MAKE READING INSPIRING AGAIN; Rowan Atkinson alias Mr. Bean was born in a middle-class family and as a child, he suffered terribly because of his stuttering. He was mercilessly teased and bullied at school because of his looks.

Bullies thought he looked like an alien. Although academically as bright as a soldier’s button he was marked as being very shy and odd. Rowan became withdrawn and he had few friends. To escape isolation, he dived into science.

A teacher remarked that there was nothing outstanding about him. I didn’t expect him to be a brilliant scientist. However, he proved everyone wrong.

Admitted to Oxford University, he started falling in love with acting but couldn’t perform due to his speaking disorder. Rowan got his master’s degree in electrical engineering before appearing in a movie or TV show. He decided to pursue his dream and become an actor so he enrolled in a comedy group but again, his stammering got in the way.

TV shows rejected him and he felt devastated because of the constant rejections. But he never stopped believing in himself. He had a great passion for making people laugh and knew that he was very good at it.

Then, he started focusing more and more on his original comedy sketches and soon realized that he could speak fluently whenever he played some character. he found a way to overcome his stuttering and he also used his inspiration for his acting.

While studying for his master’s Rowan co-created the strange, surreal, and now-speaking character we know as Mr. Bean.

Mr. Bean made him globally famous. Despite all the obstacles, he faced because of his looks and his speaking disorder, he proved that even without a heroic body or a Hollywood face, you can become one of the most loved and respected actors in the world.

Rowan taught the world that to be successful in life, the most important things are belief in oneself, passion, hard work, dedication and never giving up, without caring about our feelings and weaknesses.

Moral of the story: No one is born perfect. Don’t be afraid. People can accomplish amazing things every day in spite of their weaknesses and failures. So go and do the best you can with the one life you’ve got. ~ MICHAEL WALSH EDITOR