ERIC IDLE

Eric Idle was born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England in 1943. His father died when he was 2, and he was sent to live in a boarding school when he was 7. He went to the University of Cambridge where he joined the Footlights Club and met fellow members Graham Chapman and John Cleese, who were a year ahead of him. After graduation, he starred in the children's TV show Do Not Adjust Your Set opposite Terry Jones and Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam did animation for the show. In 1969, Idle and the above five people started the classic English TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus. They wrote the sketches and performed them, with frequent (and often bizarre) animation by Terry Gilliam. Words fail me as to how to explain the humor of this show, but it certainly was unlike anything seen to that time! In 1971, the Python troupe did a feature movie, And Now for Something Completely Different, in which they recreated the best sketches from their TV show. The movie was intended to widen their appeal, but it was just too weird for most audiences in the U.S. In 1975, they released Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which had somewhat of a plot, and was much more successful. In 1978, Idle took a break from Monty Python and wrote, directed and starred in The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, a mockumentary of a Beatles-like band. In 1979, he and the Monty Python members did Monty Python's Life of Brian (produced by George Harrison, a friend of Idle's), which was their most outrageous movie (due to the sacriligeous subject matter) and their most successful. The closing song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" (sung by men on crucifixes!) was composed by Idle. In 1983, he and the Monty Python members did The Meaning of Life. In 2003, Idle wrote the book and lyrics for Spamalot, "lovingly ripped off from" the group's 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It was an enormous success on Broadway and elsewhere. The above are just the highlights of Eric Idle's hugely successful career, both with and without the other Monty Python members. He has also written several books and much music! As of 2021, he is still alive at the age of 78.