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Rowan Atkinson Leaves Comedy Career Behind Amid Death Hoax

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 20:46 PST, Sep 15, 2016

Rowan Atkinson has showcased his serious side on the television screen by stepping into the shoes of a detective who is hunting serial killers. According to the Independent, Rowan Atkinson is playing the role of the French Inspector Jules Maigret in Maigret, a British television series based on the fictional police detective who was created by Georges Simenon.

The new role shows Rowan Atkinson returning to television after a brief hiatus, with Inspector Jules Maigret perfectly contrasting the comical Mr. Bean, Rowan’s bumbling character who made the audiences laugh with his antics and foolery. Inspector Maigret, on the other hand, is a solemn man of authority who is profound and intense in the way he solves the criminal cases.

Rowan Atkinson’s sudden change of role might have surprised many of his fans who have witnessed the actor’s comedy ever since he first featured in the Not The Nine O’Clock News, BBC’s satirical program, in 1979. However, the actor feels that he is becoming too old to continue playing comedic roles and that the audience wouldn’t get as much delight from his comedic antics now as when he was younger.

According to the Independent, Rowan Atkinson spoke about how the success of a comedian depends very much on his age.

“There is that slightly dull feeling sometimes that people think you should get serious when you get old. And, unfortunately, you do lose in the audience’s eyes a degree of comic authority as you get older.”

Rowan Atkinson may feel that a comedian’s ability to delight and entertain with their flamboyance starts declining as the actor grows older, but his opinion is not supported by several other veteran comedians like Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and Jackie Mason who are still perfectly able to entertain audiences with their comedy acts even into old age. But the Blackadder actor clarified his beliefs that a comedy act performed by an older artist can still evoke laughter: but not due to the act itself, but instead due to mockery that the artist invites by his physical weakness.

As an artist, the age-conscious Rowan Atkinson is so famous that it was natural for his fans to be devastated when false news about his death started doing the rounds on the internet. Recently, pranksters played a cruel joke on the Johnny English actor and his fans by launching an internet rumor that the actor had died.

The story changed and evolved as it was disseminated, with several versions emerging about the cause and location of the actor’s death. One statement cited suicide as the cause of death, while other reports commented that the actor had died while saving his co-star. According to The Sun, the rumors gained credibility because the pranksters had also posted Rowan Atkinson’s memorial photo along with a BBC logo.

Fortunately, the prank didn’t last long, coming to an end when fans detected a flaw within one rumored statement which mentioned that Rowan Atkinson had died at his home in San Francisco. Fans of the actor knew that he does not own a home in San Francisco, causing some fans to begin to question the legitimacy of the whole story.

Fans were also quick to dismiss another posting that had referred to a Los Angeles Times article about Rowan Atkinson’s alcohol rehabilitation program because the Times had never published any news about the Love Actually actor ever having attended rehabilitation.

Once doubts were cast as to the legitimacy of the Rowan Atkinson death rumors, fans were relieved to learn that, far from being dead, the famous actor was enjoying time with his family, and especially his children who are currently seen focusing on their respective careers. In fact, Lily Atkinson, Rowan Atkinson’s daughter, has shown interest in following her father’s footsteps in show business by becoming a singer-songwriter, while his son Ben Atkinson is keen to pursue another career. According to The Sun, Ben Atkinson has secured admission to the prestigious Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

Recently, the famous actor’s son posted the Academy’s acceptance letter on his Facebook page, expressing great excitement about his achievement. In a way, Ben Atkinson is still somewhat following in his father’s footsteps as Rowan Atkinson had played the role of a World War I soldier in Blackadder Goes Forth, the fourth installment of the BBC’s Blackadder series.

[Featured Image by Joel Ryan/AP Images]

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