Wikipedia.com wrote:Russell Brand was born in Orsett Hospital, Grays, Essex, England, the only child of Barbara Elizabeth (née Nichols) and Ronald Henry Brand, a photographer,[5] who had married six years earlier. Brand's parents separated when he was six months old. His mother raised him on her own; he had a somewhat isolated and lonely childhood.[6] When Brand was seven, he was sexually abused by a tutor.[7] When Brand was eight, his mother had uterine cancer; a year later she had breast cancer. Brand stayed with relatives while his mother underwent treatment. When Brand was 14, he became bulimic. He left school and home at 16, at which time his mother had lymphoma and he did not get along with her live-in partner. He began taking drugs,[8] including: cannabis, amphetamines, LSD, Ecstasy, cocaine, crack and heroin.[9] Brand stated during an interview on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Saturday that he had "a strange relationship with his father, whom he saw sporadically and who took him to visit prostitutes during a trip to the Far East".[10] After Brand's parents divorced, his father remarried twice.[11]
Brand attended Grays School Media Arts College, a comprehensive. He made his theatrical debut at the age of 15 playing "Fat Sam" in a school production of Bugsy Malone, which prompted him to become an actor. He began working as an extra, and applied to study at the Italia Conti Academy. He was accepted, and Essex council funded his tuition for an introductory year, with potential funding for three additional years. Brand joined the Academy in 1991, but was expelled during his introductory year for his behaviour and use of drugs. Afterward, Brand had small acting roles in the children's show Mud and in The Bill.
In 1995, Brand applied for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Drama Centre London and was accepted to Drama Centre. By this point he was a heroin addict and an alcoholic. He was expelled in the final term of his last year for smashing a glass over his head and then stabbing himself in the chest and arms because of poor reactions to one of his performances. After leaving Drama Centre, Brand decided to focus on comedy, and began writing material with Karl Theobald, whom he met at Drama Centre. They formed a short-lived double act, Theobald and Brand on Ice.
He married singer Katy Perry on 23 October 2010.[4]
I'm sure this marriage will last for decades.
