The Python Years

May 1969 saw Michael team up with Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle and Terry Jones for the first series of Monty Python's Flying Circus. A second followed in 1970, along with the first Python movie, And Now For Something Completely Different.

The TV film Pythons In Deutschland (1971) saw all Pythons speaking German, fairly badly. However, it didn't stop Python winning the Silver Rose of Montreux award the same year. The third series of Monty Python's Flying Circus (1972) coincided with the second Python In Deutschland wherein the pythons did not speak German.

Monty Python's First Farewell Tour travelled around the UK and Canada in 1973. The Pythons also made their first US appearance on the Tonight show (audience completely mystified). The fourth Monty Python series, plus Monty Python and the Holy Grail appeared in 1974. There also followed Life of Brian (1978) and The Meaning of Life (1983), winner of the Grand Prix Special du Jury at Cannes.

Films

Michael's film career includes appearances in Terry Gilliam's Jabberwocky (1976), Eric Idle's The Rutles (1978), A Private Function, Terry Gilliam's Brazil (both 1984) and Fierce Creatures (1997). His appearance in A Fish Called Wanda (1988) earned Michael a BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actor.

He also co-wrote the script and appeared in Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits (1980), wrote and starred in The Missionary (1982) and wrote and played the lead in American Friends (1991), based on the life of his great grandfather.

Books

Aside from writing books for Monty Python and his various TV series, Michael has written a number of children's books, including Bert Fegg's Nasty Book for Boys and Girls (1974) and Dr Fegg's Encyclopeadia (sic) of All world Knowledge (1984, both with Terry Jones), Small Harry and the Toothache Pill (1982), Cyril and the Dinner Party, Cyril and the House of Commons and The Mirrorstone (all 1986). He has also written a book of Limericks (1985) and a novel Hemingway's Chair (1995).

Michael lives in moody splendour in North London with his three children (Thomas, William and Rachel), their three cats (Albert, Edith and Elsie)...oh, and Helen Gibbins, whom he married in 1966.

He lists his recreations as 'reading, running and railways - preferably all three in a foreign country'. He became president of Transport 2000, an environmental lobby group aiming to improve British transport, in 1987.

Information and photograph of Michael Palin supplied by Kirsten Whiting @ The Gumby Corporation Ltd.

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