Who played Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers?

John Cleese played Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers. Basil is the hotel's anxious, snobbish, and short-tempered proprietor, whose attempts to maintain an upscale image usually collapse into farce.

Cleese also co-created and co-wrote the sitcom with Connie Booth, who played waitress Polly Sherman. Fawlty Towers was broadcast in two series: the first in 1975 and the second in 1979, with six episodes in each. Despite its short run, it became one of Britain's most influential television comedies.

Basil was partly inspired by Donald Sinclair, the eccentric owner of the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay. Cleese encountered Sinclair while the Monty Python team stayed there in 1970. Incidents from that visit helped shape Basil's hostility toward guests and his bizarre hotel-management style.

A common mix-up is confusing the cast with the Monty Python troupe. Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, and Eric Idle were all associated with Monty Python, but none played Basil Fawlty. Cleese also played other famous comedy characters, including the Ministry of Silly Walks official, but Basil remains his signature television role.