John Cleese (born 27 October 1939) played an art gallery visitor in the Doctor Who story City of Death.
During filming for City of Death Cleese and Tom Baker filmed a short spoof on the story's Louvre set for BBC's in-house Christmas tape. The sketch, in which Cleese asks Baker for an autograph for his godson, is available as an easter egg on the story's DVD.
Career
Best known for his work on Monty Python's Flying Circus (a series to which Adams also contributed), Cleese moved on from Python to star in the classic sitcom Fawlty Towers (which was in production around the time of his Doctor Who appearance), and in the 1980s established himself as an acclaimed character actor, with roles ranging from the dramatic, as in the western Silverado, to the comic, such as his Emmy Award-winning turn on Cheers. His writing has also been acclaimed, most notably when he got an Oscar nod for his A Fish Called Wanda script.
From 1999-2003 he was part of the James Bond film franchise as Q, appearing in 1999's The World Is Not Enough and 2002's Die Another Day. He also had a recurring role in the Harry Potter films as Nearly Headless Nick.
Although most of the Monty Python team have been rumoured to be considered for the role of the Doctor, Cleese remains as of 2014[update] the only one to actually appear on the series.
In the Doctor Who universe
John Cleese was referenced by name in PROSE: Timeless in connection to one of his Monty Python sketches set in a chemist's shop. In PROSE: Spiral Scratch, the Sixth Doctor said that "John and Connie" (Booth) were good friends of his, justifying his immediate recognition of a Fawlty Towers quote. In COMIC: TV Action!, Beep the Meep visited another universe and hypnotised a number of 1970s light-entertainment stars, including Cleese and his Fawlty Towers co-star Prunella Scales.