Perrier Award
Nomination 1991 - Edinburgh Festival
Time Out Award 1991
Olivier Award Nomination 1993
British Comedy Award winner
for Top Stand-Up Comedian in 1993 and 1996
New York Drama Desk Award
Nomination for Best Solo Artist 2003
In 1993 Eddie took his show to the Ambassadors Theatre for a 4 week run which
he had to extend twice. He was then invited to appear for a week at the Montreal
Just for Laughs Festival as the Showcase Artist, the first comedian outside North
America to gain that honour while talking about fish.
He then undertook a nation-wide tour of Britain followed by another run in
the West End, selling out the Albery Theatre within a week for its 7 week run,
a total of 34,000 tickets.
1994 saw Eddie return to the West End to star in the world premiere of David
Mamet's play, The Cryptogram, and in the play 900 Oneonta for which he received
excellent notices. In May 1995, Eddie played the title role in Edward II at the
Leicester Haymarket. Here he split the critics, The Guardian saying, "Great,"
The Observer saying, "Don't give up the day job."
In the spring of 1995 he completed a 56 date sell-out tour of the UK and Ireland,
which coincided with the release of his new video, Unrepeatable, recorded at the
Albery Theatre. Eddie also recorded a series for Radio 4 entitled Missed Demeanours
which he devised and was panelist on. A live improvisational show, One Word Improv,
with Neil Mullarkey, Stephen Frost and Suki Webster, was spawned from this and
played for 2 weeks to packed houses at the Royal Court and again at the Edinburgh
Festival. The show took to the road in 1996, selling out dates throughout England,
Ireland, Holland and France before coming to the West End at the Albery Theatre
early in 1997 for a limited 7 week run.
Having shattered box-office records with his sell-out 10 week run of his stand-up
show, Definite Article, at the
Shaftesbury Theatre in the winter of 1995, he went on to complete a 4 month
world tour of the show, later in 1996, which included a sell-out 4 week run in
New York and shows in Paris (in French), Reykjavik, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Copenhagen
as well as 45 dates across the UK and Ireland. The tour was filmed by the BBC
for the documentary series, TX. The video, Definite Article, overtook the Unrepeatable
and Live at the Ambassadors videos in the comedy charts and has been in the top
20 ever since.
With film acting roles in Aristophanes (Channel 4), The Secret Agent (with
Bob Hoskins and Gerard Depardieu) and Damien Hirst's Hanging Around, Eddie still
found time to co-write the pilot sitcom Cows, which was critically received like
a long lost relative who turns up at the wrong house with an overdue Christmas
card.
Eddie recently completed filming Velvet Goldmine with Ewan MacGregor which
will debut at Cannes in 1998, and The Avengers with Sean Connery, Ralph Fiennes
and Uma Thurman, scheduled for July 1998 release. Eddie plays "second bad guy"
to Sean Connery's "first bad guy."
Eddie returned to PS 122 for a second sold out season in 1997. New York marked
the launch of the world(ish) tour of Glorious which included Paris, England, Scotland,
Wales and Ireland. His U.K. tour was a staggering success which included playing
four different venues in London including a 10,000 seat arena - the largest comedy
gig ever in England. Glorious was released on video in November.
Eddie Izzard returns to North America in the spring of 1998 with an all-new
show Dress to Kill. He will play The Stamford (CT) Center for the Arts, Toronto's
Harbourfront Theatre, The Aspen Comedy Festival, ending with an extended run in
New York City at the Westbeth Theatre Center.
Eddie will then become a monk.
(Bio courtesy of Back Row Productions)
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