Alistair McGowan

Alistair McGowan, the master of mimicry, was born Alistair Charles McGowan in Evesham, Worcestershire, Great Britain. He is an actor, writer and producer. He attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican in London. There he studied alongside Ewan McGregor and Daniel Craig, among others. He graduated in 1989, after a three-year course under the tutelage of Colin McCormack, the actor from the Royal Shakespeare Company.

McGowan boasts a repertoire of over one hundred impersonations, including such celebrities as Tony Blair, Prince Charles, and many others. He is best known for his work with Jan Ravens and Ronni Ancona on the Big Impression (1999), formerly known as 'Alistair McGowan's Big Impression'. The show has been popular for impressions of such celebrities as David Beckham, Angus Deayton, Ross Geller (from Friends), Gary Lineker, and other well-known public figures and characters. The show won 5 awards and 10 nominations. He also appeared in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel 'Bleak House' and in the detective series 'Mayo' (2006).

In 2004 he launched 'the BIG recycle' national campaign urging public to reduce rubbish by recycling it. He continued a successful career of celebrity impersonator on the BBC Radio and also did re-voicing of video footages of 'The Sports Review of the Year' and 'Match of the Day' which has turned him into a sideline sporting celebrity. Two releases of 'Alistair McGowan's Football Backchat' were best sellers in both comedy and sports video charts.