Monday's Idle Query

[rolanni]

Without Googling, or looking at anyone else's answer (if any), tell me in comments who Eddie Izzard is.

Comments

[thejunebug.livejournal.com]

Fabulous, wonderfully intelligent British comedian. He recently voiced Reepicheep in the Narnia movies. :)

[mat-t.livejournal.com]

A British transvestite comedian/actor.

[technomage.livejournal.com]

Eddie? Skanky old rocker. Same era as Nick Jagger, but not as popular. Influence for many punk bands.

[jack_calls_dances]

Transvestite comedian who is amazingly funny without resorting to insults. Fabulous at finding the absurd in life.

Eddie Izzard

[(Anonymous)]

He is an actor.

[pedanther]

Eddie Izzard is a British comedian with a flamboyant dress sense (at the very least he has transvestite tendencies; I've also heard the line "a lesbian trapped in a man's body", but I don't know, if he actually said that, if he just said it for a laugh).

One of his most famous routines is the one about "Cake or Death", though I don't off-hand remember what the actual context is. (Something about how the Church of England would never do anything as extreme as the Inquisition, maybe.)

He's also done some acting: the one I remember is that he plays the villain's sidekick in the superhero comedy Mystery Men.

Another thing I remember seeing him in was a remake of the Four Yorkshiremen sketch, done live for some big comedy event, where he and two of the others kept adlibbing new surreal lines, trying to crack each other up. The fourth Yorkshireman was Alan Rickman, who kept a straight face throughout, stuck to his lines, and came off (in my opinion) the funniest of the four.

Coincidentally, earlier this evening I was watching Eddie Izzard on YouTube, talking about Daleks.

[readinggeek451]

British comedian. Isn't he the "cake or death" guy?

[(Anonymous)]

British comedian and actor, famous for being an 'action transvestite' and raucously hilarious stand-up.

[(Anonymous)]

Interesting that everyone mentions he's a transvestite ("executive transvestite"), because I think he's toned this down a lot the last few years.

As well as cake-or-death, I think of the star wars canteen sketch (the lego youtube video of this is great) and le singe est sur la branche.

Caroline

[ledav.livejournal.com]

A british comedian and actor. Used(?) to dress in drag.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

A chubby drag queen sort of person. Possibly a comedian.

[baisleac.livejournal.com]

Cake or Death!

[stitchwhich.livejournal.com]

A cross-dressing British comedian.

"Wait. Did I leave the iron on?"

[aspidites.livejournal.com]

Love love love your icon! :-)

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

Standup comedian, I think.

[seachanges.livejournal.com]

Eddie Izzard is an actor/comedian who looks better in a frock and high heels than I do. He's witty and charming, and I would love to see one of his stand-up routines live.

[sraun]

A name I recognize as having an entertainment connection.

Eddie Izzard

[(Anonymous)]

One of my favorite comedians, also an actor. British. Brilliant.

Chris H

Eddie Izzard

[(Anonymous)]

I know Eddie Izzard is a british comedian. I think he used to (and maybe still does) perform as Dame Edna.

Recently he was in a cable TV series about a family of con artists, loosely based on the Travelers culture. Can't remember the series name, though.

Regards, Laura

[pedanther]

Dame Edna is the Australian comedian Barry Humphries. (Although she will, if asked, firmly deny being anybody but herself.)

Eddie Izzard

[(Anonymous)]

All I could think was that he was a jockey of a famous horse. Maybe a lot of jockies have first name of Eddie?

Joan C

[isabellag.livejournal.com]

Interesting use of the terms "transvestite" and "drag" here - I believe that the former is used when somebody lives the lifestyle (ie, man or woman dressed as the opposite), and the second when somebody uses it to perform, or uses it temporarily for a 'purpose'. I don't think Eddy's a transvestite. He's a drag artist, and, incidentally, he's extremely funny.

[(Anonymous)]

Agree that transvestite and drag artist are very different things, but I think Eddie Izzard is the former, not the latter.

Caroline

[(Anonymous)]

British Comedian/actor, who used to (and maybe still does) perform his comedy act in drag. Played the male lead in the too-short-lived series The Riches, opposite Minnie Driver (which was v. amusing, having two Brits playing southern American grifters). Was in the movie Mystery Men, as head of one of the gangs working under Casanova Frankenstein (or is that Frankenstein Casanova? anyway, played by Geoffrey Rush).

And there my memory fails me - anything else would be with reference to IMDB or Wikipedia, and thus cheating :-)

eddie izzard

[(Anonymous)]

British stand up comic

[bearddevil.livejournal.com]

An Executive Transvestite!

An Action Transvestite!

One of the best comedians going!

[mbernardi]

British comedian/actor. Tends to stream of consciousness monologues.
Some of his shows are available on CD and DVD. Acting roles via imdb.
Would probably have been a dandy in the Regency period.

[magda-vogelsang.livejournal.com]

Cross-dressing British comedian with a great bit about cake (or death).