Christopher Guest facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Haden-Guest
Guest in 2016
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
as a hereditary peer 8 April 1996 – 11 November 1999
Preceded by	The 4th Baron Haden-Guest
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Personal details
Born	Christopher Haden-Guest (1948-02-05) 5 February 1948 (age 77) New York City, U.S.
Spouse	Jamie Lee Curtis ​ (m. 1984)​
Children	2
Parents	Peter Haden-Guest, 4th Baron Haden-Guest (father) Jean Pauline Hindes (mother)
Relatives	Elissa Haden Guest (sister) Nicholas Guest (brother) Anthony Haden-Guest (half-brother)
Education	Bard College New York University (MFA)

Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born 5 February 1948), known professionally as Christopher Guest, is a British-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is famous for his comedy films that are made in a mockumentary style. This means they look like real documentaries but are actually fictional and funny.

Christopher Guest co-wrote and acted in the rock music satire This Is Spinal Tap (1984). He later directed many other funny mockumentary films. These include Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), For Your Consideration (2006), and Mascots (2016). He has also acted in movies like Death Wish (1974), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), and A Few Good Men (1992). He was also a regular performer on the TV show Saturday Night Live from 1984 to 1985.

Guest holds a hereditary British peerage as the 5th Baron Haden-Guest. This means he inherited a noble title. He was a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament, until a change in the law in 1999 removed most inherited seats. When people use his title, he is usually called Lord Haden-Guest. Christopher Guest is married to the actress Jamie Lee Curtis.

Early Life and Education

Christopher Guest was born on February 5, 1948, in New York City. His father, Peter Haden-Guest, 4th Baron Haden-Guest, was a British diplomat for the United Nations. His mother, Jean Haden-Guest, Lady Haden-Guest, was an American who worked in casting for CBS.

Guest spent some of his childhood in the United Kingdom, his father's home country. He studied classical music, playing the clarinet, at the High School of Music & Art in New York City and the Stockbridge School in Massachusetts. He later became interested in country music and bluegrass, playing the mandolin and guitar. He even played guitar with Arlo Guthrie. Guest then studied acting at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 1971.

Christopher Guest's Career

Starting Out in the 1970s

Christopher Guest began his acting career in the early 1970s in theater. One of his first professional roles was in the play Moonchildren in 1971. He also contributed to The National Lampoon Radio Hour, where he created funny characters and musical parodies. He performed alongside famous comedians like Chevy Chase and John Belushi in a comedy show called National Lampoon's Lemmings.

His early film roles included small parts as police officers in The Hot Rock (1972) and Death Wish (1974). Guest was also a cast member on Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell in 1975. In 1977, he appeared in an episode of All in the Family and in the TV movie It Happened One Christmas.

Comedy and Film in the 1980s

One of Christopher Guest's most famous roles was Nigel Tufnel in the 1984 film This Is Spinal Tap. This movie is a mockumentary about a fictional rock band. He first played Nigel Tufnel in a sketch comedy show in 1978.

From 1984 to 1985, Guest was a cast member on NBC's Saturday Night Live. He played several memorable characters, including Frankie, who shared stories about painful situations, and Rajeev Vindaloo, an eccentric foreign man. He also directed short films for the show, like one about synchronized swimmers.

In 1987, he played Count Rugen, the "six-fingered man," in the popular movie The Princess Bride. He also had a small role in the 1986 musical Little Shop of Horrors. Guest also co-wrote and directed the Hollywood satire The Big Picture.

In 1987, his father became the 4th Baron Haden-Guest. This meant Christopher Guest was then known as "the Hon. Christopher Haden-Guest" until he inherited the title himself in 1996.

Directing and Mockumentaries: 1990s to Present

Making This is Spinal Tap greatly influenced Christopher Guest's career. Starting in 1996, he began writing, directing, and acting in his own series of films. These movies are largely improvised, meaning the actors make up their lines as they go along. These films are considered great examples of "mockumentaries."

Guest often works with a group of actors, including Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean, Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, John Michael Higgins, Harry Shearer, Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Begley Jr., Jim Piddock, and Fred Willard. Guest and his writing partner, Eugene Levy, create backgrounds for the characters and outlines for each scene. The actors then improvise the dialogue, which makes the conversations sound very natural.

His mockumentary films include:

• Waiting for Guffman (1996), about a community theater group.
• Best in Show (2000), about a dog show competition.
• A Mighty Wind (2003), about folk singers.
• For Your Consideration (2006), about the excitement around movie awards season.
• Mascots (2016), about a sports team mascot competition.

Guest also lent his voice to the animated show SpongeBob SquarePants as SpongeBob's cousin, Stanley. He appeared in the 2005 musical Mrs Henderson Presents and the 2009 comedy The Invention of Lying.

He is also part of a music group called The Beyman Bros. In 2013, Guest co-wrote and produced the HBO series Family Tree. This show, like his films, has a lighthearted, documentary-style feel. It follows a character who explores his family history. In 2015, Netflix announced Mascots, which Guest directed and co-wrote. He also returned to his role as Count Tyrone Rugen in a Princess Bride reunion in 2020.

Family Life

Coat of arms – Baron Haden-Guest, of Saling in the County of Essex

Christopher Guest became the 5th Baron Haden-Guest in 1996 after his father passed away. This title is connected to the area of Great Saling in Essex, England. His older half-brother could not inherit the title because he was born before his parents were married.

Guest was a member of the House of Lords, which is the upper house of the UK Parliament. He regularly attended meetings until the House of Lords Act 1999 changed the rules. This law removed most of the seats that were inherited by noble families. Guest commented on this change, saying that while the old system of inheriting a seat was unfair, the new system felt like people were chosen based on connections rather than elections. He believes the Upper House should be elected by the public.

Christopher Guest married actress Jamie Lee Curtis in 1984. They were married at the home of their friend, director Rob Reiner. They have two daughters, whom they adopted.

Film and Television Work

Film Roles

Television Roles

Frequent Collaborators

Christopher Guest often works with the same actors and writers on his projects. His frequent writing partner is Eugene Levy. Other actors who appear in many of his films include Fred Willard, Michael McKean, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley Jr., Paul Benedict, Parker Posey, Jim Piddock, Michael Hitchcock, Harry Shearer, Catherine O'Hara, Larry Miller, John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, Fran Drescher, and Rob Reiner.

Work Actor
	This Is Spinal Tap	The Big Picture	Morton & Hayes	Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman	Waiting for Guffman	Almost Heroes	Best in Show	A Mighty Wind	For Your Consideration	Family Tree	Mascots	Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
Bob Balaban
Ed Begley Jr.
Paul Benedict
Jennifer Coolidge
Fran Drescher
Christopher Guest
John Michael Higgins
Michael Hitchcock
Eugene Levy
Jane Lynch
Michael McKean
Larry Miller
Catherine O'Hara
Jim Piddock
Parker Posey
Rob Reiner
Harry Shearer
Fred Willard

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Christopher Guest para niños