“Comedy is a great weapon of attack.”
Eddie, also known as Suzy, Izzard, is a distinguished British comedian, actor, and philanthropist. Celebrated as a preeminent comic of her era, she is renowned for her surreal and winding monologues.
Born in Aden, Yemen, to English parents, Izzard's family later relocated to Northern Ireland before settling in Wales. Tragically, when Izzard was just six years old, her mother succumbed to cancer.
Izzard pursued a degree in drama at the University of Sheffield. She recognized her gender-fluid identity from a young age and identifies as transgender in a broad sense. At the age of 23, she came out and began openly cross-dressing. In 2020, Izzard permanently adopted female pronouns.
Post-university, Izzard honed her craft in comedy clubs and as a street performer. Her breakthrough moment arrived in 1991 when she performed as part of "Hysteria 3," a televised AIDS fundraiser held at the London Palladium. In 1993, she secured the Ambassadors Theatre in London for a one-person show, earning her a British Comedy Award for Best Live Stand-up Comedian.
Izzard went on to create a second successful show in 1994 and followed up with an award-winning third show in 1995, touring major cities outside the UK. Her breakthrough in the U.S. materialized with "Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill" (1999), which aired on HBO and earned her two Emmys. She has also performed in French and German, languages she is fluent in.
Izzard's expansive body of work encompasses over 30 films and numerous television and theater productions. Her film debut took place in 1995, and she shared the screen with Bob Hoskins and Robin Williams in the gripping thriller "The Secret Agent" in 1996. Subsequent films include "The Avengers," "Oceans Twelve," and "Victoria & Abdul," for which she underwent a transformation, gaining 26 pounds to portray Prince Bertie of Wales.
In addition to her acting roles, Izzard has lent her voice to animated films such as "Cars 2" and "The Lego Batman Movie." Her stage repertoire includes lead roles in "Edward II" and "Lenny." Her performance in the Broadway revival of "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" garnered a Tony nomination.
Izzard has raised millions of dollars for Sports Relief, a UK charity supporting vulnerable individuals globally. An accomplished endurance athlete, she completed 43 marathons in 51 days across the UK and 27 marathons in 27 days in South Africa. Additionally, she is a significant contributor to the British Labor Party.
Among her many accolades, Izzard was honored with the Annual Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism, presented at Harvard University. She has also been the subject of a documentary and authored a New York Times best-selling memoir.
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