Comedy legend John Cleese visits Drumheller
The Royal Tyrrell Museum was turned into a little bit of a circus last Friday; a flying circus that is.
Legendary British actor/comedian John Cleese, who is most renowned for his roles in Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers, and A Fish Called Wanda, paid a visit to the Tyrrell and was given a special behind the scenes tour by Dr. Don Henderson.
Dr. Don Henderson, left, Curator of Dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, with legendary actor/comedian John Cleese in the Tyrrell collections. Cleese visited the museum last Friday and was given a personal tour of the galleries and backstage by Dr. Henderson.
“He had a great time. He was really into dinosaurs and asked Don (Henderson) question after question. He was super engaged. Don was over the moon,” said Leanna Mohan, head of marketing and public relations at the Tyrrell Museum.
Cleese was toured through the museum galleries and then headed backstage to visit the preparation lab and collections area.
Earlier last week, Cleese was at the Calgary Zoo and inquired about dinosaurs.
“He was at the Calgary Zoo last week and asked them if they knew about a dinosaur museum in the area. So, they told him he had to absolutely come and gave him our number. It’s really great of the Calgary Zoo to endorse us and send him our way,” said Mohan.
The Tyrrell is no stranger to celebrity visits. In August, actor Matthew McConaughey and director Christopher Nolan visited the museum during a break in filming Nolan’s latest production, Interstellar.
“I think each time it goes well, it endorses us for the next time. Having them make the time to come and visit when they’re in the area really endorses how world renowned we are,” said Mohan.
Though the visit was fairly low-key, Cleese did have some time to share some stories.
“We stopped for a break and he told us a few stories from his years, which Don and I just ate up. It was really fun,” said Mohan.
