Editing John Cleese (section)

=== 2000–2009 ===
Cleese is Provost's visiting professor at [[Cornell University]], after having been [[Andrew D. White]] Professor-at-Large from 1999 to 2006. He makes occasional well-received appearances on the Cornell campus. In 2001, Cleese was cast in the comedy ''[[Rat Race (film)|Rat Race]]'' as the eccentric hotel owner Donald P. Sinclair, the name of the [[Torquay]] hotel owner on whom he had based the character of Basil Fawlty. That year he appeared as [[Nearly Headless Nick]] in the first [[Harry Potter (film series)|''Harry Potter'' film]]: ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' (2001), a role he would reprise in ''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]'' (2002).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/22/cleese-talks-harry-potter |title=Cleese Talks Harry Potter |last=Linder |first=Brian |website=[[IGN]] |date=22 March 2001 |access-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604034109/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/22/cleese-talks-harry-potter |archive-date=4 June 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2002, Cleese made a cameo appearance in the film ''[[The Adventures of Pluto Nash]]'', in which he played "James", a computerised chauffeur of a hover car stolen by the title character (played by [[Eddie Murphy]]). The vehicle is subsequently destroyed in a chase, leaving the chauffeur stranded in a remote place on the moon. In 2003, Cleese appeared as Lyle Finster on the American sitcom ''[[Will & Grace]]''. His character's daughter, Lorraine, was played by [[Minnie Driver]]. In the series, Lyle Finster briefly marries [[Karen Walker (Will & Grace)|Karen Walker]] ([[Megan Mullally]]). In 2004, Cleese was credited as co-writer of a [[DC Comics]] [[graphic novel]] titled ''[[Superman: True Brit]]''.<ref name="True Brit">{{cite book |last=Cowsill |first=Alan |editor-last=Dolan |editor-first=Hannah |chapter=2000s |title=DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7566-6742-9 |page=315 |quote=Comedy legend John Cleese joined forces with artist John Byrne, inker Mark Farmer and writer Kim Johnson for a unique take on the Superman story. ''Superman: True Brit'' saw Kal-El's rocketship land on a farm... in the UK.}}</ref> Part of DC's "[[Elseworlds]]" line of imaginary stories, ''True Brit'', mostly written by [[Kim Howard Johnson]], suggests what might have happened had [[Superman]]'s rocket ship landed on a farm in Britain, not America.<ref name="True Brit"/>

[[File:John Cleese 2008 bigger crop.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Cleese in 2008]]
From 10 November to 9 December 2005, Cleese toured New Zealand with his stage show ''John Cleese—His Life, Times and Current Medical Problems''. Cleese described it as "a [[one-man show]] with several people in it, which pushes the envelope of acceptable behaviour in new and disgusting ways". The show was developed in New York City with [[William Goldman]] and includes Cleese's daughter Camilla as a writer and actor (the shows were directed by Australian [[Bille Brown]]). His assistant of many years, Garry Scott-Irvine, also appeared and was listed as a co-producer. The show then played in universities in California and [[Arizona]] from 10 January to 25 March 2006 under the title ''Seven Ways to Skin an Ocelot''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/97589.html |title=John Cleese Brings Seven Ways to Skin an Ocelot to U.S. |work=Playbill |access-date=14 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011212747/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/97589.html |archive-date=11 October 2007}}</ref> His voice can be downloaded for directional guidance purposes as a downloadable option on some personal [[Global Positioning System|GPS]]-navigation device models by company [[TomTom]].

In a 2005 poll of comedians and comedy insiders, ''The Comedians' Comedian'', Cleese was voted second to [[Peter Cook]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Peter Cook the funniest |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/People/Peter-Cook-the-funniest/2005/01/03/1104601276619.html |work=The Age |location=Australia |date=3 January 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Cook tops poll of comedy greats|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jan/02/arts.artsnews |work=The Guardian |date=2 January 2005}}</ref> In 2006, Cleese hosted a television special of football's greatest kicks, goals, saves, bloopers, plays, and penalties, as well as football's influence on culture (including the Monty Python sketch "Philosophy Football"), featuring interviews with pop culture icons [[Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)|Dave Stewart]], [[Dennis Hopper]], and [[Henry Kissinger]], as well as eminent footballers, including [[Pelé]], [[Mia Hamm]], and [[Thierry Henry]]. ''The Art of Soccer with John Cleese'' was released in North America on DVD in January 2009 by BFS Entertainment & Multimedia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfsent.com/item_detail.asp?number=30895 |title=Art of Soccer, The With John Cleese |publisher=Bfsent.com |access-date=14 June 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707231506/http://www.bfsent.com/item_detail.asp?number=30895 |archive-date=7 July 2011 }}</ref> Also in 2006, Cleese released the song "[[Don't Mention the World Cup]]".<ref>{{cite web|last=Sherwin |first=Adam |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article718221.ece |title=Don't mention the War, says Cleese in World Cup peace bid |publisher=The Times (archived at Wayback Machine) |access-date=30 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809055508/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article718221.ece |archive-date=9 August 2011 }}</ref><ref name=abc>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1642618.htm |title=Soccer fans learn World Cup etiquette according to Cleese |publisher=ABC |date=19 May 2006 |access-date=29 May 2014}}</ref>

Cleese lent his voice to the [[BioWare]] video game ''[[Jade Empire]]''. His role was that of an "outlander" named Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard, stranded in the Imperial City of the Jade Empire. His character is essentially a [[British colonialism|British colonialist]] stereotype who refers to the people of the Jade Empire as "savages in need of enlightenment". His armour has the design of a fork stuck in a piece of cheese. In 2007, Cleese appeared in ads for [[Titleist]] as a golf course designer named "Ian MacCallister", who represents "Golf Designers Against Distance". Also in 2007, he was involved in filming of the sequel to ''[[The Pink Panther (2006 film)|The Pink Panther]]'', titled ''[[The Pink Panther 2]]'', with [[Steve Martin]] and [[Aishwarya Rai]].

Cleese collaborated with [[Los Angeles Guitar Quartet]] member [[William Kanengiser]] in 2008 on the text to the performance piece "The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha". Cleese, as narrator, and the LAGQ premiered the work in [[Santa Barbara County, California|Santa Barbara]]. The year 2008 also saw reports of Cleese working on a musical version of ''A Fish Called Wanda'' with his daughter Camilla.

At the end of March 2009, Cleese published his first article as "Contributing Editor" to ''[[The Spectator]]'': "The real reason I had to join ''The Spectator''".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/i//the-magazine/features/3472446/the-real-reason-i-had-to-join-the-spectator.thtml |title=The real reason I had to join |work=The Spectator |location=UK |date=25 March 2009 |access-date=14 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090330060944/http://www.spectator.co.uk/i/the-magazine/features/3472446/the-real-reason-i-had-to-join-the-spectator.thtml |archive-date=30 March 2009}}</ref> Cleese has also hosted comedy galas at the [[Montreal]] [[Just for Laughs]] comedy festival in 2006, and again in 2009. Towards the end of 2009 and into 2010, Cleese appeared in a series of television adverts for the Norwegian electric goods shop chain [[Elkjøp]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dagbladet.no/2009/09/23/kjendis/tv/tv_og_medier/reklame/elkjop/8259273/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730031508/http://www.dagbladet.no/2009/09/23/kjendis/tv/tv_og_medier/reklame/elkjop/8259273/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 July 2012 |title=John Cleese i Elkjøp-reklame |last=Ottosen |first=Peder |publisher=Kjendis.no |access-date=17 February 2011 |date=23 September 2009 }}</ref> In March 2010 it was announced that Cleese would be playing Jasper in the video game ''[[Fable III]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brudvig |first=Erik |url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/107/1076735p1.html |title=GDC 10: Designing Fable III&nbsp;– Xbox 360 Preview at IGN |publisher=Xbox360.ign.com |date=11 March 2010 |access-date=14 June 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419055442/http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/107/1076735p1.html |archive-date=19 April 2010 }}</ref>

In 2009 and 2010, Cleese toured [[Scandinavia]] and the US with his Alimony Tour Year One and Year Two. In May 2010, it was announced that this tour, set for May 2011, would extend to the UK (his first tour there). The show is dubbed the "Alimony Tour" in reference to the financial implications of Cleese's divorce. The UK tour started in [[Cambridge]] on 3 May, visiting [[Birmingham]], [[Nottingham]], [[Salford, Greater Manchester|Salford]], [[York]], Liverpool, [[Leeds]], Glasgow, [[Edinburgh]], [[Oxford]], Bristol and [[Bath (England)|Bath]] (the Alimony Tour DVD was recorded on 2 July, the final Bath date).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8695000/8695560.stm |title=BBC&nbsp;– Ex-Python John Cleese goes on first UK tour, aged 71 |work=BBC News |date=20 May 2010 |access-date=14 June 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523042254/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8695000/8695560.stm |archive-date=23 May 2010 }}</ref> Later in 2011 John took his Alimony Tour to South Africa. He played [[Cape Town]] on the 21 & 22 October before moving over to [[Johannesburg]], where he played from 25 to 30 October. In January 2012 he took his one-man show to Australia, starting in Perth on 22 January and throughout the next four months visited [[Adelaide]], [[Brisbane]], [[City of Gold Coast|Gold Coast]], [[Newcastle, New South Wales]], [[Melbourne]], Sydney, and finished up during April in [[Canberra]].