Born Ricky Dene Gervais, but we can call him Ricky Gervais…obviously. He’s a writer, director, actor, producer and an all around genius. He has touched all if not most mediums in the entertainment world and it’s all turned to gold (so says me anyways). His rise to fame came rather late in in his life when compared to other success stories and gives inspiration to many as it suggests it’s never too late to do what you love.
Not a day goes by where I don’t get a Ricky fix, whether it’s the sounds of his classic radio days on XFM, a world record breaking podcast (or bodcast as he calls it) or a clip from one of his sold out live shows. My favorite thing about Mr. Gervais is that you can see that he loves what he does and loves sharing it with the world.
Gervais came from humble beginnings, a working class family living in Whitley, Reading on a council estate. His father Jerry, a French-Canadian from London, Ontario, Canada, came to England during World War II where he met his wife, Eva. Jerry worked as a laborer and Eva was a housewife. Gervais is the youngest of four siblings and he has often remarked about how he thinks he was an accident, since he is 11 years younger than his next eldest sibling. Gervais speaks fondly of his upbringing; he often remarks that although they were not wealthy, as a child he always got what he wanted for Christmas as his mother would “get it out the catalogue and pay for it the rest of the year.”
At the age of 8, Gervais became an atheist after his brother asked him why he believed in God. His mother’s reaction to the question caused him to question his beliefs and he said, “Within an hour, I was an atheist”. [Article: My Argument With God] Gervais has always been outspoken about his atheism. In June 2008 he became an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society. He joined Richard Dawkins in December 2008 as a special guest star for Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People: A Rational Celebration for Christmas.
Gervais attended Ashmead School before moving to University College London. He changed his course of study from biology to philosophy because “biology was 40 hours a week, and philosophy was only 7 hours.” It was at UCL where Gervais met his long-term girlfriend Jane Fallon, with whom he has been together since the mid 1980s. After his time at university in the late 1980s Gervais shared a small, one room flat with his girlfriend. It was at this time when the infamous sink story took place. Gervais first told this story on Xfm and has since told it as an encore for his stand-up tour.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iGVI-hq5yw[/youtube]
Gervais has always been a proponent of animal rights. He supports an animal welfare organization, the WSPA, and has shared his views against fox-hunting and bull fighting on several occasions. He has also written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown [letter] urging him to implement a fur-free policy at the Ministry of Defence. Gervais is against the use of real Canadian black bear fur in the Bearskins used by the Foot Guards. The letter can be found on the PETA website. Gervais has also been involved with the Wildlife Aid organisation that serves to rescue, rehabilitate and release wildlife in the UK.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QndIxlzA99M[/youtube]
Gervais currently lives in Hampstead, London with his girlfriend of 25 years, British television producer and best-selling author, Jane Fallon. They also have a home in New York. They do not have any children, but Gervais has a pet cat named Ollie that was given to him by his friend, Jonathan Ross on his chat show.
Quick correction. His name isn't Richard, it's actually Ricky.