Guide Note

Billy Connolly is a Scottish born stand-up comedian, musician, presenter and actor. Before turning to acting as a profession he was a welder in the Glasgow Shipyards. He gave it up in the late 1960s to become a folk singer. In the mid-1970s he made the transition to comedian and later to actor. He appeared in Indecent Proposal, The Last Samurai and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Connolly is also a playwright and his three credits his name: An' Me Wi' A Bad Leg Tae, When Hair Was Long And Time Was Short and Red Runner.

Fast Facts

1. Name: William "Billy" Connolly
2. Nickname: The Big Yin (The Big One)
3. Born: November 24, 1942
4. Birthplace: Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland
5. Wife: Pamela Stephenson
6. 2003: Appointed CBE
7. Known for: Long hair, goatee beard, and bad language

1. "I'm very big in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Canada and America. It's nice. I have a lovely life, and actually it pays better than the movies. Well, it doesn't pay better than Tom Cruise in the movies. But it pays better than I get. I get bus fare compared to these guys." — Billy Connolly on his life
2. "I don't believe in angels, no. . . . But I do have a wee parking angel. It's on my dashboard and you wind it up. The wings flap and it's supposed to give you a parking space. It's worked so far." — Billy Connolly on angels
3. "I think my securities far outweigh my insecurities. I am not nearly as afraid of myself and my imagination as I used to be." — Billy Connolly on himself
4. "I worry about ridiculous things, you know, how does a guy who drives a snowplough get to work in the morning. . . . That can keep me awake for days..." — Billy Connolly on plowtruck drivers