Tens of thousands of performers have graced the stages of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in its seven-decade history, some of them going on to become household names. Here are just a handful of the talented artists who made Fringe history.
Robin Williams, 1971
The Fringe has a rich history of attracting talent from across the pond, including beloved American icon Robin Williams. He came to the festival in the early 70s with a Wild West-themed student production of The Taming of the Shrew.
Billy Connolly, 1972
It makes sense that one of Scotland’s most beloved entertainers would have made his mark on the country’s foremost celebration of arts and culture. Connolly co-wrote and starred in co medic stage musical The Great Northern Welly Boot Show which came to the Fringe in 1972.
Suzy Eddie Izzard, 1981
One of our Fringe Ambassadors (alongside fellow Fringe alumni Brian Cox and honorary President Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Izzard made her debut as a Fringe street performer in 1981 and – well, we’ll let her tell you the rest:
Cambridge Footlights, 1981
1981 was a banner year in Fringe history: while Izzard was feeling inspired over on the Mound, a group of comedy writer-performers from Cambridge were busy winning the inaugural Perrier award (now known as the Edinburgh Comedy Award). Among their number were the Footlights president, Hugh Laurie; the Vice President, Emma Thompson; and cast members Stephen Fry and Tony Slattery.
Lenny Henry, 1985
It’d be inaccurate to say Lenny Henry got his break at the Fringe – he was already a TV star thanks to 1984’s Lenny Henry Show, and he’d go on to be one of the co-founders of Comic Relief the same year he made the trip to Edinburgh. Still, the Fringe spirit remains strong with him yet – he’s set to star in another famed Fringe production, Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe’s Every Brilliant Thing, in London this August.
Rachel Weisz, 1991
Oscar-winning actor Rachel Weisz was fresh out of university in 1991 when she and a friend, Sasha Hail, brought their improv two-hander Slight Possession to the Edinburgh Fringe. The play won her a Guardian Youth Drama Award and set her on a path to stardom.
Graham Norton, 1992
The esteemed broadcaster, comedian and voice of Eurovision performed his Mother Teresa drag act in the 1992 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It wasn’t the last time we’d see him in religious garb – four years later, following a spate of TV and radio appearances, he played Father Noel Furlong in Channel 4’s Father Ted.
Cillian Murphy, 1997
Decades before winning his own Oscar for his performance in Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy starred in a production of Disco Pigs (written by Enda Walsh) at the Traverse in 1997. He’d return to Edinburgh in 2003, this time in an adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull at the Edinburgh International Festival.
Adam Scott, 1997
Joining Cillian Murphy at the Fringe in 1997 (though we have no evidence the pair crossed paths!) was American film and TV actor Adam Scott. Best known these days for his screen roles in Severance and Parks & Rec, Scott appeared at the Fringe in Austin Pendelton’s Uncle Bob; his role would later be filled off-Broadway by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Lin Manuel-Miranda, 2005
The Hamilton creator made a trip to the Fringe in 2005 with his improv hip hop troupe A Freestyle Love Supreme, alongside collaborators Anthony Veneziale and Thomas Kail.
Hannah Gadbsy, 2006
Australian comedy sensation Hannah Gadsby has been coming to the Fringe since 2006, but it was her breakthrough show Nanette (Fringe 2017, Netflix 2018) that put her on the global stage, challenging the very artform in which she’d honed her craft.
This is a small sample of the amazingly creative artists who have passed through the Fringe on their way to fame – not to mention the countless others who are still to come. Check out this year’s selection of shows and #DareToDiscover the stars of tomorrow!
EDIT: This article originally stated that Alan Rickman appeared at the Fringe in 1976, appearing in the Birmingham Repertory Company productions of Measure for Measure and Ben Jonson’s The Devil is an Ass. These shows were actually part of the Edinburgh International Festival programme; we apologise for the confusion.