Early life

Lucas was born in Paddington, London, the son of Diana (née Williams) and John Stanley Lucas (1944-1996), who ran a chauffeuring business. Some of Lucas's mother's family fled from Germany during the Second World War. Lucas grew up in a Reform Jewish household. He has had alopecia since his childhood, and lost all of his hair when he was six years old. Lucas's father died of a heart attack aged 52 in Brent, Greater London.

Education

Lucas was educated at Aylward Primary School and The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, an independent school in Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, the same school attended by comic actors David Baddiel and Sacha Baron Cohen. He studied at the University of Bristol between 1993 and 1995. He also spent time with the National Youth Theatre, where he first met future writing partner David Walliams.

Career

Lucas's association with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer began in 1992. In 1995, Lucas appeared in The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer. He went on to star with them in Shooting Stars. He quickly rose to fame as George Dawes, the giant baby, who would deliver a string of meaningless gags (often in character) and insults before delivering the score, while sitting at and playing a drum kit, often dressed in an adult-sized romper suit. He also appeared on occasion as Marjorie Dawes, George's mother, who also appears in Little Britain.

He again appeared with Reeves & Mortimer in the BBC series Randall & Hopkirk, and Catterick in a variety of roles. In 1999, Lucas paired with David Walliams, with whom he had already worked in both Mash and Peas and Sir Bernard's Stately Homes, to create Rock Profile, a comedy show that spoofed famous musicians and musical personalities. It is notable for being one of their first comedic collaborations, which fuelled their inspiration to then create the well-known show Little Britain. Lucas has also written for actor Sacha Baron Cohen.

His music video appearances include the Damien Hirst-directed video for Blur's "Country House", "Jesusland" by Ben Folds in 2005, "I'm with Stupid" by the Pet Shop Boys and "Vindaloo" and "Naughty Christmas" by Fat Les.

Lucas ventured into the world of stage musicals in 2002, when he took a role in Boy George's musical Taboo at The Venue, London. He played the performance artist Leigh Bowery.

Little Britain

Little Britain is Lucas's most commercially successful work. Originally a radio show on BBC Radio 4, it later became a TV series. Among the many characters he plays in the series, which he writes and acts in along with David Walliams, are apparently "disabled" Andy Pipkin, teenage Bristol chav Vicky Pollard, homophobic homosexual Daffyd Thomas, and insensitive slimming club organiser Marjorie Dawes.

After Little Britain

In 2005, he took his first role in a television drama, a supporting part as a Venetian duke in the BBC historical serial Casanova, written by Russell T Davies. Also in 2005, he did voice work in the ITV children's program King Arthur's Disasters alongside Rik Mayall. Since 2006, Lucas has been the voice of the radio and television character Digit Al, devised as part of a public information campaign on digital switchover. On 26 November 2006 he appeared on the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs. He made a cameo appearance in Shaun of the Dead as Tom, the cousin of Shaun's friend Yvonne.

In 2007, he released "I'm Gonna Be", originally by The Proclaimers, with Peter Kay as a charity single for Comic Relief. He performed the single as Little Britain character Andy Pipkin, along with Kay playing as Brian Potter. He also starred as Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows, a 2006 television adaptation of the Kenneth Grahame novel.

He has appeared in Kath & Kim and Neighbours (the latter alongside David Walliams as Little Britain characters Lou and Andy), as well as a cameo role, playing 'Chris' or 'Jammy' at the wedding fayre, in the BBC Three sitcom Gavin & Stacey. Lucas has co-written (with Walliams) and performed in a new series of Little Britain USA for HBO.

Lucas was the first celebrity to appear in 2008's Big Brother Celebrity Hijack on E4.

On 9 April 2009, the series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, featuring Matt Lucas as a regular performer, premièred on Comedy Central, the first major comedy series which Lucas had worked on since Little Britain. In 2010, Lucas played Tweedledee and Tweedledum in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

Starting in February 2010, Lucas began hosting his own radio show, And The Winner Is, in which he handed out a fictional series of awards based on nominations by his guests.

On 3 October 2010, Matt played Thénardier in the 25th Anniversary Concerts of Les Misérables, at the O2 Arena in London. A year later, from 23 June to 10 September 2011, he reprised the role at The Queen's Theatre, in the West End. He has since collaborated with Alfie Boe, who played Jean Valjean, to record a duet of "The Impossible Dream" on Boe's debut album.

Also in 2011, Lucas lent his voice to the CGI film Gnomeo and Juliet, as well as playing a small role as the roommate of Kristen Wiig in the comedy Bridesmaids.

On Christmas Day 2010, the BBC began showing Matt Lucas and David Walliams' new series, Come Fly with Me. The show followed the familiar style of Walliams and Lucas each playing multiple characters but, unlike Little Britain, it focused entirely on the working environment of the airline industry. In an interview shown on BBC 3 on 9 February 2011, it was stated that the creators considered bringing travel agent character Carol Beer from Little Britain to the new series, but decided against it, as they didn't want viewers to see the new show as merely a spinoff. Instead, all new characters were introduced.

On 28 March 2012, Lucas appeared as the "Generation X" guest on the Australian game show Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation.

On 10 April 2012, Lucas's own BBC One show The Matt Lucas Awards began. This can be understood as a send-up of awards programmes in general, inviting a number of panelists (generally speaking, comedians) to give their nominations for awards for a series of prizes concerning trivial topics.

Lucas also starred in the dark comedy Small Apartments released in February 2013 alongside James Caan, Billy Crystal, Johnny Knoxville, Juno Temple with other cameo performances by notable actors.

On 21 February 2013, Lucas appeared on the NBC series Community as Toby, an English friend of Abed Nadir. In 2014, Lucas played Ray Thomas in The Life of Rock with Brian Pern.

Lucas launched a new comedy series called Pompidou for BBC Two. The show began airing on 1 March 2015.

Personal life

Lucas is a patron of the Karen Morris Memorial Trust, a UK charity for leukaemia patients and their families. In April 2004, he appeared on Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and won £62,500 for the charity.

Lucas is gay, and has said he first had an inkling as such at the age of seven. In December 2006, Lucas entered into a civil partnership with Kevin McGee, in a ceremony in Central London. In attendance were various celebrities, including Barbara Windsor, Neil Tennant, Elton John, and Courtney Love. Their civil partnership was dissolved through the High Court in 2008, ending what was a six-year relationship. Though raised Jewish, Lucas has described himself as a "huge atheist".

From 2012 to 2015, Lucas lived with his Bridesmaids co-star Rebel Wilson in West Hollywood. They remain good friends.

He is a supporter of Arsenal F.C.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show		TV series (1 episode)
1995	The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer	Mayor Hobson / Pub Landlord / Quivell Mills	TV series (4 episodes)
1995-2009	Shooting Stars	George Dawes / Marjorie Dawes	TV series (53 episodes)
1996	Shooting Stars: Unviewed and Nude	George Dawes	Video
1996	Mash and Peas	Danny Mash / Various roles	TV series (9 episodes)
1997	Sunnyside Farm	Mr. Mills	TV series
1997	It's Ulrika!	Various roles	TV movie
1997	Dennis Pennis R.I.P.	'The Quill'	Video
1998	Barking	Various Roles	TV series
1998	Jilting Joe	Air Steward
1998	You Are Here	Pat Magnet	TV movie
1999	Plunkett & Macleane	Sir Oswald
1999	Bang, Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer	Various roles	TV series (1 episode)
1999	Sir Bernard's Stately Homes	Sir Bernard Chumley	TV series (6 episodes)
1999-2009	Rock Profile	Various characters	TV series (28 episodes)
2001	Fun at the Funeral Parlour	Father Titmus / Isaac Hunt	TV series (2 episodes)
2001	Randall & Hopkirk	Nesbit	TV series (1 episode: "Revenge of the Bog People")
2002	Surrealissimo: The Scandalous Success of Salvador Dalí	Luis Buñuel	TV movie
2002	Captain V		TV movie
2003-2007	Little Britain	Various Roles / Andy Pipkin / Daffyd Thomas	TV series (23 episodes)
2003	Moo(n)	Bee	Short
2003	Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do	Su Pollard: Blankety Blank	TV movie
2003	Welcome to Glaringly	Various roles	Short
2004	Catterick	Roy Oates / Dan the Shellfish Man / Webster	TV series (6 episodes)
2004	Shaun of the Dead	Cousin Tom
2004	The All Star Comedy Show	Various roles	TV movie
2004	French and Saunders		TV series (1 episode)
2004	AD/BC: A Rock Opera	God	TV movie
2005	Look Around You	Dr. Phillip Lavender	TV series (2 episodes)
2005	Cold and Dark	Dr. Elgin
2005	Casanova	Villars	TV mini-series (2 episodes)
2005-2006	King Arthur's Disasters	Merlin	TV series
2005	Alan Partridge Presents: The Cream of British Comedy	Daffydd Thomas	Video
2006	Popetown	Cardinal One / Jackie Cohen	TV series (10 episodes)
2006	The Wind in the Willows	Toad	TV movie
2007	Gavin & Stacey	Jammy	TV series (1 episode)
2007	Neighbours	Andy Pipkin	TV series (1 episode: "British Bulldog")
2007	Fievel Throws Down		Short
2007	Kath & Kim	Karen	TV series (2 episodes)
2007	The National Television Awards 2007	Lou	TV movie
2007-2008	Little Britain USA	Various roles	TV series (6 episodes)
2009	Comic Relief 2009	Julie / Matt Van-Laaast / Ellie Grace	TV movie
2009	Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire	Chancellor Dongalor	TV series (6 episodes)
2009	Astro Boy	Sparx (voice)
2009	Pride of Britain Awards 2009	Andy	TV movie
2010	Alice in Wonderland	Tweedledee and Tweedledum
2010	The RRF in New Recruit	Sparx (voice)	Video short
2010	The Infidel	Rabbi
2010	Funny or Die Presents	Graham Rhys Grahamcox	TV series (1 episode "The Carpet Brothers")
2010	Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary Concert	Thenardier
2010	The One Ronnie	Various characters	TV movie
2011	Gnomeo & Juliet	Benny (voice)
2010-2011	Come Fly with Me	Various roles / Fearghal O'Farrell / Keeley St Clair / Mickey Minchin	TV series (6 episodes)
2011	Bridesmaids	Gil
2012	Small Apartments	Franklin Franklin
2012	The Greatest Footie Ads Ever	Andy	TV movie
2013	The Look of Love	Divine
2012-2013	Portlandia	Stu	TV series (2 episodes)
2013	Community	Toby	TV series (1 episode: "Conventions of Space and Time")
2013	In Secret	Olivier	Previously titled Thérèse
2013	The Harry Hill Movie	Otto
2013	Super Fun Night	Derrick	TV series (guest appearance)
2014	Paddington	Joe
2014	The Life of Rock with Brian Pern	Ray Thomas	TV series
2015	Pompidou	Pompidou	TV series
2015	Fresh Off the Boat	Mr. Fisher	TV series
2015	Doctor Who	Nardole	TV series Christmas special
2015	Man Seeking Woman	Igor	TV series
2016	Alice Through the Looking Glass	Tweedledee and Tweedledum
2016	How to Talk to Girls at Parties		Filming
2017	A Futile and Stupid Gesture	Tony Hendra	Filming

Biography

Official

• Boyd Hilton; Matt Lucas; David Walliams (2006). Inside Little Britain. London: Ebury Press. ISBN 0-09-191231-8.

Unofficial

• Neil Simpson (2006). Yeah But No But: The Biography of Matt Lucas and David Walliams. London: John Blake. ISBN 1-84454-258-0.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]