‘Mr Bean’ falsely pronounced dead for the ’23rd time or something’

Fans of the actor Rowan Atkinson, famous for his iconic portrayal of Mr Bean, were left frustrated after it was falsely reported that he had died.

This isn’t the first time the actor has been the victim of fake news surrounding his alleged demise.

A picture of Atkinson stating he had died on 22 November 2021 from a fake Twitter account, acting as Fox News, spread the lie and forced people into opening a link that would have “more information” on this, India TV News reported.

The British actor is 66-years-old and the tweet got the actor’s age wrong, saying he was 58. The account has since been deleted but the tweet read: “Mr Bean (Rowan Atkinson) died at 58 after [a] car accident.”

Similar tweets have been posted since 2017 and shared from other accounts but the link opens to Facebook.

Many people quickly figured out this was fake news and were tired of the false reports. According to Twitter users, this occurs yearly.

Atkinson’s Mr Bean aired in 1990 in a half-hour special for Thames Television. The actor explained that the character was inspired by Monsieur Hulot, a french comic.

He said Mr Bean was “entirely selfish and self-centred and doesn’t actually acknowledge the outside world. He’s a child in a man’s body. Which is what most visual comedians are about”.

Mr Bean became an international phenomenon, with several sequels, re-runs, movies and animations done over the years.

Playing the character for more than 20 years, Atkinson intended to retire Mr Bean in 2012, a role that brought him much success and millions of fans.

“Apart from the fact that your physical ability starts to decline, I also think someone in their 50s being childlike becomes a little sad. You’ve got to be careful,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

But the actor only stopped in 2018 after appearing as Mr Bean in a Chinese film titled Huan Le Xi Ju Ren.

Atkinson has found much success in other films, such as playing the comedic spy in the movies Johnny English franchise.

Previously, there were rumours that Atkinson would star as Adolf Hilter in season six of Peaky Blinders. The spokesperson of the crime series said the rumours were false.

Compiled by Sandisiwe Mbhele