Ricky Gervais (born 25 June 1961) is a British comedian, author and actor famous for having developed The Office, a popular British sitcom that was later remade for the USA. Another of his sitcoms is Extras. Shown on the BBC and HBO, it lasted for two seasons.
He is also known for his stand-up comedy, which is notable for treading an extremely fine line between irony and downright offensiveness. So far he has released four stand-up performances on DVD: Animals, Politics, Fame, Science.
Gervais is an outspoken atheist (see also: Celebrity atheists). While hosting the 2011 Golden Globe Awards, he concluded a string of jokes by saying "And thank you to God…for making me an atheist." His most overtly anti-Christian film, The Invention of Lying, falsely claims that all religion is based in lies. During the 2020 Golden Globes, which he claimed was his final time hosting the awards show, however, he gave various talking points that diverged from leftist Hollywood, including stating that Jeffrey Epstein didn't commit suicide, and bluntly stating that Hollywood's elite was less educated than the likes of Greta Thunberg, and also condemned the woke culture.