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If you are not sure who Rowan Atkinson is, it’s enough to say just one name – Mr. Bean! Born on 6 January 1955, Atkinson is famous for keeping his private life as private as possible but today was his 60th birthday, which is a great occasion to sniff out some interesting facts about this great English comedian. To learn something new about Rowan Atkinson alias Mr. Bean, check out these 18 little-known facts. 1. He graduated from two universities. Atkinson is a very smart man and graduated from both Newcastle University and Oxford University. He wrote a thesis about self-turning control systems. hooch.net 2. He went to school with Tony Blair. The two attended Durham Choristers School at the same time. 3. Fame found him after appearing on a BBC comedy sketch show. Not the Nine O’Clock News was his big break that got his name known in the industry. 4. Atkinson loves cars! Like, really loves them. He once said that one of the best moments in his life was getting his Class 1 license to drive a lorry. He now owns an impressive collection which includes an Aston Martin, Honda, Audi and even an MC Laren F1. However, he doesn’t like Porsche’s: “I have a problem with Porsches. They’re wonderful cars, but I know I could never live with one. Somehow, the typical Porsche people – and I wish them no ill – are not, I feel, my kind of people.” 5. He sometimes even writes for car magazines. Such as the British magazine ‘the Car magazine’. news.com.au 6. He’s a regular guest at Royal weddings. Prince Charles and Camilla and Prince William and Kate Middleton invited him to their weddings. 7. Atkinson speaks out about British politics. He publicly opposes the British Labor government’s plans to introduce new legislation on incitement to religious hatred, arguing that it would undermine free speech 8. Throughout most of his life, he’s suffered from a mild stammer. This could be the main reason why he doesn’t like interviews very much, and why Mr. Bean hardly actually speaks. list25.com 9. He’s always loved, James Bond. You can only imagine what it was like for him to get a supporting role in Never Say Never Again in 1983 with Sean Connery. list25.com 10. He was very romantic in his relationship with actress Leslie Ash. Atkinson planted rowan and ash trees at his house at the time. 11. He married Sunetra Sastry in 1990 and they have two children. Their children are called Lily and Benjamin, but Rowan filed for divorce in February 2014. On their first date, he apparently said nothing other than asking her to pass the ketchup. 12. It’s estimated that his current wealth is still hearty due to his successful film career. £85 million (130 million dollars) 13. Rowan successfully landed a crashing plane. While with his family on a trip to Kenya in 2001, their pilot passed out and Atkinson managed to take control of the plane – it landed safely. news.com.au 14. Privacy is a big deal to him, especially when it comes to his family. Not even his closest friends knew his wife was pregnant until his children were born! 15. Mr Bean’s name wasn’t always Mr Bean. It was originally Mr White, and then Mr Cauliflower before it was Mr Bean. flashlarevista.com 16. He co-wrote a popular medieval sitcom. Alongside Richard Curtis, Atkinson co-wrote The Black Adder, which he also had the lead role in. 17. When he was younger, he was the class clown – shocker! However when he grew into his pre-teens he became more self-conscious, quiet and withdrew himself. youtube.com 18. He was brought up Anglican. Born on 6 January 1955, he was raised in the town of Consett with his four older brothers by his parents Eric and Ella May. Credits: gosocial.co Share this story on Facebook with your friends.