Monty Python

A British surreal comedy group also known as 'The Pythons' was created in 1969 with their comedy sketch show 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' that first aired on the BBC on the 5th of October 1969 and ended in 1974, the members of the group were Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, John Cleese and Michael Palin.
The televisions series popularity had the Pythons preforming touring stage shows, films, a stage musical, films, several book and albums.

Even though the groups show 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' ended they continued to work together in films:

And Now for Something Completely Different  - 1971

Being the Pythons first feature film, it was made up off sketches from the first two seasons of the 'Flying Circus'.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - 1975


This film had completely new material made by the Pythons and was based on the King Arthur Legend.

Monty Python's Life of Brian - 1979


due to the success of their previous film 'The holy Grail', the public and reporters asked what the Pythons next film was going to be even though the group hadn't even thought of making a third one.

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl - 1982

Filmed during the preparations for 'The meaning of life' at the Hollywood Bowl the Pythons preformed sketches from their original television series in front of an audience.

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - 1983

The film was seen as one of the Pythons most bizarre and darkest pieces of work, it was also the last one to feature all six Python members before Graham Chapman passed away.

Graham Chapman

Graham Chapman, also being called 'Gray Chapman' was born on the 8th of January 1941 in Leicester and died at the age of 48 on the 4th of October 1989 in Kent due to tonsil and spinal cancer.
He was anEnglish actor, comedian and writer. Before joining the 'Monty Python' group he was writing professionally alongside John Cleese for the BBC during the 1960's and took part in sketches to the radio series 'I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again' and television programmes such as 'The Illustrated Weekly Hudd', 'This Is Petula Clark' and 'This Is Tom Jones'. Chapman also co-wrote several episodes of the comedy series 'Doctor in the House'.

Chapman joined the other Pythons with Cleese for their sketch comedy show 'Flying Circus' in 1969 and was considered by the other Pythons that he was the biggest contribution in the writing room and scripts of their sketches, throwing in ideas or lines to use in their sketches.
He had played the leading roles in two of the Pythons films 'Life of Brian' and 'The holy Grail' and was complimented by John Cleese as "possibly the best actor of all of us".

Moving to Los Angeles in the 1970's he guest-starred on many television shows like 'Still Crazy like a Fox', 'The Big Show' and 'Hollywood Squares'. Once returning to Britain and taking part in shows like the 'Dangerous Sports Club' and completing his film project 'Yellowbeard' he reunited with the Pythons for the film 'The Meaning of Life' the last he was to star in with the Pythons before passing away.

Eric Idle

Eric Idle was born on the 29th of March in 1943 in Harton village and now currently at the age of 72.

He's an English comedian, singer, actor, author and comedic composer, apart from being a member of the Pythons he's also a member of 'The_Rutles' on Saturday Night Live and the author of Spamalot a broadway musical that's made 17 productions. He was a competent guitarist and did many of the groups famous musical numbers when he was with the Pythons. 

Eric attended the Pembroke College in Cambridge, studying English and joined its 'Footlights' club with his future Pythons Graham Chapman and John Cleese after just one year at Cambridge. 

He starred in a a children's television comedy series 'Do Not Adjust Your Set' that co-starred future Pythons Michael Palin and Terry Jones, Eric Idle also appeared as a guest in some episodes of the television series 'At Last the 1948 Show' also co-featuring the future Pythons John Cleese and Graham Chapman.

He mostly wrote for the Python group by himself at his own pace though he found it difficult when presenting material to people while making it seem funny without the back-up, support of a Python and partner.

His work in the Pythons were often recognised to have verbal peculiarities, showing the use of language and communication in the characters such as the man that spoke in anagrams and a butcher that altered between politeness and rudeness each time he spoke. 

When all six members of the Pythons pursued solo careers and projects, Eric's first solo work was on the BBC Radio One show, Radio Five, preforming sketches and links to records which ran for two seasons between 1973 to 1974.

One of his most recent projects was being the creator and director of the live show Monty Python Live' at the O2 Arena with the remaining Pythons and special guests in London between the 1st and 20th of July 2014.

Terry Gilliam

Terry Gilliam was born on the 22nd of November 1940 in Minneapolis and is currently at the age of 74, the only 'Python' not born in Britain but eventually became a naturalised British citizen in 1968.

An American-born British film director, actor, screenwriter, film director and animator, his animations featured in many of the Pythons films. He's directed 12 feature films, including 'Time Bandits' -1981, 'Brazil' - 1985, 'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen' - 1991, 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' - 1995 and 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' - 2009. 

Eric started his career as a strip cartoonist and animator, one of his photographic strips he made for 'Help!', once it was folded Gilliam moved to England and animated sequences for the children's series 'Do Not Adjust Your Set' which featured the future Pythons Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Jones.

Gilliam was part of the 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' but credited as an animator at first before becoming a full member of the group. His cartoons were used to link the Pythons sketches together as well as doing visual language for the group on their book covers and title sequences of their films, his animations mix his own art with moving cutouts and backgrounds.

He appeared in several sketches with the Pythons though rarely had main roles in them, mostly playing parts no one else wanted to play as most of the time they would require a lot of make-up or uncomfortable costumes.

Terry Jones

Terry Jones was born on the 1st of February 1942 in the town Colwyn Bay and is currently at the age of 73.

A British comedian, actor, author, screen writer and film director, he's written many books and screenplays including comic works and serious writing on medieval history, is a member of the UK poem society with his poems having appeared in the 'Poetry Review', also being the creator and co-producer of an animated television programme that ran for two seasons called 'Blazing Dragons'. Growing up he attended St Edmund Hall in Oxford to read English as well as studying some history, while there he preformed comedy with the future Python Michael Palin in the Oxford Revue. 

He wrote for eight David Frost programmes that were on British television, along with michaael Palin he wrote lyrics for the Barry Booth album "Diversions" in 1968, he also appeared in the television series 'The Complete and Utter History of Britain', Twice a Fortnight and 'Do Not Adjust Your Set'.

Terry Jones took interest in the Pythons show and encouraged them to have "fluid movement of one sketch into another", he demonstrated in many of the sketches with Michael and wanted to make them "visually impressive". 

He co-directed 'The Holy Grail' and became the sole director for  'Life of Brian' and 'The Meaning of Life', as a film director he had more control of the projects so he made a visual style that fit the humour of the projects a lot better, his later films include 'Erik the Viking' - 1989 and 'The Wind in the Willows' - 1996 as well as directing some operas.

John Cleese

John 'Marwood' Cleese was born on the 27th of October 1939 in Somerset and is currently at the age of 75 and co-founded 'Monty Python' in the late 1960's.

An English comedian, actor, film producer and writer, he was successful at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for his screenwriting and being a performer on 'The Frost Report'. He starred in 'Clockwise' in 1986 swell as being in two James Bond films, two Harry Potter films and the last three Shrek films.
John and his first wife 'Connie Booth' co-wrote and starred in a british sitcom called 'Fawlty Towers' that broadcasted between 1975 to 1979.

John Cleese was unable to go straight to University of Cambridge due to there being twice the usual applicants for places, so he instead returned to his prep-school for two years to teach History, Science, English, Geography and Latin at 'St Preparatory School'. After he finally took a place he had won at Downing College, Cambridge to read Law.
Having joined Cambridge Footlights as a screenwriter and cast member, he met his future writing partner Graham Chapman. While he preformed in 'Half a Sixpence' a musical, he met the future Python Terry Gilliam and his first wife Connie Booth he married on the 20th of February 1968.



Michael Palin

Michael 'Edward' Palin was born on the 5th of May 1943 in Sheffield and is currently at the age of 71.