As a director, Gilliam is known for his darkly comedic twist on the stories he creates, which often call into question the sanity or identity of his characters. Some of his more popular films include The Fisher King, Twelve Monkeys, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Brothers Grimm.

Gilliam's films have become notorious for production problems, so much so that a documentary called Lost in La Mancha was shot during the filming of a production that ultimately never made it to the screen. Warner Brothers refused to hire him to direct Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone because of his history of production troubles; his bad luck continued in early 2008 when Heath Ledger passed away unexpectedly during the filming of Gilliam's The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus.

1. Born: November 22, 1940
2. Birthplace: Medicine Lake, Minnesota
3. Only American-born member of Monty Python
4. Obtained British citizenship in 1968
5. Class president and senior prom king in high school
6. Attended Occidental College
7. Studied physics, fine arts and political science
8. Member: Sigma Alpha Epsilon
9. Asteroid named after him in 1993 (9619 Terrygilliam)
10. Held dual American/British citizenship for 38 years
11. Renounced American citizenship in protest of George W. Bush in 2006