Bios

John Cleese

DOB: October 27, 1939 in Weston-Super-Mare, England
Specialty: Loony, straight-faced authority figures. (i.e. 'The Minister of Silly Walks').
Sketches: Cleese mainly wrote with Graham Chapman. A partnership which produced classic moments like 'Cheese Shop,' 'Dead Parrot' and 'The Argument Sketch.'
Currently: He most recently starred in the second installment of The Pink Panther series with Steve Martin and voices "Professor Kipple" in the upcoming CG animated film, Planet 51.

Terry Gilliam

DOB: November 22, 1940 in Medicine Lake, Minnesota
Specialty: Gilliam was responsible for all of the surreal art-history inspired animations which helped tie the show together and gave the show its graphic style. (i.e. the foot from 'An Allegory of Venus and Cupid' stomping into frame)
Sketches: He rarely appeared in sketches but could be seen as a Cardinal in 'The Spanish Inquisition' and covered-up in armor as the knight who hit people with a plucked chicken.
Currently: Gilliam has, most notably, gone on to direct films which include Time Bandits, Brazil and 12 Monkeys. His latest project The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is set to be released this year.

Eric Idle

DOB: March 29, 1943 in South Shields, England
Specialty: Playing with language in forms of double entendres, sexual matters and quirky forms of communication. (i.e. 'Nudge, Nudge' and 'The Man Who is Alternately Rude and Polite')
Sketches: Idle was the only Python to write sketches alone. He masterfully played self-involved insincerity with great delight in the sketch 'Timmy Williams' Coffee Time!' which was a David Frost-like TV persona.
Currently: He voiced "Merlin" in Shrek the Third which also costarred John Cleese. Idle will reprise his role in the series with the upcoming Shrek Forever After. He is also co-directing the theatrical production, An Evening Without Monty Python, which showcases musical numbers and sketches from the Monty Python canon.

Terry Jones

DOB: February 1, 1942 in Colwyn Bay, Wales
Specialty: Stuffy English gentlemen or middle-aged women with a signature screechy, high-pitched voice. (i.e. 'Spam')
Sketches: Jones mainly wrote with Michael Palin. He had a large presence behind the camera and was mostly responsible for devising Monty Python's "stream of conciousness" format which allowed sketches to flow into one another, often without punchlines.
Currently: Jones has been busy writing children's books and casting a new light on Medieval history. He currently narrates the children's program, The Legend of Dick & Dom.

Michael Palin

DOB: May 5, 1943 in Broomhill, England
Specialty: Characters across the board from the sheepishly inept to the calm straight man. (i.e. 'The Spanish Inquisition' and 'Dead Parrot')
Sketches: He could often be seen frustrating characters played by John Cleese. Along with his writing partner Terry Jones, Palin helped pen 'The Lumberjack Song' in which he also played the singing lumberjack.
Currently: Palin has presented various documentary programs ranging from Art and History to logging many miles in various travel documentaries.

Graham Chapman

DOB: January 8, 1941 in Leicester, England
DOD: October 4, 1989 in Maidstone, England
Specialty: "Straight men" or comical authority figures. (i.e. 'The Colonel')
Sketches: Aside from breaking sketches up as 'The Colonel' for being too silly, Chapman also played major roles in the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Life of Brian.
Postmortem: At the 1998 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, Chapman was represented by an urn along with all surviving members of Monty Python during a highly touted reunion. He was accidentally knocked over and then vacuumed up with a Dustbuster.