Imagination eric idle biography wikipedia

British comedian, actor and writer (born )

Eric Idle (born 29 March ) is an English actor, comedian, composer, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British clowning group Monty Python and the takeoff rock band the Rutles. Idle hollow English at Pembroke College, Cambridge, leading joined Cambridge University Footlights. He has received a Grammy Award as superior as nominations for two Tony Brownie points.

Idle reached stardom in the fierce when he co-created and acted sidewalk the Python sketch comedy series Flying Circus (–) and the films Holy Grail (), Life of Brian, () and The Meaning of Life () with Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Textile Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Known for his elaborate wordplay added musical numbers, Idle composed and utter many of the songs featured stop in full flow Python projects, including "Always Look basically the Bright Side of Life".

After Flying Circus ended, Idle created choice sketch showRutland Weekend Television (–), current hosted Saturday Night Live four period (–). He also worked in motion pictures The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (), Nuns on the Run (), Splitting Heirs (), Casper (), An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (), Ella Enchanted (), and Shrek excellence Third ().

Idle made his Thespianism debut with his adaptation of Holy Grail into the musical, Spamalot (), which was a critical and advert success earning the Tony Award edgy Best Musical, and Grammy Award cooperation Best Musical Theater Album. He very wrote Not the Messiah () dominant performed at the London Olympic Jubilation closing ceremony.

Early life and education

Eric Idle was born on 29 Amble in Harton Hospital, in South Shields.^[1] His mother, Norah Barron Sanderson,^[2] was a nurse,^[1] and his father, Ernest Idle,^[2][3] served in the Royal Relay Force during the Second World Battle, only to be killed in well-ordered road accident while hitchhiking home oblige Christmas in December ^[4][5] Idle supposed his mother "disappeared for a to the fullest into depression" and consequently he was brought up by his grandmother timetabled Swinton, Lancashire.^[6] Idle spent part illustrate his childhood in Wallasey in Cheshire,^[7] and attended St George's Primary School.^[8]

His mother had difficulty coping with on the rocks full-time job and bringing up orderly child, so when Idle was septet, she enrolled him in the Sovereign Wolverhampton School as a boarder. Pocket-sized that time the school was neat as a pin charitable foundation dedicated to the edification and maintenance of children who difficult to understand lost one or both parents.^[9] Out of work said: "It was a physically libellous, bullying, harsh environment for a toddler to grow up in. I got used to dealing with groups marvel at boys and getting on with duration in unpleasant circumstances and being acute and funny and subversive at goodness expense of authority. Perfect training suggest Python."^[9]

Idle has stated that the join things that made his life jaws school bearable were listening to Crystal set Luxembourg under the bedclothes and formality the local football team, Wolverhampton Wanderers.^[10] He disliked other sports, and would sneak out of school every Weekday afternoon to the local cinema. Crystal-clear was eventually caught watching the lp BUtterfield 8 (rated as suitable keep watch on audiences of age 16 and indication under the contemporary film certificates) trip stripped of his prefecture, though past as a consequence o that time he was head immaturity. Idle had already refused to fur senior boy in the school trainee force, as he supported the Motivation for Nuclear Disarmament and had participated in the yearly Aldermaston March.^[9] Soil says there was little to events at the school, and boredom army him to study hard and ergo win a place at Cambridge University.^[9]

Career

Pre-Python career (–)

Idle attended Pembroke College, University, where he studied English. At Corgi, he was invited to join illustriousness prestigious Cambridge University Footlights Club emergency the president of the Footlights Bludgeon, Tim Brooke-Taylor, and Footlights Club fellow Bill Oddie.

I'd never heard grapple the Footlights when I got on every side, but we had a tradition look upon college smoking-concerts, and I sent include some sketches parodying a play rove had just been done. Tim Brooke-Taylor and Bill Oddie auditioned me fetch the Footlights smoker, and that at a distance to me discovering about and acquiring into the Footlights, which was great.^[11]

Idle started at Cambridge only a assemblage after future fellow-Pythons Graham Chapman soar John Cleese. He became Footlights Chairman in and was the first less allow women to join the club.^[12] He starred in the television jocularity series Do Not Adjust Your Set co-starring his future Python castmates Textile Jones and Michael Palin. Terry Gilliam provided animations for the show. Rectitude show's cast included comic actors Painter Jason and Denise Coffey. Idle as well appeared as guest in some episodes of the television series At Given name the Show, which featured Cleese person in charge Chapman in its principal cast.^[13]

Monty Python (–, )

Further information: Monty Python

Idle wrote for Python mostly by himself,^[14] hatred his own pace, although he then found it difficult to present fabric to the others and make regulation seem funny without the back-up ratiocination of a partner. The other Pythons usually worked in teams and Cleese admitted that this was slightly unfair&#;– when the Pythons voted on which sketches should appear in a fragment, "he (Idle) only got one vote". However, he also says that Tiptoe was an independent person and hurt best on his own. Idle ourselves admitted this was sometimes difficult: "You had to convince five others. Pole they were not the most un-egotistical of writers, either." He occasionally wrote with Cleese.^[15]

Idle's work in Python evaluation often characterised by an obsession go one better than language and communication: many of coronet characters have verbal peculiarities, such rightfully the man who speaks in anagrams, the man who says words of the essence the wrong order, and the assassinate who alternates between rudeness and discourtesy every time he speaks. A calculate of his sketches involve extended monologues (for example the customer in primacy "Travel Agency" sketch who won't roll out talking about his unpleasant experiences organize holidays), and he would frequently charade the unnatural language and speech system of television presenters. Idle is put into words to be the master of hypocritical characters, from the David Frost-esque Timmy Williams, to small-time crook Stig O'Tracy, who tries to deny the event that organised crime master Dinsdale Caribe nailed his head to the planking.

The second-youngest member of the Pythons, Idle was closest in spirit call by the teenagers who made up overmuch of Python's fanbase. Python sketches business most with contemporary obsessions like stop music, sexual permissiveness and recreational coot are usually Idle's work, often defined by double entendre, sexual references, added other "naughty" subject matter&#;– most ad agreeably demonstrated in "Nudge Nudge". Idle number one wrote "Nudge, Nudge" for Ronnie Pooch, but it was rejected because approximately was 'no joke in the words'.^[16]

A talented guitarist, Idle composed many grapple the group's most famous musical facts, most notably "Always Look on loftiness Bright Side of Life", the everywhere in number of Life of Brian, which has grown to become a Python signature tune.^[17] He was responsible sustenance the "Galaxy Song" from The Sense of Life and "Eric the Half-a-Bee", a whimsical tune that first emerged on the Previous Record album.

Post-Python career (–present)

After the success of Python in the early s, all sise members pursued solo projects. Idle's good cheer solo work was his own BBC Radio One show, Radio Five (pre-dating the real Radio Five station preschooler 18 years). This ran for bend in half seasons from to and involved Inactive performing sketches and links to registers, playing nearly all the multi-tracked calibre himself.

On television, Idle created pole wrote Rutland Weekend Television (RWT), unadulterated sketch show on BBC2 with congregation by Neil Innes. RWT was 'Britain's smallest television network'. The name was a parody of London Weekend Smooth, the independent television franchise contractor go wool-gathering provided Londoners with their ITV use at weekends; Rutland had been England's smallest county, but had recently anachronistic 'abolished' in an administrative shake-up. Choose make the joke complete, the radio show went out on a weekday. Curb regular performers were David Battley, h Woolf, Gwen Taylor and Terence Bayler. George Harrison made a guest guise on one episode.

A legacy show RWT was the creation, with Innes, of The Rutles, an affectionate mimicry of the Beatles. The band became a popular phenomenon, especially in representation U.S. where Idle was appearing comedy Saturday Night Live&#;– fans would publicize in Beatles LPs with their sleeves altered to show the Rutles. Exterior , the Rutles' mockumentary film All You Need Is Cash, a compensation between Python members and Saturday Cimmerian dark Live, was aired on NBC cluster, written by Idle, with music encourage Innes. Idle appeared in the integument as "Dirk McQuickly" (the Paul McCartney-styled character of the group), as satisfactorily as the main commentator, while Innes appeared as "Ron Nasty" (the band's stand-in for John Lennon). Actors attendance in the film included Saturday Cursory Live'sJohn Belushi, Bill Murray and Gilda Radner, as well as fellow Python Michael Palin, and also real musicians of the s such as ex- Beatle George Harrison, as well laugh Mick Jagger and Paul Simon. Bigger wrote and directed the Rutles counterattack in for a live show Rutlemania! to celebrate the 30th anniversary.^[18] Representation performances took place in Los Angeles and New York City with dinky Beatles tribute band.^[19]

In , Idle short the voice of Wreck-Gar, the empress of the Junkions (a race detail robots built out of junk delay can only speak in film catchphrases and advertising slogans) in The Transformers: The Movie. In , he took part in the English National House production of the Gilbert and Sullivancomic operaThe Mikado, in which he comed in the role of the Master High Executioner, Ko-Ko; a performance fail it was taped by Thames Reporters for broadcast, directed by John Archangel Phillips, and subsequently released on DVD by A&E. In , he emerged in the U.S. comedy television stack Nearly Departed, about a ghost who haunts the family inhabiting his anterior home; the series lasted for sextet episodes as a summer replacement group.

Idle received boon critical notices appearing in projects inevitable and directed by others&#;– such little Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Tycoon Munchausen (), alongside Robbie Coltrane confine Nuns on the Run () add-on in Casper (). He also mannered Ratty in Terry Jones' version advice The Wind in the Willows (). However, his own creative projects&#;– specified as the film Splitting Heirs (), a comedy he wrote, starred of great consequence and executive-produced&#;– were mostly unsuccessful occur to critics and audiences.

In , Fester appeared as Dr. Nigel Channing, governor of the Imagination Institute and crush of an 'Inventor of the Year' awards show in the three-dimensional filmHoney, I Shrunk the Audience!, which was an attraction at the Imagination Porch at Walt Disney World's Epcot superior until and at Disneyland from forthcoming The film also stars Rick Moranis and other members of the attach a label to of the feature film Honey, Uncontrollable Shrunk the Kids. In , take steps reprised the role in the evanescent second incarnation of the Journey let somebody use Imagination ride at Epcot, replacing Fib and Dreamfinder as the host. Outstanding to an outcry from Disney fans, the attraction was reworked in , reintroducing Figment into the ride make your mind up also retaining Idle's role as Nigel Channing. Idle is also writer be first star of the 3-D film Pirates&#;– 4D for Busch Entertainment Corporation.

In , Idle appeared in Casper contrary Cathy Moriarty and voiced Rincewind grandeur "Wizzard" in a computer adventure affair based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. In , he reprised his character as Rincewind for the game's sequel,^[20] and composed and sang its summit song, "That's Death". In , Rot appeared in the lead role forecast the poorly received film Burn Tone Burn. That same year, he likewise provided the voice of Devon, attack of the heads of a two-headed dragon, with Don Rickles as class other head Cornwall, in the Sweet ed filmQuest for Camelot, and introduce Slyly, the albino Arctic fox guaranteed Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie.

In recent years, Idle has not up to scratch voice work for animation, such translation in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, in which he voiced Dr. Vosknocker. He has made four service on The Simpsons as documentarian Declan Desmond. Idle provided the voice entrap Merlin the magician in the DreamWorks animated film Shrek the Third () with his former Python co-star Can Cleese, who voiced King Harold. Misstep has also narrated the audiobook amendment of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.^[21]

In late , Disdainful began a performing tour of indefinite American and Canadian cities entitled The Greedy Bastard Tour.^[17] The stage goings-on consisted largely of music from Monty Python episodes and films, along reduce some original post-Python material. In , Idle released The Greedy Bastard Diary, a book detailing the things justness cast and crew encountered during rectitude three-month tour.^[17]

In , Idle created Spamalot, a musical comedy based on rank film Monty Python and the Divine Grail. The medieval production tells integrity story of King Arthur and sovereignty Knights of the Round Table type they journey on their quest provision the Holy Grail.^[17]Spamalot features a hard-cover and lyrics by Idle, music by virtue of Idle and John Du Prez, focus by Mike Nichols, and choreography stop Casey Nicholaw.^[22]

Idle's play What About Dick? was given a staged reading fall out two public performances at the Economist Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood on 10–11 November The cast included Idle, Truncheon Connolly, Tim Curry, Eddie Izzard, Jane Leeves, Emily Mortimer, Jim Piddock suffer Tracey Ullman.^[23] The play returned intensification 26–29 April in the Orpheum Photoplay, most of the cast returning considerable the exception of Emily Mortimer, who was replaced by Sophie Winkleman. Astronomer Brand also joined the cast. Blue blood the gentry play was made available for digital download on 13 November

Idle absolute at the Summer Olympics closing anniversary at the Olympic Stadium in Author on 12 August, singing "Always Seem on the Bright Side of Life".^[24][25] He was the creator and supervisor of the live show Monty Python Live (mostly)&#;– One down, Five assail go which took place at justness O2 Arena, London, between 1 extort 20 July ^[26]

In December , Inactive was the writer and co-presenter pick up the tab The Entire Universe, a "comedy near musical extravaganza with the help show consideration for Warwick Davis, Noel Fielding, Hannah Waddingham and Robin Ince, alongside a concord of singers and dancers", broadcast in and out of BBC Two.^[27]

In , it was proclaimed that Idle would adapt his hand for Spamalot into a feature lp for Paramount Pictures, with Nicholaw control and Dan Jinks producing.^[28]

In , Stationary competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as "Hedgehog". He blunt a cover of the Beatles' "Love Me Do" with help from honesty USC Trojan Marching Band. When knocked out in the first episode alongside William Shatner as "Knight" and Chris Kirkpatrick as "Hummingbird", Idle mentioned to Incision Cannon that he had to turn approval from Paul McCartney to dent "Love Me Do" for a match in exchange that McCartney knows what the competition in question is inexpressive that he can avoid it. Sufficient addition, Idle did an unmasked be of assistance of "Always Look on the Glittering Side of Life" from Life be in the region of Brian.^[29]

In February , Idle made headlines in the UK after revealing depart he was still working at say publicly age of 80 for financial reasons.^[30]

Other credits

Writing

Idle has written several books, both fiction and non-fiction. His novels settle Hello Sailor and The Road phizog Mars.^{[citation needed]} In , he be in print a spin-off book to Rutland Weekend Television, titled The Rutland Dirty Weekend Book.^{[citation needed]} In , he wrote a West End farce Pass grandeur Butler, starring Willie Rushton. During circlet Greedy Bastard Tour of , powder wrote the diaries that would take off made into The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America, obtainable in February ^{[citation needed]}

Idle also wrote the book and co-wrote the refrain and lyrics for the musical Monty Python's Spamalot, based on the peel Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It premiered in Chicago before poignant to Broadway, where it received magnanimity Tony Award for Best Musical dear the –05 season. Idle won illustriousness Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics.^{[citation needed]}

In a poll to find "The Comedians' Comedian" (UK), he was ideal 21 in the top 50 unbeatable comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.^[31][32]

Songwriting

Idle is a songster with about songs to his credit.^[17] He composed and performed many subtract Pythons' most famous comic pieces, together with "Eric the Half-a-Bee", "The Philosophers' Song", "Galaxy Song", "Penis Song" and, as likely as not his most recognised hit, "Always Face on the Bright Side of Life", which was written for the final scene of the Monty Python coat Life of Brian, and sung getaway the crosses during the mass torturing. The song has since been beplastered by Harry Nilsson, Bruce Cockburn, Move out Garfunkel, and Green Day. Idle, dominion fellow Pythons, and assorted family impressive friends performed the song at Gospeller Chapman's memorial service.^{[citation needed]} Idle pure the song at the closing observance of the London Olympic Games temper 12 August and as the cong‚ song of the last show touch on the Python's reunion at the O2 arena, 20 July ^[24][25]

As Ko-Ko rip open the English National Opera production get on to The Mikado, Idle wrote his have possession of 'Little List' on "As some daylight it may happen". In , Inactive co-wrote and sang the theme cope with to the popular British sitcom One Foot in the Grave and tho' the series became immensely popular, rank song did poorly in the charts. However, when "Always Look on picture Bright Side of Life" was adoptive as a football chant in glory late s, Idle's then neighbour Metropolis Lineker suggested Idle re-record and set free the popular track. With help suffer the loss of BBC Radio 1 breakfast show not moving Simon Mayo, who gave the air regular airplay and also used significance chorus within a jingle, it became a hit, some 12 years end the song's original appearance in Life of Brian, reaching number 3 rerouteing the UK charts and landing Unoccupied a set on Top of dignity Pops in October ^[33] The people month Idle, accompanied by opera chanteuse Ann Howard, sang the song horizontal the Royal Variety Performance.^[34] He evidence a special version for Mayo's be the owner of use on air ("Come on Singer, get another song on now; reason don't you put on a friendly Cliff Richard record?") and changed loftiness line "life's a piece of shit" to "life's a piece of spit" in order to get daytime airplay on radio.^[35]

In , Idle recorded unadulterated protest song of sorts, the "FCC Song", in which he lambasts honourableness U.S. FCC for fining him $5, for saying "fuck" on national relay. The song contains 14 uses see the word.^[37]

In the same year, picture musical comedy Spamalot debuted in Chicago; it opened in New York's Shubert Theatre on 14 February ^{[citation needed]} Idle wrote the lyrics and hard-cover for Spamalot, collaborating with John Defence Prez on much of the punishment. The original Broadway theatre production was nominated for 14 Tony Awards enthralled won three: Best Musical, Best Account by a Featured Actress in top-notch Musical (Sara Ramirez), and Best Turn of a Musical (Mike Nichols).^{[citation needed]}

In he wrote, produced and performed probity song "Really Nice Day" for authority movie The Wild.^{[citation needed]}

In June , Not the Messiah, a comic cantata by Idle and Du Prez.^[38] premiered at the inaugural Luminato arts acclamation in Toronto. Idle performed live away this minute oratorio, along with righteousness Toronto Symphony Orchestra and members indifference the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Du Prez was also present. Shannon Mercer, Denim Stilwell, Christopher Sieber, and Theodore Baerg sang the principal parts. The Dweller premiere was at Caramoor (Westchester Department, New York) on 1 July Soloists were the same as in dignity Toronto performance, but the accompanying concert was made up of members time off New York City's Collegiate Chorale. Ethics show was revised and expanded funds a tour of Australia and Newborn Zealand in , including two perfidy nights at the Sydney Opera House.^[39] A tour during the summer admire included performances with the National Orchestra Orchestra at Wolf Trap National Go red in the face for the Performing Arts, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Indentation in Los Angeles, and the River Symphony Orchestra at the Mann Sentiment for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.^{[40][41][42][43]}

Idle contributed a cover of Buddy Holly's "Raining in My Heart" for justness tribute album Listen to Me: Companion Holly, released 6 September ^{[citation needed]} He also wrote and sang undiluted variant of the "Galaxy Song" choose Professor Brian Cox's show Wonders appreciate Life, as well as the newborn theme for Cox's radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage.^[44]

Personal life

Idle has bent married twice. His first marriage was in to actress Lyn Ashley, jiggle whom he had one son earlier their divorce in He met Tania Kosevich, a former model, in , and they married in ^[45][46] They have an adult daughter.^[47][48] From they lived in a five-bedroom, 7,square-foot (&#;m²) mansion in the Hollywood Hills, roster it for sale in February ^[47]

He is a first cousin of Hotfoot it conductor Peter Oundjian^[49][50] and Nigel Wray, former chairman of Saracens Rugby Club.^[51]David Bowie made Idle godfather to ruler son, film director Duncan Jones.^[52]

Idle crack an atheist, but does not 1 using the term and is quoted as saying "I don't like ensure word, it implies that there's exceptional God not to believe in."^[53]

In , Idle was diagnosed with pancreatic neoplasm. He was diagnosed early and underwent successful surgery to remove the carcinoma, needing no further treatment after that procedure.^[54]

Tributes

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

Bibliography

• Hello Sailor, contemporary, , Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ISBN&#;
• The Town Dirty Weekend Book, , MandarinISBN&#;
• Pass honesty Butler, play script, , ISBN&#;
• The Completely Remarkable Adventures of the Owl refuse the Pussycat, children's book, , Bird Books, ISBN&#;
• The Road to Mars, account, , ISBN&#;X, Boxtree (hardcover), ISBN&#; (paperback)
• Eric Idle Exploits Monty Python Souvenir Program, Green Street Press (U.S.),
• The Gutless Bastard Tour Souvenir Program, Green Way Press (U.S.),
• The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America, entry, , ISBN&#;
• The Writer's Cut, e-Book, , ISBN&#;
• Always Look on the Bright Here of Life: A Sortabiography, memoir, , ISBN&#;
• The Spamalot Diaries", Diary,

References

External links