Rowan Atkinson, 61, has had a lengthy, illustrious career in the world of comedy across various mediums. He is an actor, screenwriter, and comedian who garnered recognition as one of the 50 funniest people in Britain, according to The Observer. In 2005, he was even voted by fellow comedians to be one of the 50 top comedians of all time.

Atkinson is a comedian’s comedian whose more notable roles include the ridiculously expressive child-man Mr. Bean, a charmingly unlucky Edmund Blackadder, and an aloof spy named Johnny English, each of whom seem to cause havoc more often than not.

Many equate the man to the silly characters he portrays with his hilarious dialogue and personal brand of physical comedy, which was inspired by Buster Keaton. However, any one of his more dedicated fans would attest that Atkinson is actually quite the scholar.

Mr. Bean, the Electrical Engineer?

An established academic, Atkinson received his undergraduate degree from Newcastle University and a Master’s degree from The Queen’s College at the University of Oxford, both in electrical engineering. To top it off, Oxford made him an Honorary Fellow in 2006, which is quite the rigorous accomplishment.

Though he initially began acting in order to overcome a childhood stutter, he found a home onstage. He even made the decision to drop his pursuit of a doctorate in electrical engineering to devote his time to a career in acting.

Atkinson has only revived the infamous Mr. Bean once since the character’s retirement in 2012, but the actor’s work in the entertainment industry is far from over. The comic’s career is taking a new turn as he plays the more serious role of French police commissioner Jules Maigret. The UK’s ITV network has recently revived the Georges Simenon’s character and released the first part of a series of feature-length episodes on March 28.

I am sure many will agree - Atkinson made a great choice to pursue a career in performing arts - and for that, I am grateful. I am also grateful for all those engineers who stayed the course and are advancing the use of technology in our daily lives.