John Cleese Auctioning off Memorabilia to Help Pay Alimony

 Posted on June 05, 2013 in DIvision of Property

British actor and comedian John Cleese is arranging to sell films props and signed photos that he has collected through the years, including a helmet that Cleese wore during two "Monty Python" films and two photo of himself alongside other Monty actors, both of which have been signed.

According to an article in the Christian Post, Cleese, 73, is auctioning off the memorabilia in order to help pay his $1 million per year alimony to his third wife, American psychotherapist Alyce Faye Lichtenberger, whom he divorced in 2008 after 16 years of marriage. As part of the multi-million divorce settlement, Cleese was ordered to pay his ex-wife $13 million in cash, as well as sign over an apartment in New York and a house in London to her. He also must pay the $1 million in alimony until 2016.

Cleese launched a stand-up comedy tour in 2009 called the Alimony Tour to help raise money. He moved to Monaco, in an effort to avoid paying a huge tax bill on his divorce payments. Cleese also sold his California beach house. The items for sale are being auctioned off on the Original Memorabilia Company website. This is the same site where Cleese sold his 1987 Bentley Eight. As part of the deal he agreed to have lunch with whoever bought it and give a handwritten story of some of the car's most famous passengers, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline, his co-stars from the film A Fish Called Wanda.

If you are going through a divorce, make sure you hire an experienced Illinois divorce attorney, especially if you may be faced with paying a large settlement and alimony.