Rowan Atkinson, most popularly known for playing the simple-minded Mr Bean, crashed his car Saturday at the Goodwood Revival. The 59-year-old comedian, behind the wheel of a Ford Falcon Sprint, got involved in a crash when another race participant two cars ahead lost control of his vehicle.
The first car spun off the tracks, while the vehicle behind it was able to swerve to avoid colliding with the car ahead. Atkinson however wasn’t as lucky and crashed head-on onto the first car, seriously damaging his own vehicle. According to the Telegraph , Rowan did not appear to sustain any form of serious injury, although his dismay over the crash was noticeable.
The Daily Mail reports that Rowan Atkinson – a car enthusiast – regularly attends the Goodwood Revival, a vintage cars and motorcycle three-day festival held every September. Included in Atkinson’s roster of luxury car collections are a Honda NSX, a Jaguar Mk7, an Aston Martin DB2, a 1939 BMW 328 and a Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe.
This isn’t Rowan’s first car collision. In 2011, it was reported that Atkinson crashed a McClaren F1 into a tree after losing control of the vehicle. Although he only suffered a broken shoulder, the crash was said to have significantly affected Rowan Atkinson’s total net worth, the vehicle being $115 million and one of the only 64 manufactured. After the crash, he was able to set a record in Britain for having the most expensive car repair bill in the country – a whopping $1 million dollar to fix the extravagant car.
Originally an electrical engineer – having received his bachelor’s degree in Newcastle and his masters in Oxford – Rowan Atkinson got his early start in comedy at the Oxford University Dramatic Society, where he met writer Richard Curtis. Decades later, the two would team up to create one of the world’s most popular sitcoms, Mr Bean, where Atkinson plays the titular character. In recent years, it was revealed that Atkinson earned most of his wealth by playing the lovable simpleton, earning $11 million from playing the character alone. Daily Mail estimates go at $97 million while Celebrity Net Worth puts Atkinson’s figures at $130 million, making him Britain’s richest TV star.
A high-profile celebrity, Atkinson has been subject to multiple death hoaxes in the past. In a report by the Inquisitr last year, Atkinson was one of the celebs rumored to have passed away in 2013, with some stories claiming he committed suicide. Obviously, the story isn’t true, and fortunately, despite the crash Atkinson recently suffered, he was able to come out of the collision unscathed.
Rowan Atkinson reprises his role as Mr Bean for a yet-to-be announced advert currently being shot in China.
[Image from S Pakhrin /Flickr]