John Cleese was supported by his A-List pals on Wednesday, after they gathered at a surprise party to celebrate his 60 years in showbusiness.
The legendary Monty Python star, 86, was thrown the bash by his fourth wife Jennifer, with a string of stars heading to the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London for the celebration.
Snaps from the evening showed the moment the actor was greeted by his nearest and dearest, with stars including Hugh Grant, Ronnie Wood and Alison Steadman in attendance.
John posed for snaps with his beloved spouse Jennifer, 53, who was dressed in a chic black trouser suit with a polo neck jumper.
Rolling Stones legend Ronnie was also joined by his wife Sally, 47, who opted for a 60s-inspired pinafore dress with a matching cream shirt.
John launched his career as a stand-up comic back in the 1960s, breaking on to the scene at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, before co-founding the Monty Python sketch troupe with Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.
John Cleese was supported by his A-List pals, including Hugh Grant, on Wednesday, after they gathered at a surprise party to celebrate his 60 years in showbusiness
The legendary Monty Python star was thrown the bash by his fourth wife Jennifer, with gusts Ronnie Wood and his wife Sally heading to the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park for the celebration
Many of John’s famous friends attended the party in honour of his six decades of showbusinessÂ
Terry, himself an acclaimed director, was also in attendance for the party, alongside legendary comic Rowan Atkinson.
However, Eric was noticeably absent from the bash, following a dispute with his former co-stars over Monty Python’s dwindling fortunes.
The party has coincided with the release of John’s documentary John Cleese Packs It In, which saw him let cameras follow his every move.
As well as starring in the famous Monty Python sketch show and a series of films, John also co-wrote and starred in the 1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers, winning a BAFTA in 1980 for Best Entertainment Performance.
While he has since had a string of film roles, including an Oscar-nominated turn in A Fish Called Wanda, John reunited with the Monty Python cast for 10 live shows at London’s O2 Arena in 2014.
He has also revived Fawlty Towers for a stage play, which is pulled from three popular episodes of the famous comedy.
Despite his success, John previously launched a withering attack on ‘clueless’ BBC bosses he claims ‘have no idea what they’re doing’ – blaming woke censorship for the death of British comedy.
Speaking on stage at the Slapstick comedy festival in Bristol, Cleese said of the broadcaster: ‘If you put a script in now it has to go through a f***ing committee who have no idea what they are doing.
John was in high spirits as he joined his spouse Jennifer, pal Ronnie and his wife Sally for the party, following the release of his tell-all documentary
Having been surprised by the party, a touched John took the microphone and spoke to the guests in attendance
Ronnie displayed his snazzy sense of style as he joined his wife of 13 years for the party
Rolling Stones legend Ronnie was also joined by his wife Sally, 47, who opted for a 60s-inspired pinafore dress with a matching cream shirt
John launched his career as a stand-up comic back in the 1960s, breaking on to the scene at the Edinburgh Fringe FestivalÂ
He then co-founded the Monty Python sketch troupe with Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam , Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin
Terry, himself an acclaimed director, was also in attendance for the party, alongside Ronnie
However, Eric Idle was noticeably absent from the bash, following a dispute with his former co-stars over Monty Python’s dwindling fortunes.
Ronnie cosied up to his wife Sally, who showed off her vintage-inspired fashion sense
The party has coincided with the release of John’s documentary John Cleese Packs It In, which saw him let cameras follow his every move
Legendary comedy star Rowan Atkinson was seen mingling with the guests, including Phil McIntyre, at the party
Stephen Mangan enjoyed a date night with his wife Louise Delamere at the bash
Stephen Merchant attended the party to celebrate John alongside his partner of seven years, actress Mircea Monroe
As well as starring in the famous Monty Python sketch show and a series of films, John also co-wrote and starred in the 1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers, winning a BAFTA in 1980
While he has since had a string of film roles, including an Oscar-nominated turn in A Fish Called Wanda, John reunited with the Monty Python cast for 10 live shows in 2014
He has also revived Fawlty Towers for a stage play, which is pulled from three popular episodes of the famous comedy
Despite his huge success, John launched a withering attack on ‘clueless’ BBC bosses he claims ‘have no idea what they’re doing’ – blaming woke censorship for the death of comedy
Speaking on stage at the Slapstick comedy festival, Cleese said of the broadcaster: ‘If you put a script in now it has to go through a f***ing committee who have no idea what they are doing’
The Monty Python star lamented the decline of British comedy, saying: ‘We used to be really good at it and now we are not and that is very sad’
‘There has been nothing funny since The Office. It is sad and it is because the people in charge have no idea how to make comedy happen.
‘The whole process has been replaced by a bureaucratic process which does not begin to work.’
The Monty Python star lamented the decline of British comedy, saying: ‘We used to be really good at it and now we are not and that is very sad.
‘There weren’t committees when we started. Comedy now has to be clean. You must not play for laughs. I am going to write a book about writing comedy to make people aware how difficult it is.’
And in a brutal takedown of BBC executives, Cleese continued: ‘The people organising comedy have never been very good but at the moment, particularly at the BBC, they are clueless.
‘I don’t think it is a lack of talent – except among the executive classes. Those classes have no idea what they are doing.’
John was married to Fawlty Towers co-star Connie Booth from 1968 to 1978 and then married American actress Barbara Trentham from 1981 to 1990.
He married Alyce, a psychotherapist and author, in 1992 and they divorced in 2008.
She was awarded $20 million (£15.5 million) in a settlement in 2008, and the comic has previously complained that the deal left him worse off than her.
In a candid discussion about his mental health struggle, John admitted last week that, despite suffering with depression, it gave him a ‘grasp on what was important in life.’
He admitted he experienced ‘two and a half, three months of a nervous breakdown with suicidal thoughts.’Â
John added: ‘It was very unpleasant waking up in the morning, because you feel very, very depressed for the first couple of hours.’Â
He continued: ‘And I think I’m glad it happened to me, because it gave me a much more realistic grasp of what was important in life, because we can certainly get distracted.’Â
