American-born British actor and filmmaker Terry Gilliam, known for his work with the Monty Python comedy troupe, has directed 13 feature films and five short films, and written for several additional films and television series. He received the 1988 BAFTA Award along with other Monty Python members for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema, [1] and in 2009 received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement. [2]
Year | Title | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Writer | Producer | Notes | ||
1971 | And Now for Something Completely Different | Partial | Yes | No | Director of animated segments |
1975 | Monty Python and the Holy Grail | Yes | Yes | No | Co-directed with Terry Jones |
1977 | Jabberwocky | Yes | Yes | No | |
1979 | Monty Python's Life of Brian | No | Yes | No | |
1981 | Time Bandits | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
1982 | Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl | No | Yes | No | Concert film |
1983 | Monty Python's The Meaning of Life | Partial | Yes | No | Director animation and special sequence |
1985 | Brazil | Yes | Yes | No | |
1988 | The Adventures of Baron Munchausen | Yes | Yes | No | |
1991 | The Fisher King | Yes | No | No | |
1995 | 12 Monkeys | Yes | No | No | |
1998 | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Yes | Yes | No | |
2005 | The Brothers Grimm | Yes | No | No | |
Tideland | Yes | Yes | No | ||
2009 | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
2013 | The Zero Theorem | Yes | No | No | |
2018 | The Man Who Killed Don Quixote | Yes | Yes | No | |
2025 | The Carnival at the End of Days | Yes | TBA | TBA | Upcoming film in production |
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Actor | Role |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1974 | Miracle of Flight | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
1979 | Story Time | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Narrator (voice only) |
1983 | The Crimson Permanent Assurance | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Workman (uncredited cameo) |
2010 | The Legend of Hallowdega | Yes | No | No | Yes | Senior Citizen in Photo (uncredited) |
2011 | The Wholly Family | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
Year | Title | Writer | Actor | Other functions |
---|---|---|---|---|
1968 | Do Not Adjust Your Set | Yes | No | Additional writing material |
Marty | Yes | Yes | ||
Broaden Your Mind | Yes | Yes | ||
1969–1974 | Monty Python's Flying Circus | Yes | Yes | Animator |
Year | Title | ||
---|---|---|---|
Role | Note | ||
1969–1974 | Monty Python's Flying Circus | Various roles | 44 episodes |
1971 | And Now for Something Completely Different | ||
1972 | Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus | Television film | |
1975 | Monty Python and the Holy Grail | ||
1977 | Jabberwocky | Man with Rock | Cameo |
1979 | Monty Python's Life of Brian | Various roles | |
1982 | Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl | Concert film | |
1983 | Monty Python's The Meaning of Life | ||
1985 | Brazil | Smoking Man at Shangri-La Towers | Uncredited cameo |
Spies Like Us | Dr. Imhaus | ||
1988 | The Adventures of Baron Munchausen | Irritating Singer Inside Fish | Uncredited cameo |
1996 | Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail | Various roles (voice) | Video game |
1997 | Monty Python's The Meaning of Life | ||
2006 | Locked Out | Fake Baby | Cameo |
2010 | Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) | Not an Individual/Mexican/Mountie | Concert film |
2011 | "The Monster of Nix" | The Ranger (voice) | Short film |
2012 | I Rec U | Dr. Therieux | |
A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman | Various roles (voice) | ||
The Unfinished Swan | The King (voice) | Video game | |
2013 | 9 Month Stretch | Charles Meatson | Cameo |
2014 | Monty Python Live (Mostly) | Various roles | Concert film |
2015 | Jupiter Ascending | Seal and Signet Minister [3] [4] | Cameo |
Absolutely Anything | Nasty Alien (voice) | ||
2018 | The Man Who Killed Don Quixote | Giant 2 (voice) | Cameo |
2020 | Bye Bye Morons | The Hunter | Cameo |
Graham Chapman was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surrealist comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two Python films, Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979).
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and presenter. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report. In the late 1960s, he cofounded Monty Python, the comedy troupe responsible for the sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. Along with his Python costars Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Graham Chapman, Cleese starred in Monty Python films, which include Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979), and The Meaning of Life (1983).
Monty Python's Life of Brian is a 1979 British comedy film starring and written by the comedy group Monty Python. It was directed by Jones. The film tells the story of Brian Cohen, a young Judaean man who is born on the same day as—and next door to—Jesus, and is subsequently mistaken for the Messiah.
Monty Python were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Their work then developed into a larger collection that included live shows, films, albums, books, and musicals; their influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles' influence on music. Their sketch show has been called "an important moment in the evolution of television comedy".
Sir Michael Edward Palin is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. He received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2013 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 British comedy film satirizing the Arthurian legend, written and performed by the Monty Python comedy group and directed by Gilliam and Jones in their feature directorial debuts. It was conceived during the hiatus between the third and fourth series of their BBC Television series Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Terrence Vance Gilliam is an American–born British filmmaker, comedian, collage animator and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman. Together they collaborated on the sketch series Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) and the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983). In 1988, they received the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. In 2009, Gilliam received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement.
Terence Graham Parry Jones was a Welsh actor, comedian, director, popular historian, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.
Eric Idle is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and joined Cambridge University Footlights.
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, also known simply as The Meaning of Life, is a 1983 British musical sketch comedy film written and performed by the Monty Python troupe, directed by Terry Jones. The Meaning of Life was the last feature film to star all six Python members before the death of Graham Chapman in 1989.
HandMade Films was a British film production and distribution company. Notable films from the studio include Monty Python's Life of Brian, Time Bandits, The Long Good Friday and Withnail and I.
Monty Python's Personal Best is a miniseries of six one-hour specials, each showcasing the contributions of a particular Monty Python member. Produced by Python (Monty) Pictures Ltd., the series first aired on PBS stations between 22 February and 8 March 2006, although the Eric Idle and Michael Palin episodes were initially released by A&E on two Region 1 DVDs in 2005; the remaining episodes were released in late February 2006.
Edward Ian MacNaughton was a Scottish actor, television producer and director, best known for his work with the Monty Python team.
"Sit on My Face" is a short song written by Eric Idle and performed by the members of the comedy troupe Monty Python, which originally appeared on the album Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album and later appeared on the compilation Monty Python Sings. The song's lyrics are sung to the melody of "Sing As We Go" (1934) by Harry Parr-Davies, made popular by Gracie Fields. The opening gives way to the voices of The Fred Tomlinson Singers singing "Sit on my face and tell me that you love me." The remaining lyrics contain numerous references to fellatio and cunnilingus, such as "when I'm between your thighs you blow me away" and "life can be fine if we both 69".
Monty Python Live at Aspen was a reunion show featuring the surviving members of the Monty Python team: John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, appearing on stage together for the first time since their Hollywood Bowl shows in 1980. Filmed on 7 March 1998 at the Wheeler Opera House in Colorado as part of The US Comedy Arts Festival, it featured the five Pythons in an interview with host Robert Klein. The late Graham Chapman was also allegedly in attendance as his "ashes" were brought out in an urn with his portrait attached to the front, only to be knocked over by Terry Gilliam.
Monty Python's Flying Circus is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam, who became known collectively as "Monty Python", or the "Pythons". The first episode was recorded at the BBC on 7 September 1969 and premiered on 5 October on BBC1, with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV. A feature film adaptation of several sketches, And Now for Something Completely Different, was released in 1971.
Monty Python: Almost the Truth is a 2009 television documentary series in six parts that covers 40 years of the surreal comedy group Monty Python, from Flying Circus to present day projects such as the musical Spamalot. The series highlights their childhood, schooling and university life, and pre-Python work. The series featured new interviews with surviving members John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, alongside archive interview footage of Graham Chapman and interviews with several associates of the Pythons, including Carol Cleveland, Neil Innes and Chapman's partner David Sherlock, along with commentary from modern comedians.
Absolutely Anything is a 2015 British science fantasy comedy film directed by Terry Jones, and written by Terry Jones and Gavin Scott. It stars Simon Pegg, Kate Beckinsale, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Rob Riggle, Eddie Izzard and Joanna Lumley, with the nonhuman characters' voices provided by John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Jones, Michael Palin and Robin Williams. It was the first movie to feature all living Monty Python members since Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983), and the first without Graham Chapman, who died in 1989. Principal photography and production began on 24 March 2014 and ended on 12 May that year. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 14 August 2015 by Lionsgate UK, and in the United States on 12 May 2017, grossing $6.3 million worldwide.
A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman is a 2012 British animated semi-biographical comedy film that is a portrayal of the life of Monty Python alumnus Graham Chapman. The film is loosely based on A Liar's Autobiography: Volume VI, a book written by Chapman and David Sherlock. It received a limited theatrical release on 2 November 2012 in the United States, and aired on the Epix TV channel on the same day.