Eric Idle
Born	29 March 1943 (1943-03-29) (age 65) South Shields, County Durham, England (now Tyne and Wear)
Occupation	Actor, writer, comedian, musician
Known for	Monty Python's Flying Circus Spamalot
Website Idle at PythOnline

Eric Idle (born March 29, 1943) is an English comedian, actor, author and composer of comedic songs. Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy "lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance He wrote and performed as a member of the internationally renowned British comedy group Monty Python. Monty Python (sometimes known as The Pythons) is the collective name of the six creators of Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British Television

Contents 1 Early life 2 Comedy career 2.1 University life and comedy 2.2 Before Python 2.3 Monty Python 2.4 After Python 3 Other credits 3.1 Writing 3.2 Family 3.2.1 Bibliography 3.3 Songwriting 4 Tributes 5 Criticism 6 Footlights presidency 7 References 8 External links

Early life

Idle was born in South Shields, County Durham (now Tyne and Wear) in Harton Village, the son of Nora Barron (Sanderson) and Ernest Idle. South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne. ^[1] His father had served in the Royal Air Force and survived World War II, only to be killed in a hitch-hiking accident on Christmas Eve of the first Christmas after the war^[2]. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including His mother had difficulty coping with a full-time job and raising a child, so when he was seven, she enrolled him into the Royal Wolverhampton School as a boarder. The Royal Wolverhampton School began life as The Wolverhampton Orphan Asylum in 1850

The school had begun life as a Victorian orphanage, and during Idle's time was a charitable foundation dedicated to the welfare of children who had lost one or both parents. An orphan (from the Greek ὀρφανός) is a child whose natural parents are absent or dead and who are not there to bring him up Its pupils, who were mainly the children of dead English soldiers, still referred to it as the 'Ophney'.

Idle is quoted as saying: "It was a physically abusive, bullying, harsh environment for a kid to grow up in. Child abuse is the physical, psychological or sexual maltreatment of children Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others through verbal Harassment, physical Assault, or other more subtle methods of Coercion I got used to dealing with groups of boys and getting on with life in unpleasant circumstances and being smart and funny and subversive at the expense of authority. Perfect training for Python. "^[3]

Idle stated that the two things that made his life bearable were listening to Radio Luxembourg under the bedclothes and watching the local football team, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Despite this, he disliked other sports and would sneak out of school every Thursday afternoon to the local cinema. He was eventually caught watching the racy film Butterfield 8 and stripped of his prefecture, even though by that time he was head boy. BUtterfield 8 is a 1960 MGM Film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey. Prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeficere: "make in front" i Head Boy and Head Girl are terms commonly used in the British education system, and in private schools throughout the Commonwealth. Idle had already refused to be senior boy in the school cadet force, as he supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and had participated in the yearly Aldermaston March. The first Aldermaston March took place at Easter (4-7 April 1958, shortly after the launch of CND, when people marched for four days from Trafalgar Square

Idle maintains that there was little to do at the school and boredom drove him to study hard. He consequently won a place at Cambridge. The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the

Comedy career

University life and comedy

Idle attended Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge, where he studied English. Pembroke College is a college of the University of Cambridge, home to over six hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest of the colleges The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of Literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U At Pembroke, he was invited to join the prestigious Cambridge University Footlights Club by the President of the Footlights Club, Tim Brooke-Taylor, and Footlights Club member Bill Oddie. Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge England, run by the students Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor (born 17 July 1940) is an English comic Actor known in Britain and Australia as a member of The Goodies William Edgar Oddie, OBE (born 7 July 1941 is an English Actor, Writer, Comedian, Natural history Presenter

I'd never heard of the Footlights when I got there, but we had a tradition of college smoking-concerts, and I sent in some sketches parodying a play that had just been done. Tim Brooke-Taylor and Bill Oddie auditioned me for the Footlights smoker, and that led to me discovering about and getting into the Footlights, which was great. ^[4]

When Idle joined the Footlights Club, the other members included Graham Chapman and John Cleese, who were also attending the University of Cambridge. Graham Arthur Chapman (8 January 1941 &ndash 4 October 1989 was an English Comedian, Actor, Writer, Physician and one of the John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer

He became Footlights President in 1965. Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge England, run by the students

Before Python

Idle starred in the children's television comedy series Do Not Adjust Your Set opposite his future Python alumnus Terry Jones and Michael Palin (who were both former University of Oxford students). Do Not Adjust Your Set ( DNAYS) was a children's television series produced originally by Rediffusion London, then by the fledgling For other uses see Terry Jones (disambiguation. Terence Graham Parry Jones (born 1 February 1942) is a Welsh Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born 5 May 1943 is an English Comedian, actor writer and Television presenter best known for being one of the members The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the Terry Gilliam provided animations for the show. Terrence Vance Gilliam (born 22 November 1940) is an American -born British Writer, Filmmaker, Animator and member Other members of the cast were British comedic actors David Jason and Denise Coffey. Sir David John White OBE, known by his Stage name David Jason (born 2 February 1940 is an English Actor, known Denise Coffey (born 12 December, 1936 in Aldershot) is an English actress.

Monty Python

Main article: Monty Python

Idle wrote for Monty Python mostly by himself, at his own pace, although he sometimes found it difficult in having to present material to the others and make it seem funny without the back-up support of a partner. Monty Python (sometimes known as The Pythons) is the collective name of the six creators of Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British Television Cleese admitted that this was slightly unfair – when the team voted on which sketches should appear in a show, “he only got one vote” - but says that Idle was an independent person and worked best on his own. Idle himself admitted this was sometimes difficult: “You had to convince five others. And they were not the most un-egotistical of writers, either. "

Idle's work in Python is often characterised by an obsession with language and communication: many of his characters have verbal peculiarities, such as the man who speaks in anagrams, the man who says words in the wrong order, and the butcher who alternates between rude and polite every time he speaks. An anagram ( Greek anagramma 'letters written anew' passive participle of ana- 'again' + gramma 'letter' is a type of Word play A number of his sketches involve extended monologues (for example the man who won't stop talking about his unpleasant experiences with holidays), and he would frequently spoof the unnatural language and speech patterns of television presenters. Additionally, like Palin, Idle is said to be the master of insincere characters, from the David Frost-esque Timmy Williams, to small-time crook Stig O'Tracy, who tries to justify the fact that organized crime master Dinsdale Piranha had nailed his head to the floor. Sir David Paradine Frost, OBE (born 7 April 1939) is an English Satirist and Television presenter, famed as both a "Crime syndicate" redirects here For the DC Comics group of villains see Crime Syndicate.

One of the younger members of the team - a year behind Cleese and Chapman at Cambridge - Idle was closest in spirit to the students and teenagers who made up much of Python's fanbase. Python sketches dealing most with contemporary obsessions like pop music, sexual permissiveness and recreational drugs are Idle's work, often characterized by double entendre, sexual references, and other "naughty" subject matter - most famously demonstrated in "Nudge Nudge. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Recreational drug use is the use of Psychoactive drugs for Recreational purposes rather than for work, medical or spiritual purposes Not to be confused with Puns which employ multiple phrases A double entendre is a Figure of speech similar to the Pun, in " Eric Idle originally wrote "Nudge, Nudge" for Ronnie Barker, but it was rejected because there was 'no joke in the words'. Ronald William George Barker, OBE (25 September 1929 &ndash 3 October 2005 was an English actor and Comedian, best known for his roles as Norman Stanley Fletcher ^[5]

A competent guitarist, Idle composed the group's most famous musical numbers, most notably "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", the closing number of Life of Brian, which has grown to become a Python signature tune. " Always Look on the Bright Side of Life " is a popular song written by Eric Idle that originally featured in the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as The Life of Brian, is a 1979 Comedy film written directed and largely performed by the He was responsible for the "Galaxy Song" from The Meaning of Life and (with Cleese) "Eric the Half-a-Bee", a whimsical tune that first appeared on the Monty Python's Previous Record album. The Galaxy Song is an upbeat if somewhat nihilistic song from the movie Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, later released on the album Monty Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is a 1983 musical Comedy film by the Monty Python comedy team " Eric the Half-A-Bee " is a song by the British comedy troupe Monty Python. Monty Python's Previous Record was the third Album by Monty Python, released in 1972

After Python

After Monty Python ceased to be a regularly active ensemble in the mid-1970s, all six members pursued solo projects. Idle's first solo work was his own BBC Radio One show, Radio Five (pre-dating the real Radio Five station by 18 years). This ran for two seasons from 1973 to 1974 and involved Idle performing sketches and links to records, with himself playing nearly all the multi-tracked parts.

On television, Idle created Rutland Weekend Television (RWT), a sketch show on BBC2, written by Idle, with music by Neil Innes. Rutland Weekend Television (RWT was a television sketch show on BBC2, written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. Neil James Innes (born 9 December 1944, in Danbury, Essex) is an English writer and performer of Comic songs, best known RWT was 'Britain's smallest television network'. The name was a parody of London Weekend Television, the independent television franchise that provided Londoners with their ITV services at weekends; Rutland had been England's smallest county, but had recently been 'abolished' in an administrative shake-up. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Rutland is a county of mainland England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire, and southeast by To make the joke complete, the programme went out on a weekday. Other regular performers were David Battley, Henry Woolf, Gwen Taylor and Terence Bayler, and George Harrison made a guest appearance on one episode. David Battley ( 5 November 1935 - 20 January 2003) was a British actor specialising in laconic lugubrious comedy roles Henry Woolf (born 1930 is a British Actor, Theatre director, and teacher of acting drama and theatre who lives in Canada, and a longtime friend Gwen Taylor (born 19 February 1939 in Derby, England) is an actress who has appeared in many British television programmes Terence Bayler (born 24 January 1930) is a New Zealand Actor. George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001 was an English rock Guitarist Singer - Songwriter, Author

A legacy of RWT was the creation, with Innes, of The Rutles, an affectionate parody of The Beatles. The Rutles was a fictional band created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes as a Pastiche of The Beatles. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 The band became a popular phenomenon, especially in the U. S. where Idle was appearing on Saturday Night Live - fans would send in Beatles LPs with their sleeves altered to show the Rutles. Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City In 1978 the Rutles' mockumentary film All You Need Is Cash, a collaboration between Python members and Saturday Night Live, was aired on NBC television, as written by Idle, with music by Innes. Mockumentary (also known as a pseudo-documentary) a Portmanteau of Mock and documentary, is a film and TV Genre, or a single work All You Need Is Cash (also known as The Rutles) is a 1978 television film that traces (in Mockumentary style the career of Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Idle appeared in the film as "Dirk McQuickly" (the Paul McCartney-styled character of the group), as well as the main commentator. Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, Actors appearing in the film included Saturday Night Live's John Belushi, Bill Murray, and Gilda Radner, as well as George Harrison and Mick Jagger. John Adam Belushi ( January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American Comedian, Actor and Musician For the British actor see Billy Murray (actor. William James "Bill" Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Gilda Susan Radner ( June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an Emmy Award -winning American Comedienne and Actress George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001 was an English rock Guitarist Singer - Songwriter, Author Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger, Kt (born 26 July 1943 is a Golden Globe -winning and two-time Grammy -winning English rock

In 1986 he provided the voice of Wreck-Gar, the leader of the Junkions (a race of robots built out of junk that can only speak in movie catch-phrases and advetising slogans) in Transformers: The Movie. Wreck-Gar is the name of a fictional character from the Transformers universes. The Planet of Junk is the home planet of the Junkions a subgroup of Autobots who transform into motorcycles The Transformers The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. In 1987 he took part in the English National Opera production of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera The Mikado, in which he appeared in the role of the Lord High Executioner. Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian era partnership of Librettist W Comic opera, or light opera, denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature usually with a happy ending The Mikado, or The Town of Titipu, is a Comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and Libretto by W In 1989 he appeared in the US comedy television series Nearly Departed about a ghost who haunts the family inhabiting his former home. The series lasted for six episodes as a summer replacement series.

He received good critical notices appearing in projects written and directed by others - such as Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989), alongside Robbie Coltrane in Nuns on the Run (1990) and in Casper (1995). Terrence Vance Gilliam (born 22 November 1940) is an American -born British Writer, Filmmaker, Animator and member The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a 1988 Film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville, Sarah Polley Robbie Coltrane, OBE (born 30 March 1950) is a Scottish Actor, comedian and author Nuns on the Run is a 1990 British Comedy film starring Robbie Coltrane and Eric Idle. Casper is a 1995 Live-action Feature film based on the Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons and comic strips He also played Ratty in Terry Jones' version of the The Wind in the Willows (1996). The Wind in the Willows, released on video in the US as Mr Toad's Wild Ride, is a 1996 adaptation of Kenneth Grahame 's classic novel However, his own creative projects - such as the movie Splitting Heirs (1993), a comedy he wrote, starred in and executive-produced - were mostly unsuccessful with critics and audiences. Splitting Heirs is a 1993 British Film starring Eric Idle, Rick Moranis, Barbara Hershey, Catherine

In 1994, he appeared as Dr. Nigel Channing, chairman of the Imagination Institute and host of an 'Inventor of the Year' awards show in the three-dimensional film Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, which has been an attraction at Walt Disney World's Epcot since 1995 and at Disneyland since 1998. See also [[stereoscopy]] In film the term 3-D (or 3D) is used to describe any visual presentation system that attempts to maintain or recreate moving images Honey I Shrunk The Audience is a 3-D film at several Disney theme parks themed to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids film series Walt Disney World Resort is the most visited and largest recreational resort in the world containing four Theme parks two Water parks twenty-three themed hotels Epcot is a Theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The park is dedicated to international Culture and technological Innovation. The film also stars Rick Moranis and other members of the cast of the 1989 feature film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Frederick Alan "Rick" Moranis (born April 18, 1953) is a retired Canadian Actor, Comedian and Musician, Honey I Shrunk the Kids is a 1989 Comedy film released through Walt Disney Pictures. In 1999, he reprised the role in the second (and controversial) version of the Journey Into Imagination ride at Epcot, replacing Figment and Dreamfinder as the host. Due to an outcry from Disney fans, Figment was reinstated into the ride. Idle is also writer and star of the three-dimensional film Pirates - 4D for Busch Entertainment Corporation. See also [[stereoscopy]] In film the term 3-D (or 3D) is used to describe any visual presentation system that attempts to maintain or recreate moving images

In 1995, he voiced Rincewind the "Wizzard" in a computer adventure game based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. Rincewind the Wizzard is a Fictional character Discworld ( aka Discworld The Trouble With Dragons) is a graphic Adventure game developed by Teeny Weeny Games and Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948 is an English fantasy, Science fiction, and children's author. Discworld is a comedic Fantasy Book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat In 1996, he reprised his role as Rincewind for the game's sequel, and composed and sang its theme song, "That's Death". Discworld II Missing Presumed!? ( Discworld II Mortality Bytes! in North America) is the second graphic Adventure game based on In 1998, Idle appeared in the lead role in the poorly received film Burn Hollywood Burn (see Criticism). An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn (the onscreen title is simply Burn Hollywood Burn) was made in 1997 and released in 1998 That same year, he also provided the voice of Devon, a dragon, in Warner Bros. Animated film Quest for Camelot. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames "The Magic Sword" redirects here For other uses see Magic sword (disambiguation.

In recent years, Idle has worked with people who regard him as a huge inspiration, such as Trey Parker and Matt Stone in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, in which he voiced Dr. Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III (born October 19, 1969) is an American Animator, Screenwriter, Film director Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone (born May 26, 1971) is an Academy Award - nominated Emmy Award - winning American Animator South Park Bigger Longer & Uncut is an Academy Award -nominated Animated satirical Comedy Vosknocker. He has also made three appearances on The Simpsons as famous documentarian Declan Desmond, so far the only appearance on the show by a Python. The following are a list of fictional celebrities in the animated television show The Simpsons. From 1999 to 2000, he played Ian Maxtone-Graham on the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan. Ian Maxtone-Graham (born on July 3, 1959 in New York City) is an American Television Writer and producer The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Suddenly Susan is an American Sitcom that was broadcast on NBC from 1996 to 2000 Idle has also acted as Narrator to the AudioNovel version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964 is a children's book by British Author Roald Dahl. Roald Dahl ( 13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British Novelist Short story Writer

He has recently provided the voice of Merlin in the DreamWorks animated film Shrek the Third, which reunites him with his fellow Python alumnus John Cleese. Merlin is a retired wizard Teacher from Artie's high school Worcestershire in Shrek the Third roughly based on the mythological Merlin DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc ( is an independent American Animation studio which primarily produce a series of critically and commercially successful Shrek the Third, released 6 years after the first ''Shrek'' and 3 years after the second ''Shrek'', is a 2007 Animated film, and the He was reported to have stormed out of its premiere and has said he may sue the producers of the film after seeing them directly copy a gag from his earlier film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python ( Graham Chapman, John Cleese The gag in question is banging coconuts together to imitate hoofbeats- a running gag throughout Monty Python and the Holy Grail. ^[6][7]

Idle's play, "What About Dick?", was given a staged reading at two public performances in Hollywood on November 10 and 11, 2007. The cast included Idle, Billy Connolly, Tim Curry, Eddie Izzard, Jane Leeves, Emily Mortimer, Jim Piddock, and Tracey Ullman. Billy Connolly, CBE (born William Connolly Jr on 24 November, 1942) is a Scottish Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946 is an English Actor, Singer, Voice actor, and Composer, as well as having a career as a Edward John "Eddie" Izzard (born February 7, 1962) is a British stand-up comedian and Dramatic Actor. Jane Leeves (born April 18, 1961) is a Screen Actors Guild Award winning English actress best known for her work as Daphne Moon Emily Mortimer (born 1 December, 1971) is an English actress. James Anthony Piddock (born April 8, 1956) is an English actor writer and producer who began his career on the stage in England before emigrating to Tracey Ullman (born December 30, 1959) is a British -born naturalized U ^[8]

Other credits

Writing

Idle has written several books, both fiction and non-fiction. Fiction is the telling of stories which are not real More specifically fiction is an imaginative form of Narrative, one of the four basic Rhetorical modes. Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as Fact. His novels are Hello Sailor and The Road to Mars. The Road to Mars is a 1999 Science fiction Comedy Novel by Eric Idle. In 1976, he produced a spin-off book to Rutland Weekend Television, entitled The Rutland Dirty Weekend Book. Rutland Weekend Television (RWT was a television sketch show on BBC2, written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. In 1982, he wrote a west end farce Pass The Butler, starring Willie Rushton. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland" William George Rushton, commonly known as Willie Rushton ( 18 August, 1937 in Chelsea London – 11 December, 1996 Cromwell During his Greedy Bastard Tour of 2003, he wrote the diaries that would be made into The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America, published in February 2005.

He also wrote the book and co-wrote the music and lyrics for the musical, Monty Python's Spamalot, (based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail). Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy "lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python ( Graham Chapman, John Cleese It premiered on January 9, 2005 in Chicago, before moving to Broadway, where it received the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 2004-05 season. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented

In a 2005 poll to find "The Comedian's Comedian" (UK), he was voted 21 in the top 50 greatest comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

An example of Idle's idiosyncratic writing is "Ants In Their Pants" - a poem about the sex life of ants. Ants are social Insects of the family Formicidae and along with the related families of Wasps and Bees belong to the order It starts as follows:

'Where does an ant get its rocks off?

How does the ant get it on?

Do ants have it away, say three times a day,

Is it once a week sex, or p'raps none?'

Family

Eric Idle married Lyn Ashley, an Australian, in 1969. Lyn Ashley (born 18 March) is an Australian actress who worked in the United Kingdom on Television during the 1960s For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. They divorced in 1975. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage. They have one son, Carey, born in 1973.

Idle married his current wife, Tania Kosevich, an American, in 1981. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the They have one daughter, Lily, born in 1990.

Bibliography

• Hello, Sailor, novel, 1975  ISBN 0-297-76929-4
• The Rutland Dirty Weekend Book, 1976  ISBN 0-413-36570-0
• Pass the Butler, play script, 1982  ISBN 0-413-49990-1
• The Quite Remarkable Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat, children's book, 1996  ISBN 0-7871-1042-6
• The Road to Mars, novel, 1998  ISBN 0-7522-2414-X (hardcover), ISBN 0-375-70312-8 (paperback)
• Eric Idle Exploits Monty Python Souvenir Program, Green street Press (U. The Road to Mars is a 1999 Science fiction Comedy Novel by Eric Idle. S. ), 2000
• The Greedy Bastard Tour Souvenir Program, Green street Press (U. S. ), 2003
• The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America, journal, 2005  ISBN 0-06-075864-3
• Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy), co-written, play/musical parody of Monty Python's Life of Brian

Songwriting

Idle is an accomplished songwriter, having composed and performed many of the Pythons' most famous comic pieces, including "Eric The Half-A-Bee", "The Philosophers' Song", "Galaxy Song" and, probably his most recognised hit, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", which was written for the closing scene of the Monty Python film Life of Brian, and sung from the crosses during the mass crucifixion. Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy is a Monty Python 60 minute comedic Oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian. Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as The Life of Brian, is a 1979 Comedy film written directed and largely performed by the Bruces' Philosophers Song (Bruces' Song was a popular Monty Python song written by Eric Idle, a feature of the group's stage appearances as well as of its recordings The Galaxy Song is an upbeat if somewhat nihilistic song from the movie Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, later released on the album Monty " Always Look on the Bright Side of Life " is a popular song written by Eric Idle that originally featured in the 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian Monty Python's Life of Brian, also known as The Life of Brian, is a 1979 Comedy film written directed and largely performed by the Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from The song has since been covered by Bruce Cockburn and Art Garfunkel. Bruce Douglas Cockburn, OC (ˈkoʊbɚn phonetically "co-burn" (born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian folk/rock Guitarist Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American Singer-songwriter and Actor of Romanian Jewish ancestry Idle, his fellow Pythons, and assorted family and friends performed the song at Graham Chapman's funeral.

In 1990, Idle sang and co-wrote the theme tune to the popular British sitcom One Foot In The Grave. One Foot in the Grave was a BBC television Situation comedy series written by David Renwick. The song was later released, but did poorly in the charts. However, when "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" was adopted as a football chant in the late 1980s, Idle's then neighbour Gary Lineker suggested Idle re-record and release the popular track. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Gary Winston Lineker, OBE (born 30 November 1960 in Leicester) is a former English international football Striker who scored This led to a surprise hit, some 12 years after the song's original appearance in Life Of Brian, reaching number 3 in the UK charts and landing Idle a set on Top of the Pops in October 1991. Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, was a long-running British music chart Television programme, made and broadcast Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar.

In 2004, Idle recorded a protest song of sorts, the "FCC Song", in which he lambasts the US Federal Communications Commission for fining him $5,000 for saying the word "fuck" on national radio. A protest song is a Song which Protests against perceived problems in Society. " FCC Song " is a deliberately controversial and explicit song by Fittingly, the short song contains 14 uses of the said expletive. A video accompanying the song, created by Mountain Top CCT, can be viewed at YouTube ^[9]. YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload view and share Video clips YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees In 2005, he received multiple Tony award nominations for his songwriting work on the Broadway musical Spamalot.

He wrote, produced and performed the song "Really Nice Day" for the movie The Wild. The Wild is a Computer-animated Film directed by Steve "Spaz" Williams, produced by Clint Goldman, assistant produced (imdb)

In June 2007, "Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)", premiered at the inaugural Luminato arts festival in Toronto. June 2007 is the sixth month of that year It began on a Friday and 30 days later ended on a Saturday. Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy is a Monty Python 60 minute comedic Oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian. Luminato is an annual city-wide festival held each June in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Idle himself performed during this 50-minute oratorio, along with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and members of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian Orchestra. 400000 people attend its live performances each year and it is often broadcast over CBC Radio 2 The composer, John Du Prez, was also present. John Du Prez (born December 14, 1946 in Sheffield, United Kingdom) is a musician Shannon Mercer, Jean Stilwell, Christopher Sieber, and Theodore Baerg sang the principal parts. Christopher Sieber (born February 18, 1969 in St Paul Minnesota) is an American actor and musical theatre performer The American premiere was at Caramoor (Westchester County, New York) on July 1, 2007. Westchester County is a primarily Suburban county located in the U "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Soloists were the same as in the Toronto performance, but the accompanying chorus was made up of members of New York City's Collegiate Chorale.

Tributes

An asteroid, 9620 Ericidle, is named in his honour. Asteroids, sometimes called Minor planets or planetoids', are bodies—primarily of the inner Solar System —that are smaller than planets but 9620 Ericidle is an Asteroid in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. ^[10] Also the Integrated development environment for the Python programming language is called IDLE ^[11] and another one is called ERIC. In Computing, an integrated development environment ( IDE) is a Software application that provides comprehensive facilities to Computer programmers Python is a general-purpose High-level programming language. Its design philosophy emphasizes programmer productivity and code readability

Criticism

Idle in recent years has been criticized for commercializing the legacy of Monty Python. In Slate, Sam Anderson wrote in the article "And Now For Something Completely Deficient" that though Idle "has earned a spot in Comedy Heaven for his Python days. Slate is an English-language online current affairs and culture Magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael . . his jokey "exposure" of his own exploitation (he has called tours "Eric Idle Exploits Monty Python" and "The Greedy Bastard Tour") is more irritating than funny. " Of Spamalot, Anderson opined that "Python was formed in reaction to exactly the kind of lazy comedy represented by Spamalot — what Michael Palin once described as the 'easy, catch-phrase reaction' the members had all been forced to pander in their previous writing jobs. ". ^[12]

Spamalot has had mixed reactions from the other Python members. Terry Jones described it as “utterly pointless and full of air”. ^[13][14] Cleese lent his support by voicing God in a recorded performance that was integrated into the musical. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Palin observed: "It's a great show. It’s not ‘Python’ as we would have written it. But then, none of us would get together and write a ‘Python’ stage show. "^[15] Terry Gilliam displayed a very mixed comment about the show by calling it "Python-like". ^[16]

In 1998, Idle appeared in the lead role in the film Burn Hollywood Burn. An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn (the onscreen title is simply Burn Hollywood Burn) was made in 1997 and released in 1998 The film was nominated as 'Worst Picture of the Decade' in the Golden Raspberry Awards (known as the Razzies) - and was awarded five Razzies including 'Worst Picture of the Year'.

In 2000 The Onion gave the album Eric Idle Sings Monty Python: Live In Concert the title of 'Least Essential Solo Album' of the year. For the vegetable see Onion. The Onion is an American " fake news " organization It said "the year's true nadir came from an unexpected source, beloved Monty Pythoner Eric Idle, who preceded his depressingly low-rent, if honestly dubbed "Eric Idle Exploits Monty Python" tour with the equally unimpressive, if no less accurately titled Eric Idle Sings Monty Python: Live In Concert. "^[17]

There has also been criticism of Idle from the other Rutles, who reunited for the Archaeology album in the mid-1990s without him. The Rutles was a fictional band created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes as a Pastiche of The Beatles. On the Channel 4 programme What The Pythons Did Next, Rutles drummer John Halsey (aka Barry Wom), said that he had to switch off Idle's The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch after 10 minutes. Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began The Rutles 2 Can't Buy Me Lunch is a modern re-telling of the 1978 mockumentary All You Need is Cash, in a modern setting Innes was more diplomatic on the same show, saying "we used to think he had delusions of grandeur, now we know it's only grandeur". ^[18]

Idle describes himself as "the sixth nicest Python". ^[19]

Footlights presidency

Preceded by Graeme Garden

Footlights President 1964–1965

Succeeded by Andrew Mayer

References

External links

• PythOnline
• Eric Idle singing his "FCC Song" in MP3 format from Archive.org
• Eric Idle - BBC Guide to Comedy
• Eric Idle - Comedy Zone
• Eric Idle at the Internet Movie Database
• My Girl Herbert - the 1965 Cambridge Footlights Club revue during the time when Eric Idle was President of the Footlights, as well as being a member of the revue cast)

Do Not Adjust Your Set
Denise Coffey — Eric Idle — David Jason — Terry Jones — Michael Palin

Persondata
NAME	Idle, Eric
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	British comedian
DATE OF BIRTH	29 March 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH	South Shields, Tyne & Wear, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH

Denise Coffey (born 12 December, 1936 in Aldershot) is an English actress. Sir David John White OBE, known by his Stage name David Jason (born 2 February 1940 is an English Actor, known For other uses see Terry Jones (disambiguation. Terence Graham Parry Jones (born 1 February 1942) is a Welsh Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born 5 May 1943 is an English Comedian, actor writer and Television presenter best known for being one of the members The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Comedy (from the Greek κωμωδίαkomodia has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse especially in Television, Film, and Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

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