Billy Connolly

Billy Connolly is a Scottish comedian, folk musician, actor, and writer. Known as The Big Yin, he is well known for his charity work and for his irreverent approach to public speaking.

William “Billy” Connolly was born on November 24, 1942, in Glasgow, Scotland. His parents divorced when he was just four years old. With his mother moving away, he and his sister Florence were brought up with the assistance of their aunts, Margaret and Mona. Connolly's father spent time in the army but returned to abuse him between the ages of ten and fourteen, something which Connelly felt unable to talk about until after his father’s death.

When he was just twelve years old, Connolly knew that he wanted to become a comedian, but didn't feel he was interesting enough. Upon finishing school, he took a job as a welder in the shipbuilding yards, which were then the local mainstay, and joined the parachute regiment of the Territorial Army. After a three month assignment in Biafra, Nigeria, where he helped to build an oil rig, Connolly returned to Glasgow to form folk band The Humblebums with his friend Tam Harvey, singing and playing the banjo and guitar. The two were later joined by Gerry Rafferty, who went on to find fame in Stealer's Wheel with Joe Egan. Although the Humblebums enjoyed moderate success, it soon became apparent that it was Connolly's jokes, told between songs, which were really drawing in the crowds. By the mid-1970s the comedian had begun to appear in television specials, and he soon attracted a loyal following. In 1975 Connolly appeared on the talk show Parkinson and thus came to the attention of the mainstream, also forming an enduring friendship with host Michael Parkinson.

Connolly's fame gave him the opportunity to support the charities which had long interested him. In 1985 he opened for Elton John at Live Aid in Wembley Stadium, and in 1986 he went to Mozambique to make a documentary for Comic Relief. Connolly continued to work with the organization on an annual basis thereafter, alongside comedy stars such as Lenny Henry and Adrian Edmondson, at one point dancing naked around London's Piccadilly Circus in order to raise funds. In 1988 he appeared at a festival celebrating Nelson Mandela's seventieth birthday, and it was this which drew him to the attention of U.S. audiences. This led to an HBO special with Whoopi Goldberg. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles, where he starred in the sitcom Head of the Class with William G. Schilling, and enjoyed a string of successful television stand up comedy specials. Between performances he wrote several books and plays based on his comedy routines.

Although he never stopped touring or appearing on television, Connolly also developed a career as a film actor, which included performances in Indecent Proposal, with Robert Redford and Demi Moore; Muppet Treasure Island, with Tim Curry and Kermit the Frog; and The Last Samurai, with Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe. He was nominated for a BAFTA and a Screen Actor's Guild Award for his work opposite dame Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown. Connolly has since received a BAFTA Lifetime Achievement award and a CBE.

Connolly has been married twice; first to Iris Pressagh, with whom he had two children, Jamie and Cara; and latterly to the actress and comedienne Pamela Stephenson who appeared in Superman III with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder. With Stephenson, Connolly has three children, Daisy, Amy, and Scarlett. Last year the family resettled in Scotland.

YUDDY