Eric Idle Biography

Fast Facts

• Following his father's death during World War II, attended boarding school at The Royal Wolverhampton School from the age of 7 on
• Met future Monty Python members John Cleese and Graham Chapman through Cambridge's Footlights comedy club; became club president in 1965 and was the first to open membership to women
• Was the only Monty Python member to write sketches alone, rather than with a partner
• Made his directing debut in 1978 with the made-for-TV Beatles parody The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash
• Has released several books, including the novel Road to Mars (2000) and the travelogue The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America (2005)
• Revived the big-screen comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) with the creation of Spamalot, a Broadway spinoff that won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005
• Turned Life of Brian into an oratorio titled "Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)" (2007) for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, whose conductor is Idle's cousin