Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948), better known as
Christopher Guest, is an English-American screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor, and comedian who holds dual British and American citizenship. He is most widely known in
Hollywood for having written, directed and starred in a series of films shot in a documentary style. Scenes and character backgrounds are written, but actors have no rehearsal time and the ensemble improvise scenes while filming them. This series of films began with
This Is Spinal Tap (directed by
Rob Reiner), and continued with
Waiting for Guffman,
Best In Show,
A Mighty Wind, and
For Your Consideration. Guest also had a featured role as the evil six-fingered Count Rugen in the film
The Princess Bride.