Izzard, Eddie (1962– )

English stand-up comedian and actor. He began his career by street performing in Covent Garden, London, and in 1980 began performing in London comedy clubs. In 1993 he took his show Live at the Ambassadors to the West End, London, and then began to tour the UK with his stand-up routine. He also acted in films – such as The Avengers (1998) and Mystery Men (1999) – as well as taking on challenging theatre roles. In 1999, he combined his talents in playing the US stand-up comedian Lenny Bruce in Peter Hall's production of Lenny at the Queen's Theatre, London.

His one-man show Dressed to Kill gained a wide audience through its broadcast on HBO and earned him two Emmy Awards in 2000. He starred in the premiere of David Mamet's Cryptogram (1994) and in Christopher Marlowe's Edward II (1995) in London's West End. His film debut was in The Secret Agent (1996). Other films include Shadow of the Vampire (2000), The Cat's Meow (2001), and Ocean's Twelve (2004).

Izzard is known for his often flamboyant attire and his advocacy of ‘equal clothing rights’, meaning that he rejects the conventional notion that dresses and make-up are exclusively for women (though he revokes the label ‘transvestite’).