Russell Brand

If you know more information about Russell Brand help us to improve this page

Birthday:

4 June 1975, Grays, Essex, England, UK

Birth Name:

Russell Edward Brand

Height:

187 cm

Russell Brand was born on June 4, 1975, in Grays, Essex, England, the son of Barbara Elizabeth (Nichols) and Ronald Henry Brand, a photographer. An only child, his parents divorced when he was only six months old, and he was subsequently raised by his mother. Enduring a difficult childhood that saw him living with relatives while his mother was treated for cancer and only sporadically visited by his father, Brand left home at age 16. Accepted by the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in 1991, he was expelled during his first year for bad behaviour and drug use; by his own admission, he used a variety of illegal drugs and became addicted to heroin. After being expelled from the Drama Centre London during his final term in 1995, he switched his focus primarily to comedy from acting.Brand's first significant stand-up appearances came in 2000, the same year he also became a video journalist for MTV, a job which he was subsequently fired from. Continuing to work both in TV and stand-up, he debuted his one-man show Better Now, an account of his heroin addiction, at the Edinburgh Festival in 2004. Brand became a popular British television star by appearing on Big Brother and hosting his own talk show and numerous other series, and in 2008 shot to fame worldwide as the rocker Aldous Snow in the hit comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). After an appearance in the Adam Sandler comedy Bedtime Stories (2008), he reprised the character of Aldous in the comedy Get Him to the Greek (2010), opposite Jonah Hill.Brand also starred in the remake Arthur (2011), opposite Helen Mirren, with whom he also starred in The Tempest (2010), and lent his voice to the Easter Bunny in Hop (2011) and to Dr. Nefario in the animated feature film Despicable Me (2010). He is reprising the role in Despicable Me 2 (2013), and will also co-star in a drama written and directed by Diablo Cody, starring alongside Julianne Hough and Holly Hunter. He also played Lonny in the all-star cast of the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages (2012).Brand's writing debut, My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-Up, became a huge success in the United Kingdom. Subsequently published in the U.S. in 2009, it stayed on the New York Times' bestseller list for five weeks in a row. The follow up, My Booky Wook 2: This Time it's Personal, was published in October, 2010. In 2010, Brand received the British Comedy Award for Outstanding Contribution to Comedy and was honored in 2011 with the ShoWest Award for Comedy Star of the Year.Brand married the pop star Katy Perry in 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony in Rajasthan, India; after 14 months, Brand filed for a divorce, which was officially granted in 2012. Show less «

It would have been convenient to be gay. Just because of the grooming, the narcissism, stuff like that. But I have this kind of roaring hete...Show more »

It would have been convenient to be gay. Just because of the grooming, the narcissism, stuff like that. But I have this kind of roaring heterosexuality. Traditional, uncomplicated heterosexuality, an almost clichéd Robin Askwith thing. People have always said, are you gay? I've had a lot of that. But it's just not in me. I really like women a lot; I'm repulsed by men sexually. Show less «

In England, we have such good manners that if someone says something impolite, the police will get involved. Christian Bale, I believe whils...Show more »

In England, we have such good manners that if someone says something impolite, the police will get involved. Christian Bale, I believe whilst in a restaurant, rolled his eyes at the lighting. That is an offense punishable by five years in prison in the United Kingdom. I admire Christian Bale and I think he's one of the greatest living actors on the planet currently, but we cannot shirk when it comes to good manners. If it's true that he also dropped a napkin on his way to the lavatory, then I think that he should possibly receive the death penalty. Show less «

I've always had this impulse to be destructive. I have to say to myself, 'remember, you've got all these things to do - don't ruin it just f...Show more »

I've always had this impulse to be destructive. I have to say to myself, 'remember, you've got all these things to do - don't ruin it just for the moment. Show less «

It was nice of you to let him have a go, because, in England, he wouldn't be trusted with a pair of scissors. (On George W. Bush)

It's no wonder Bob Geldof knows so much about famine - he's been dining out on I Don't Like Mondays for 30 years.

What I think, whilst human beings are diverse and different, ultimately - Everyone knows what it is to be in love. Everyone knows what it is...Show more »

What I think, whilst human beings are diverse and different, ultimately - Everyone knows what it is to be in love. Everyone knows what it is to find something funny. Everyone knows what it is to hate or to be jealous or feel insecure. We're made from the same basic stuff: 30 per cent of DNA the same as bananas, 60 per cent the same as worms and 98 per cent the same as chimpanzees, so we can't be that different from each other. Show less «

I'm above 'heat' magazine, I've read a few books. But like, you know, if Robert... if there's two aftershaves on the shelf and one of them's...Show more »

I'm above 'heat' magazine, I've read a few books. But like, you know, if Robert... if there's two aftershaves on the shelf and one of them's got Robert Downey Jr.'s face on it, that might be an appealing aspect to me. Show less «

[on The Tempest (2010) co-star Helen Mirren] Confidence. Potency. Female energy. Roaring oestrogen. She's got that potency, doesn't she? Tha...Show more »

[on The Tempest (2010) co-star Helen Mirren] Confidence. Potency. Female energy. Roaring oestrogen. She's got that potency, doesn't she? That's why she can play queens and leaders. Women are, of course, powerful, feral creatures - the Earth being so female. If women get in tune to that energy, it'll destroy us all. Show less «

[on fame and finding inner happiness] When I was growing up, I thought I'd be a lot happier if I was famous and successful and if I had mone...Show more »

[on fame and finding inner happiness] When I was growing up, I thought I'd be a lot happier if I was famous and successful and if I had money. And I think that's because we live in a culture that celebrates fame and commerce and consumerism and money, so that if you don't have those things, you feel like you're not enough. And I think we live in a culture that makes me, "Oh, I'm a little bit too fat or I'm too thin, or I'm not right and I don't fit in." And I think that increasingly I've realised is I've tried to change and I've tried to adapt and amend and pursue these ambitions that ultimately - everybody has beauty within themselves, and if you find this and accept this, then you will be happy regardless of external attributes or material things. Show less «

I think that most of the things achievable through drugs, certainly the things that people are trying to find through drugs, are accessible ...Show more »

I think that most of the things achievable through drugs, certainly the things that people are trying to find through drugs, are accessible through other means - perhaps like meditation or prayer or contact through some kind of higher power. Show less «

It's difficult to believe in yourself because the idea of self is an artificial construction. You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness...Show more »

It's difficult to believe in yourself because the idea of self is an artificial construction. You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness of the universe. Everything beautiful in the world is within you. No-one really feels self-confident deep down because it's an artificial idea. Really, people aren't that worried about what you're doing or what you're saying, so you can drift around the world relatively anonymously: you must not feel persecuted and examined. Liberate yourself from that idea that people are watching you. Show less «

[on explaining his thought process during stand-up performances] My mind is aware, I am the puppeteer of myself. When it's good, there is no...Show more »

[on explaining his thought process during stand-up performances] My mind is aware, I am the puppeteer of myself. When it's good, there is nothing. I'm just completely engaged in the moment, completely lost within. I have the idea as if there are tendrils that hang from the heavens, and when my head is clear, I can cling to them and nothing happens - I don't have to think, it all just comes. I feel like a conduit so that I am free from my mind... When it's good, it's like I'm not there. Show less «

When I'm improvising I say anything that comes to mind - a lot of it disgusting.

Change is perpetual and, to be honest, I don't see any great value in being a provocateur around trivial subjects. We're living at a time of...Show more »

Change is perpetual and, to be honest, I don't see any great value in being a provocateur around trivial subjects. We're living at a time of incredible change and incredible consequence. And I think perhaps we should preserve our rhetoric for important subjects: the impending ecological doom being brought about by the irresponsibility of big business; the predatory nature of the financial industry; the constant subjugation of the world's poor; the outsourcing of manufacturing industries into the Third World; the growing disparity between the rich and the poor in apparently civilised nations like Britain and the US. Show less «

The interest in me and acceptance of my novelty has been like when Superman leaves his planet and suddenly things that are just normal for h...Show more »

The interest in me and acceptance of my novelty has been like when Superman leaves his planet and suddenly things that are just normal for him become these superpowers here on earth. Or like Columbus returning from the colonies with tobacco. Show less «

You're all beautiful, both inside and out. You mustn't worry about anything; nothing is important except finding love within yourself and be...Show more »

You're all beautiful, both inside and out. You mustn't worry about anything; nothing is important except finding love within yourself and being all honourable and glorious and beautiful. Take things dead slowly 'cause nothing you can attain externally has value, only that which is within yourself already is valuable. Show less «

Love is a spark of divinity. There is salvation in love because it is the thing that unites us all. Love is the spark of divinity that is, i...Show more »

Love is a spark of divinity. There is salvation in love because it is the thing that unites us all. Love is the spark of divinity that is, in essence, life; that is found everywhere. It don't matter that it's transient, it don't matter that it often breaks our hearts, all that matters is that we can all share it in the moment. Show less «

Don't be lost. You are found also. We only have the moment. All that is real is the moment. Everything else is an illusion, so there we are.

I just try to see the beauty in things and people as often as I can. I know that's a challenging way to live your life sometimes, but mostly...Show more »

I just try to see the beauty in things and people as often as I can. I know that's a challenging way to live your life sometimes, but mostly the world is beautiful and people are beautiful. Show less «

There is always the possibility of change. No matter how difficult and how entrenched your situation may seem, be it your personal situation...Show more »

There is always the possibility of change. No matter how difficult and how entrenched your situation may seem, be it your personal situation or the situation within society; personal revolution, social revolution are always a possibility... we could form a Utopia at any moment. Show less «

Life is transient and the material world is but an illusion; only love is real.

I've learned that it is important to be beautiful to people. That all that matters is that you are lovely to the people around you and the p...Show more »

I've learned that it is important to be beautiful to people. That all that matters is that you are lovely to the people around you and the people that you meet. It doesn't matter if you're a show off or a little bit vain, as long as you're good to your mum, and that you're kind, and that you're lovely. And that everything is transient and superficial and to not get attached to material things because you're going to lose it all. And the only thing that is constant is love. Show less «

[in 2012, to a yakking fan]: You're the worst audience member since John Wilkes Booth.

[on why the title of his show changed from 'Strangely Uplifting' to 'Brand X'] I have a friend who didn't name his twins for months - just c...Show more »

[on why the title of his show changed from 'Strangely Uplifting' to 'Brand X'] I have a friend who didn't name his twins for months - just called them Big One and Little One. I said, 'Look, they're going out into the world now. You're going to have to give them names'. The same was true for the show. When it was apparent it was real, we named it. Show less «

The main narrative thrust of The Bible though, like most spiritual texts, including the Quran is: be nice to each other because we're all th...Show more »

The main narrative thrust of The Bible though, like most spiritual texts, including the Quran is: be nice to each other because we're all the same. Show less «

[on Doctor Who (2005)] I'd love to be him, I'd be like a Tom Baker one. Like a sort of long scarf, flouncy, wistful, quoting occasional poem...Show more »

[on Doctor Who (2005)] I'd love to be him, I'd be like a Tom Baker one. Like a sort of long scarf, flouncy, wistful, quoting occasional poems, kicking Cybermen in the nuts. This is what the country needs. I would just travel through time pinching people's a***s. Carry on up the worm hole. Like quantum physics, so that is actually perfect. No, we can't have that in the Tardis, 'ere it's a lot bigger on the inside. Show less «

[on his personal best for having orgasms] Once in Dublin... nine... not even in a day, an evening. I felt exhausted the next day.

I remember like when I first got here thinking, 'Oh, my God, I'm allowed a gun. That's really cool', and I set about justifying it in innume...Show more »

I remember like when I first got here thinking, 'Oh, my God, I'm allowed a gun. That's really cool', and I set about justifying it in innumerable ways. I went to a gun range and I learned a little bit about shooting and all that kind of stuff. And in my mind it's like I want to be able to protect the people I love...People who knew me said, 'You should not get a gun - you don't have that kind of personality. You're not a person who should have deadly force at your disposal'...After the Sandy Hook tragedy I thought, How can I legitimately hold the opinions that I do and then hypocritically purchase a firearm. So I have not bought one. My feeling is that the more guns that are available, the more likely for them being used incorrectly here. Show less «

The great Tupac Shakur, one of your fine poets in America said, 'Role is something you play. Model is something you make. Both them things a...Show more »

The great Tupac Shakur, one of your fine poets in America said, 'Role is something you play. Model is something you make. Both them things are fake.' I will be an authentic father, teaching those kids how to steal letters. Show less «

Communism is just sharing isn't it? We tell children to do it all the time.

It is not that I am not voting out of apathy. I am not voting out of absolute indifference and weariness and exhaustion from the lies, treac...Show more »

It is not that I am not voting out of apathy. I am not voting out of absolute indifference and weariness and exhaustion from the lies, treachery and deceit of the political class that has been going on for generations. Show less «

[on the British electoral system, which he considers broken] I don't get my authority from this pre-existing paradigm which is quite narrow ...Show more »

[on the British electoral system, which he considers broken] I don't get my authority from this pre-existing paradigm which is quite narrow and only serves a few people. I look elsewhere for alternatives that might be of service to humanity.. Total revolution of consciousness and our entire social, political and economic system is what interests me, but that's not what's on the ballot..I will never vote and I don't think you should either. Show less «

[on the death of Robin Williams] Robin Williams was exciting to me because he seemed to be sat upon a geyser of comedy. Like he didn't manuf...Show more »

[on the death of Robin Williams] Robin Williams was exciting to me because he seemed to be sat upon a geyser of comedy. Like he didn't manufacture it laboriously within but had only to open a valve and it would come bursting through in effervescent jets. What I might do is watch Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). Or Dead Poets Society (1989) or Good Will Hunting (1997) and I might be nice to people, mindful today how fragile we all are, how delicate we are, even when fizzing with divine madness that seems like it will never expire. Show less «

[on Nigel Farage] This man is not a cartoon character, he ain't Del Boy (Only Fools and Horses.... (1981)), he ain't Arthur Daley (Minder (1...Show more »

[on Nigel Farage] This man is not a cartoon character, he ain't Del Boy (Only Fools and Horses.... (1981)), he ain't Arthur Daley (Minder (1979)), he is a Pound Shop Enoch Powell and we gotta watch him. Show less «

[on why he would not stand as a Candidate] Because I don't want to become one of them.