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Terry Gilliam

Terry Gilliam Biography

by John Cleese

The truly exceptional animated sequences in "Life of Brian" spring from the fertile brain of London, England-based U.C.L.A. graduate TERRY VANCE GILLIAM. Gilliam came to England just 12 years ago for a bet. He's still there, ensconced in his Hampstead, London, England, Europe studio home. A painter, a sculptor, a near-professional-standard opera singer, a photo-journalist and a former swimming champion all live nearby.

Some friends call Gilliam a Renaissance man: others place him earlier. The sloping forehead, the forward slant of the body as he lopes and the prognathous jaw all point to the Upper Paleolithic period. But whatever his physical appearance, his graphics, drawings and paintings are unmistakably Lascaux. And his energy is Cromagnon to match.

Left alone with some crates of crayons, some bales of paper and a box or two of fresh fruit, his output is nothing short of phenomenal. But Terry Gilliam is not just an illustrator. "Yuuurrrrrhhhhhhh," he admits, wryly. "Yuuurrrrrrhhhhhhh." Now that "Life of Brian" is safely in the can, Terry is planning to get a typewriter to have a shot at the complete works of William Shakespeare.

Date of birth (location)
22 November 1940, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Spouse
Maggie Weston (II) (1973 - present)

Trade mark

[Dream Sequences] Heroes in his films often dream of a woman who they have not yet met, but will meet during the course of the film. In the dream, the woman's face is obscured.

Crazy animation ideas

[burst]: often features people/animals bursting through walls or ceilings

[bookend]: often begins and ends his films with the same shot.

Trivia

Created the animations in the Monty Python movies

Member of the comedy group "Monty Python"

Founding editor of and principal contributor to campus humor magazine, "Fang", at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA in the early 1960's.

Father of Holly Gilliam

1. Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail (1996) (VG)
2. "Last Machine, The" (1995) TV Series .... Narrator
3. Spies Like Us (1985) .... Dr. Imhaus
4. Secret Policeman's Private Parts, The (1984)
5. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) .... Various
6. Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982) .... Various roles
7. Life of Brian (1979) .... Jailer, Blood & Thunder Prophet ... aka Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
8. Jabberwocky (1977) .... Man with Rock
9. Monty Python Meets Beyond the Fringe (1977) ... aka Pleasure at Her Majesty's (1977)
10. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) .... Old Man from Scene 24, + Patsy
11. And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) .... Various roles
12. "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969) TV Series .... Various roles ... aka "Monty Python" (1969)

1. Defective Detective (1999)
2. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
3. Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail (1996) (VG)
4. Twelve Monkeys (1995) ... aka 12 Monkeys (1995)
5. Fisher King, The (1991)
6. Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The (1989) ... aka Abenteuer des Baron von M�nchhausen, Die (1989) (West Germany)
7. Brazil (1985)
8. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) (segment "Crimson Permanent Assurance, The")
9. Time Bandits (1980)
10. Jabberwocky (1977)
11. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974)
12. And Now for Something Completely Different (1971)

1. Defective Detective (1999)
2. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
3. Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail (1996) (VG) (screenplay Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
4. Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The (1989) ... aka Abenteuer des Baron von M�nchhausen, Die (1989) (West Germany)
5. Brazil (1985)
6. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
7. Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982)
8. Time Bandits (1980)
9. Life of Brian (1979) ... aka Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
10. Jabberwocky (1977)
11. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974)
12. And Now for Something Completely Different (1971)

1. Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail (1996) (VG) (original illustrations and animations)
2. Life of Brian (1979) (animator design) ... aka Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)
3. And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) (animators)
4. Cry of the Banshee (1970) (title designer)
5. "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969) TV Series (series creator) (animator) ... aka "Monty Python" (1969)
6. "Do Not Adjust Your Set" (1967) TV Series (animator)

1. Time Bandits (1980)

1. "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969) TV Series ... aka "Monty Python" (1969)