10 Top Actors Who Turned Down Prestigious Awards
7. John Cleese Will Never Be Knighted
It is very humorous to know that the man who made a lot of his name playing a knight will never be one in real life. Cleese has been offered multiple honours from the monarchy, including a CBE and a peerage.
His reasoning for declining a CBE was rather logical. He stated that since the British Empire didn't exist anymore then there was no purpose in being a commander for it. In regards to his turning down peerage, he made it very clear that he didn't want to have to attend the House of Lords during English winters.
It is great to know that the iconic comedian purely turned down these positions based on a lack of desire to bear any responsibilities as opposed to a political agenda. The Monty Python star has even stated that he would be interested in a knighthood as it wouldn't require anything to be done outside of being called "Sir".
Ultimately he doesn't think that he would ever be offered such an honour as he is "too naughty" and the monarchy would rather avoid him. As with all things Cleese it's good to know that he has a sense of humour about the whole situation.