It was on this day in 1939 that John Cleese was born in Somerset, England. And there's a lot more to him than just comedy.

Leaving aside the insane amount of voice-over work he's been doing (Shrek, Planes, Trolls, Planet 51), Cleese has had a pretty storied career in sci-fi and fantasy.

Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979):

And then there was this on Doctor Who (1979):

He was Robin Hood in Time Bandits (1981):

He was Halfdan the Black in Erik the Viking (1989):

And he was Nearly Headless Nick in the Harry Potter series:

You may now associate him among family, team. Sci-fi with a dash of funny. You may also wish him a happy birthday on Twitter here.

Tomorrow: Donnie Darko at the Stargate.