Eric Idle

Eric Idle was born on March 29th 1943 in Harton Hospital, South Shields, County Durham, U.K. In 1968 he began writing and acting in two series of a children’s TV hit, "Do Not Adjust Your Set", with Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam. The success of this show led to four series of "Monty Python’s Flying Circus" for the BBC from July 1969 through 1973, with the addition of John Cleese and Graham Chapman. In 1978 he began collaborating with composer John Du Prez, writing and recording songs for Monty Python, the signature tune for "One Foot in the Grave" and a musical "Behind The Crease" for BBC Radio Four (1990.) In 1991 his song "Always Look on the Bright Side" became a hit single in the UK. His collaboration with John Du Prez led to two live stage tours of North America (2000 and 2003) and a book, "The Greedy Bastard Diary" which details life on the road for three months, fifteen thousand miles in a rock and roll bus. Their musical "Spamalot", directed by Mike Nichols, opened in Chicago in December 2004 and then Broadway on March 17th 2005 at The Shubert Theater, where it ran until January 2009, breaking all house records, garnering $175 million at The Box Office, winning three Tonys (including Best Musical 2005) a Grammy for Best Broadway Album and a Writers Desk Award for Best Lyrics. In 2009 at a special presentation in New York City, Monty Python received a BAFTA lifetime achievement Award. He is apparently not yet dead, but his final words will probably be “Say No More.”