the aim of promotingfringe-based arts. She was elected Honorary President of Sheffield'sStudents' Union in 2010.[116]
Izzard's website won theYahoo People's Choice Award in 2004 and aWebby Award in 2005.[117][118]
In 2007, Izzard was listed as number 3 of the 100 Greatest British National Comedians (behindPeter Kay at number 2 andBilly Connolly at number 1) as part of British television station Channel 4's ongoing100 Greatest ... series, and was ranked 5th in 2010.[119]
In 2013, Izzard received the 6th Annual Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism,[120][121] which is presented at Harvard University each year by the Humanist Community at Harvard,[122] the American Humanist Association and the Harvard Community of Humanists, Atheists, and Agnostics.[citation needed]
In 2015, Izzard was chosen by readers ofThe Guardian as their 2014 public language champion. The award was announced at the Guardian and British Academy 2014 Schools Language Awards as part of the annual Language Festival.[123]
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 15 November 1993 | Live at the Ambassadors |
| 14 March 1994 | Unrepeatable |
| 21 October 1996 | Definite Article |
| 17 November 1997 | Glorious |
| 9 November 1998 | Dress to Kill |
| 18 November 2002 | Circle |
| 26 November 2003 | Sexie |
| 23 November 2009 | Stripped |
| 15 January 2011 | Live at Madison Square Garden[124] |
| 18 November 2013 | Force Majeure |
| 18 February 2022 | Wunderbar |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Barf Bites Back | Herself | Television special |
| 1994 | Open Fire | Rich | Television film |
| 1995 | Aristophanes: The Gods are Laughing | Socrates | Television film |
| 1996 | Tales from the Crypt | Evans | Episode: "Confession" |
| 1998 | Rex the Runt | Melting Blob Man / Easter Island Head Aliens (voices) | 2 episodes |
| Monty Python Live at Aspen | Herself | Television special | |
| 1999 | Python Night – 30 Years of Monty Python | Herself | Television special |
| 2002 | Mongrel Nation | Herself | Television documentary |
| A Day in the Death of Joe Egg | Bri | Television film | |
| 2003 | 40 | Ralph Outen | 3 episodes |
| 2006 | The Secret Policeman's Ball | Herself | Television special |
| 2007 | Kitchen | Nick Malone | 2-part series |
| 2007–2008 | The Riches | Wayne Malloy / Doug Rich | 20 episodes |
| 2008 | The Secret Policeman's Ball | Herself | Television special |
| 2009 | The Day of the Triffids | Torrence | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man | Herself | Television special |
| The Simpsons | Nigel Bakerbutcher /Elizabeth II /Prince Charles (voices) | Episode: "To Surveil with Love" | |
| 2011 | United States of Tara | Dr. Hattarras | 8 episodes |
| The Good Wife | James Thrush | Episode: "The Death Zone" | |
| 2012 | The Secret Policeman's Ball | Herself | Television special |
| Treasure Island | Long John Silver | Television miniseries | |
| Bullet in the Face | Johann Tannhäuser | 6 episodes | |
| Mockingbird Lane | Grandpa | Television film | |
| 2013 | Meet the Izzards | Herself | Two episode documentary |
| 2013–2015 | Hannibal | Dr. Abel Gideon | 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Castles in the Sky | Robert Watson-Watt | Television film |
| 2015 | Powers | "Big Bad" Wolfe | 10 episodes |
| The Devil You Know | Thomas Putnam | Pilot | |
| 2016 | The Big Fat Quiz of Everything | Herself | Episode #1.3 |
| 2018 | Travel Man | Herself | Episode: "48 Hours in Ljubljana" |
| 2019 | The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance | Cadia (voice) | 3 episodes |
| Green Eggs and Ham | Hervnick Z. Snerz (voice) | 13 episodes | |
| 2021 | The Lost Symbol | Peter Solomon | 10 episodes |
| Stay Close | Harry Sutton | Netflix original | |
| 2022 | The Kids in the Hall | Repairman | Episode 7 |
| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | Herself - contestant | 1 episode | |
| 2023 | Culprits | Vincent Hawkes | Recurring role |
| 2024 | Kaos | Lachy (Lachesis) | 4 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue | Sgt. Tibbs | |
| 2011 | Cars 2 | Sir Miles Axlerod |
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: location (link){{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)but in 1999, the consumer programme Weekend Watchdog was contacted by punters complaining that Eddie Izzard's
Sarah Townsend's intriguing film about the comedian began with a snippy and ill-informed report on the consumer programme, which accused him of recycling material from an old tour.
At least that has been the case since 2000, when Anne Robinson and the BBC's Watchdog threw a spanner into the works.
Weekend Watchdog 29.10.99
Eddie Izzard, one of the hottest names on the circuit, is chatting freely about his transvestitism. 'People ask me why I wear women's dresses. But I keep telling them, they're not women's dresses. They're my dresses.'
