Basil Fawlty is the main character of the 1970s British sitcom Fawlty
Towers, played by John Cleese. The proprietor of the hotel Fawlty
Towers, he is a cynical and misanthropic snob, desperate to belong to
a higher social class. His attempts to run the hotel often end in
farce. Possessing a dry, sarcastic wit, Basil has become an iconic
British comedy character who remains widely known to the public
despite only 12 half-hour episodes ever having been made. In a 2001
poll conducted by Channel 4 Basil was ranked second on their list of
the 100 Greatest TV Characters.Known for his quotable rants, the
character was inspired by Donald Sinclair, an eccentric hotel owner
whom Cleese had encountered when he stayed at his hotel (Gleneagles
Hotel in Torquay, England) along with the rest of Monty Python in May
1970.Basil, who runs the titular hotel in Torquay, is a misanthropic,
pessimistic snob, whose main aspiration is to become a member of more
"respectable" social circles. He sees the successful running of the
hotel as a means of achieving this dream, yet his job frequently
requires him to be pleasant to people he despises â€" something he
severely struggles with. His much more customer-friendly wife Sybil
often has to deal with the fallout of Basil's bad treatment of the
guests, to varying success. In the episode "Communication Problems,"
Manuel said Basil is from Swanage, although Manuel is prone to making
mistakes. Basil Fawlty Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter