Cleese bitter about working to 'feed the beast'

John Cleese is bitter about having to work well into his old age - but he has to take on acting roles to help pay for his third divorce.

The 'A Fish Called Wanda' star, 68, is facing a multi-million dollar pay out to Alyce Faye Eichelberger following their split earlier this year after 16 years of marriage.

Cleese is currently paying out just over €1.3m a year to his estranged wife until they reach a divorce settlement. She is also entitled to half of his earnings since their 1992 marriage and half of his nine properties across the world.

He says: "People would think I'd have enough money (to retire), but I do have a very expensive, or comparatively expensive, divorce.

"When I divorced (second wife) Barbara (Trentham) in about '88 that cost me £2.5m (€3.2m) then. And now this divorce with Alyce Faye - I mean, I'm paying more than £1m (€1.3m) a year right now. And we never had children.

"I feel angry sometimes. But my anger is not so much about sharing the property but having to go on working hard to provide alimony for someone who's already going to have at least £6m (€7.86m) worth of property, and who's getting £1m (€1.3m) this year.

"At some point, you say: 'Well, what did I do wrong? You know, I was the breadwinner.' The system is insane."

And, although Cleese claims to be happy single, he admits the pressure of the divorce proceedings is wearing him down.

He adds: "It's about the fact that in my 70th year I will still be spending two months a year doing work that is of no interest to me and which is probably slightly spiritually depleting, in order to feed the beast.

"(But) this is the happiest I have ever been and I feel that, at 68 now, I want as many years as I can get."