British filmmaker and animator Terry Gilliam was a member of the famous Monty Python comedy troupe, originally as an animator and later as a full member. Gilliam was responsible for the animation between sketches on the television show as well as all the art on the troupe's book and album covers.
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.
Fast Facts:
- Born: November 22, 1940
- Birthplace: Medicine Lake, Minnesota
- Only American-born member of Monty Python
- Obtained British citizenship in 1968
- Class president and senior prom king in high school
- Attended Occidental College
- Studied physics, fine arts and political science
- Member: Sigma Alpha Epsilon
- Asteroid named after him in 1993 (9619 Terrygilliam)
- Held dual American/British citizenship for 38 years
- Renounced American citizenship in protest of George W. Bush in 2006
Featured Video
Terry Gilliam Gossip and Blogs
- Topix: Terry Gilliam Forum
- IMDb: Terry Gilliam Message Boards
- Google Blog Search: Terry Gilliam
- Defamer: Heath Ledger's Final Project Was Being Helmed By Notorious Bad Luck... (Janury 22, 2008)
- Gawker: Terry Gilliam Gladly Sells Self on Street (October 5, 2006)
- Cinematical Blog Posts:
- More Images from Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus (January 12, 2008)
- Will Gilliam Really Make That Quixote Movie? (January 4, 2008)
- Photos from Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus (December 22, 2007)
- Some Inspiration from Director Terry Gilliam (November 6, 2007)
- Details About Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (October 9, 2007)
Terry Gilliam Timeline
Note: Many of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.
November 22, 1940: Born
1967 Do Not Adjust Your Set: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1969 Monty Python's Flying Circus: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1971 And Now for Something Completely Different: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1975 Monty Python and the Holy Grail: IMDb | Mahalo | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1977 Jabberwocky: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1979 Monty Python's Life of Brian: IMDb | Mahalo | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1983 Monty Python's The Meaning of Life: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1985 Brazil: IMDb | Mahalo | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1985 Spies Like Us: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1988 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1991 The Fisher King: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1995 Twelve Monkeys: IMDb | Mahalo | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: IMDb | Mahalo | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
2002 Lost in La Mancha: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
2005 The Brothers Grimm: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
2005 Tideland: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
2009 The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus: IMDb | Mahalo | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia
