Izzard's mother died of cancer when Izzard was six. The family then moved to Wales, where they lived in Skewen. When Izzard was one year old, the family moved to Northern Ireland and settled in Bangor, where they lived until Izzard was five. She has a brother named Mark, who is two years older. Her mother was a midwife and nurse, while her father was an accountant who was working in Aden for British Petroleum at the time of her birth.
Her surname is of French Huguenot origin. A dedicated Labour Party activist, she twice ran unsuccessfully for the party's National Executive Committee but temporarily joined as runner-up after Christine Shawcroft resigned in March 2018.Įdward John Izzard was born in Aden (then in Aden Colony and now in Yemen) on 7 February 1962, the child of English parents Dorothy Ella Izzard (1927–1968) and Harold John Michael Izzard (1928–2018). In addition to her native English, she regularly performs stand-up in Arabic, French, German, Russian, and Spanish, and is an active supporter of Europeanism and the European Union. In 2016, she ran 27 marathons in 27 days in South Africa in honour of Nelson Mandela, raising £1.35 million. In 2009, Izzard completed 43 marathons in 51 days for Sport Relief despite having no history of long-distance running. Among various accolades, she won two Primetime Emmys for Dress to Kill and was nominated for a Tony Award for her Broadway performance in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.
Eddie izzard running challenge series#
Izzard has also worked as a voice actor on films such as Five Children and It, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Abominable and the Netflix original series Green Eggs and Ham. She starred in the 2007 television series The Riches and has appeared in numerous films including Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen, Shadow of the Vampire, The Cat's Meow and Valkyrie.
Izzard's stand-up comedy tours have included Live at the Ambassadors (1993), Definite Article (1996), Glorious (1997), Dress to Kill (1998), Circle (2000), Stripped (2009), Force Majeure (2013) and, most recently, Wunderbar (2022). Her comedic style takes the form of rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime. Edward John Izzard ( / ˈ ɪ z ɑːr d/ born 7 February 1962) is an English stand-up comedian, actor and activist.