UCSB Arts & Lectures will present “An Evening with John Cleese,” an actor, writer and comedian, in a benefit appearance at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9 in UCSB Campbell Hall.

Cleese will introduce the classic film A Fish Called Wanda, and then spend the next hour answering audience questions about co-authoring and shooting this Oscar-winning comedy. The event is a benefit for the UCSB Arts & Lectures Cinema Series.

Co-creator of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and star of the beloved British comedy series Fawlty Towers, Cleese has recently been featured as Q in the James Bond movies and King Harold in the popular Shrek films, as well as roles in two Harry Potter films. His most recent film acting role is in the just released remake of the classic science fiction thriller The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Released in 1988, A Fish Called Wanda is a hilarious comedy about a jewel heist gone bad and its breathtakingly wacky aftermath. The film, a critical and commercial success, was written by Cleese and Charles Crichton, directed by Crichton, and stars Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin.

Tickets to “An Evening with John Cleese” are $20 for the general public and $10 for youths age 18 or younger and UCSB students, who must show a valid student ID at ticket purchase and the evening of the show. For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at 805.893.3535 or click here to purchase online.

Juliana Minsky is a publicist.