How Richard Ayoade’s Immigrant Parents Helped Shape His Comedy Career

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Boss on Nov 10, 2022 - 10:42AM

It is believed that Richard Ayoade’s parents were a major factor in his decision to pursue a career in comedy. Ayoade is a British actor, comedian, presenter, and filmmaker.

Actor Richard Ayoade, who is most known for his part in the film The IT Crowd (2006), has stated that his parents were the ones who taught him the values of humility and generosity.

Since then, he has made it his mission to impart those same ideals in his own children, and in 2014, he won the BAFTA for Best Male Comedy Performance.

Ayoade is the author of three comedic books about movies: Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey (2014), The Grip of Film (2017), and Ayoade on Top (2017). (2018).

He is now working on two children’s books: The Book That No One Wanted to Read (2022) and a picture book named The Fairy Tale Fan Club. Both will be published in 2022. (TBD).

Richard Ayoade

Quick Facts

Name	Richard Ayoade
Real Name	Richard Ellef Ayoade
Birth Date	23 May 1977
Age	45years old
Birth Place	London, England
Nationality	British
Profession	Actor, Comedian, Broadcaster, Filmmaker
Wife	Lydia Fox
Children	3
Parents	Layide Ade Laditi Ayoade and Dagny Ayoade

How Richard Ayoade’s Immigrant Parents Helped Shape His Comedy Career

His mother, Norwegian Dagny Ayoade, is of the Norwegian ethnicity, while his father, Nigerian Layide Ade Laditi Ayoade, is of the Nigerian ethnicity. Both of his parents had immigrated to England before to meeting one another, and after they were married, they made their home in London.

Richard is an actor, comedian, and filmmaker who also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law from Cambridge University. He is noted for his work in all three of these fields. Ayoade has been a member of numerous panels, the most notable of which being “The Big Fat Quiz of the Year.”

Was It Something I Said? also benefited from her leadership as a team captain (2013). His factual series Travel Man (2015–2019), Gadget Man (2013–2015), and The Crystal Maze (revival) were all hosted by him (2017).

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Richard Ayoade Was Born To Norwegian Mother And A Nigerian Father

Richard Ellef Ayoade was born on May 23, 1977, in the area of Hammersmith in London. His mother was Norwegian, and his father was Nigerian. Richard Ellef Ayoade is the son of these parents. Ipswich became his new home when he was just a young child when his family made the move there.

When he was 15, he started studying the works of directors such as Woody Allen, Ingmar Bergman, and Federico Fellini because he had developed an interest in movies that went “beyond Star Wars and Back to the Future.”

He recalls reading J. D. Salinger’s work The Catcher in the Rye and getting “infatuated” with it while he was a student at the independent St. Joseph’s College in Ipswich; however, a more reliable source was required.

Because he was so fascinated with the book, he started dressing in the manner that Holden Caulfield would have worn. During an interview with the Guardian, he discussed how his parents did not complete their educations, and he explained that it was their lack of schooling that inspired him to acquire a degree.

In spite of the fact that he holds a law degree and has established a successful career in the entertainment industry, he has been able to maintain the humble demeanour that he picked up from his parents.

His Career

Richard kicked off his career in the entertainment industry with The Armstrong and Miller Show (1999), a television show; nevertheless, he had very little screen time during the show.

However, it did not take long for him to be cast in the role of Dean Learner in the leading cast of the television series Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, which debuted in 2004.

In addition, he is still active in the acting world, having recently appeared in episodes of The Mighty Boosh (2006) and Man to Man with Dean Learner (2006). (2003).

The artist has been in a number of films, including The Lego Movie 2 and The Life, in addition to appearing on many television shows. In addition to his work as an actor, the 6-foot-2, 188-centimeter filmmaker is also responsible for such critically acclaimed films as The Double (2013) and Submarine (2010).

As a result of his work in “The IT Crowd,” he was even presented with the BAFTA Television Award for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Program. It was revealed that Ayoade will serve as the host of the British Academy Television Awards in May 2020. These awards, which were presented in private due to the COVID-19 outbreak at the time, were held in May 2020.

In 2021, he reprised his role as master of ceremonies for the event. Ayoade, who is a fan of films from the French New Wave movement, mentioned in a discussion with The Guardian that the film Zazie Dans le Métro, which was directed by Louis Malle, was the one that got him interested in directing for the first time.

Some of his favourite directors are Malle, Woody Allen, Ingmar Bergman, Orson Welles, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Melville, and Paul Thomas Anderson. Jean-Luc Godard is another one of his favourites.

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Richard Ayoade’s Family, His Wife & Children

Richard Fox, an actor and co-star with Lydia Fox in the television show The IT Crowd, is married to the actress Lydia Fox. At the Cambridge theatre presentation where Richard had his first encounter with his future wife, Lydia was one of the audience members. On September 8, 2007, the couple exchanged their vows.

As a professional actor, Richard’s wife Lydia has made several appearances in a variety of movies and television shows. Her first appearance on television was in the season of Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace in the year 2004.

Her most recent acting role was in the film The Souvenir: Part II (2021), in which she played the character that shares her name.

British actor, comedian, presenter, and director Richard Ayoade

Who Is Richard Ayoade’s Wife Lydia Fox?

Lydia Fox is a well-known actress and producer who was born in Leeds in 1979. Her husband, comedian Richard Ayoade, is a well-known actor and comedian. The Fox Family is a well-known and respected acting dynasty, and Lydia is a member of that family. She is the only child of Mary Piper and James Fox, who was a famous actor in the 1960s. Her father’s name is James Fox.

Lydia’s family includes two famous cousins named Emilia Fox and Freddie Fox, as well as four brothers, two of which are famous actors named Laurence Fox and Jack Fox.
She played the role of Miss Dutton in her husband’s coming-of-age comedy, which was titled Submarine.

Ayoade served as both director and producer of the film The Double, which was released in 2013. She shared the screen with Tilda Swinton in both the first and second portions of The Souvenir, which were released in 2019 and 2021, respectively.

When Did Richard Ayoade And Lydia Fox Marry?

Despite the fact that almost little is known about Richard and Lydia’s history together, the couple tied the knot in 2007. Richard attended Newnham College at the University of Cambridge, while Fox attended St. Catharine’s College throughout their time at Cambridge.

During the first time that Richard and Lydia interacted, Richard was participating in a university play in which Lydia was a spectator.

Laurence, Lydia’s brother, gave an interview to The Sunday Times in which he disclosed that his brother-in-law Richard did not back him after his controversial appearance on BBC’s Question Time.

Richard has mentioned on an episode of The Sacred podcast that Lydia is the reader in his head for everything that he writes, and he says that she is always there.

Do Richard Ayoade And Lydia Fox Have Children?

It is thought that the couple shares parental responsibilities for three children; however, the ages of these children are unknown. The district of East Dulwich in South London is where they make their home. There are pictures of Richard with his daughters Esme and Ida, both of whom are his daughters.