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Rowan Atkinson is without a doubt one of British comedy’s greatest icons. He’s played roles as diverse as the foolish Mr. Bean and ridiculous Johnny English, to conniving Blackadder, somber Maigret, and a handful of bumbling vicars. But throughout his career, whether on screen or off, there is one thing that sets Atkinson firmly in the hearts of audiences around the world: his ever-changing facial expressions! Click on to follow the actor's career through some of his most hilarious snaps.

▲The comedy star's hair grabs our attention in this photo, in which he attends the press conference of the movie 'The Secret Policeman's Ball' (1979), along with John Cleese, Billy Connolly, Peter Cook, Clive Jenkins, and Anna Ford.

▲Atkinson looks bleary-eyed in 1980, along with Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones, and Pamela Stephenson, who together wrote and starred in the popular comedy sketch show 'Not the Nine O'Clock News.'

▲'Not the Nine O' Clock News' was a huge success and Atkinson's first big career break. In 1983, the group received gold records to mark the selling of over 250,000 records of one of their albums, 'Hedgehog Sandwich.' Rowan looks delighted.

▲The actor played a vicar in the 1994 rom-com. He nervously performs his first wedding ceremony with a few slips, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spiggit!

▲The comedy star looks nonchalant at the 1995 BAFTA Awards in a fantastic pair of glasses.

▲Mr. Bean has become an iconic comedy character over the years, primarily for his stupidity and range of facial expressions. Pictured: Atkinson appears at the world movie premiere of 'Bean' in Sydney in 1997, very much in character.

▲A still from the film 'Bean' (1997). Not sure you'd want to trust this guy with surgery.

▲Atkinson was also hugely famous for his role in the TV comedy series 'Blackadder.' His facial game stayed strong throughout an array of different period costumes and hairstyles.

▲The final 'Blackadder' project was released in 1999, entitled 'Blackadder: Back and Forth.' Nice moustache.

▲Who could forget the blundering British secret service agent, Johnny English? Note Atkinson's raised eyebrow, which has become quite an iconic feature over his career.

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The first film of the James Bond parody series, which also starred John Malkovich and Natalie Imbruglia, was released in 2003.

▲Atkinson looks unimpressed next to a beaming fellow guest at the premiere for 'Johnny English.'

▲The comedian was appropriately dressed up for the service following the wedding of the then-Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. Except, perhaps, for those baggy trousers...

▲Atkinson raises the infamous eyebrow at the premiere for 'Keeping Mum' in 2005, which he attended with his then-wife, Sunetra Sastry.

▲Atkinson plays Walter, a uninspiring vicar who manages to send most of his congregation, including his wife and family, to the depths of the most inextricable boredom.

▲Moments before he fails to save yet another goal.

▲The comedian is a racing fanatic and a big car lover, and has often attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This is a face of pure determination.

▲Ah well, clearly he wasn't bothered about winning anyway.

▲In any case, standing on a car seems to earn him much more money than getting into one. Here is Atkinson doing what he does best: being Bean, this time at the London premiere of 'Mr. Bean's Holiday' in 2007.

▲Atkinson training with Australian rules football club the Collingwood Magpies in Melbourne, while promoting 'Mr. Bean's Holiday.'

▲Atkinson poses blissfully on Bondi Beach near Sydney, along with a gaggle of lifeguards and a pair of swimming trunks.

▲Ever been taken out to a fancy restaurant and expected to eat complicated food politely? Yep. We've all been there!

▲Perhaps if I concentrate really hard he'll forget I'm stealing his bike...

▲A still from the film. Rowan Atkinson with Maxim Baldry.

▲Mr. Bean suffers a tie disaster.

▲Rowan Atkinson appears on the German TV show ' Wetten, Dass?' ("Bet It"), with German actress Christine Neubauer.

▲Atkinson was cast as Fagin in the West End production of 'Oliver!,' which was performed at Theatre Royal in London in 2009. The actor's face molds perfectly to any character.

▲The comedian tries to think of something witty yet appropriate to say to the then Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, at a charity gala dinner for the Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts.

▲Atkinson gives a speech at the same event, with glasses askew.

▲Atkinson reprised his role as the hopeless secret service agent in 2011, with the release of 'Johnny English Reborn.'

▲The spy tries to look nonchalant while applying lipstick.

▲Atkinson's eyebrows come into play again, but it becomes clear that subtlety is not his character's strong point.

▲Johnny English looks focused, if completely out of sync with his fellow warriors.

▲Trying to keep it cool in front of the ladies at the premiere for the film.

▲Atkinson attended the premiere with his then-wife, Sunetra Sastry. The actor would reprise the role once again in 2018's 'Johnny English Strikes Again.'

▲Atkinson still appears at a loss for words while meeting the then-Duchess of Cornwall on another occasion at Queen's College, Oxford.

▲Rowan Atkinson talks with British F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, during qualifying at the 2011 Indian Grand Prix. Is that confusion or concentration on his face? You decide.

▲Atkinson made an iconic appearance during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, in character as Mr. Bean.

▲He 'played' the famous keyboard sequence from 'Chariots of Fire,' which, being Mr. Bean, he very nearly messed up.

▲In the performance, Mr. Bean also appeared on the beach made famous by the 1981 film, tripping up fellow runners and eventually winning by using a car to help him get ahead.

▲A frazzled Atkinson leaves his car at the Goodwood Revival festival.

▲What are you looking at?

▲Atkinson hands out prizes on Ladies Day at Goodwood. He looks far from amused.

▲Another snap of the British comedy star looking awkward around royalty in 2012.

▲Atkinson was awarded a CBE by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2013 for his contribution to British comedy.

▲Finally he seems to have found something worthwhile to say to a member of the royal family.

▲Looking nervous at the 2013 Italian Grand Prix.

▲Mr. Bean causes mayhem outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 25th birthday of the clueless comedic character.

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One of the actor's most recent big roles has been starring in the 'Maigret' TV movies as a somber French detective.

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In 2022, Atkinson starred as Trevor in the Netflix comedy series 'Man vs. Bee,' in which his character finds himself "at war with a bee while housesitting a luxurious mansion," according to IMDb.