Izzard was born in Aden, Yemen, the youngest son of an English couple—Dorothy Ella, a midwife and nurse, and Harold John Izzard, an accountant who was working in Yemen with British Petroleum. A year after his birth, Izzard's family moved to the UK. His mother died of cancer in March 1968, when Izzard was 6 years old.

Izzard found some degree of solace in comedy after the death of his Read more...

His stand-up work brought him British Comedy Awards in 1993 (for Live at the Ambassadors) and 1996 (for Definite Article). After the British leg of the tour, he took Definite Article to major cities outside the UK including a successful stint in New York City. However, his U.S. breakthrough did not really come until 1999, when Dress to Kill was shown on the American television channel HBO, about Read more...

In 1994, Izzard made his West End drama debut as the lead in the world premiere of David Mamet's The Cryptogram with Lindsay Duncan, in the production at London's Comedy Theatre. The success of that role led to his second starring role in David Beaird's black comedy 900 Oneonta. In 1995, he portrayed the title character in Christopher Marlowe's Edward II."

Izzard portrayed comedian Lenny Bruce Read more...