• British actor, writer and comedian Michael Palin founded Monty Python with John Cleese, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones in 1969. Their Monty Python's Flying Circus television series ran until 1973, after which Palin starred in a number of Monty Python movies, as well as writing and starring in his own television series, Ripping Yarns. Palin also had roles in several non-Python movies including A Fish Called Wanda.

  In 1989 he created his first travel series for the BBC, Around the World in 80 Days. Despite insisting that he did not want to do another, Palin has made six more of the well received BBC travel shows, each with a self-penned companion travel book.

• 1. Born: May 5, 1943
  2. Birthplace: Broomhill, Sheffield, England
  3. Education: Graduated from the University of Oxford in 1965
  4. First role: Martha Cratchit in school production of A Christmas Carol
  5. Married Helen Gibbins in 1966
  6. Has three children
  7. Won the BAFTA Award for his supporting actor role in A Fish Called Wanda
  8. Two British trains have been named after him
  9. Often referred to as the "nicest" Python

• Writings

  Palin is an accomplished writer as well as a performer. He co-wrote many of Monty Python's most celebrated skits including The Lumberjack Song and Spam. He actually began his career as a writer, collaborating with Terry Jones on a number of BBC television shows before performing and writing as a Python.

  In addition to his travel writing, Palin has authored several plays and published a novel, five childrens books, and three books written with other Pythons. He wrote and starred in the movie The Missionary in 1982 and in 2006 published his personal journals, Diaries, 1969-1975: The Python Years.

• Quotes

  • "Whenever I'm mistaken for Michael Palin, I always say 'Yes, I am him. Now &#$% off, you ugly old bastard!' Because I want to help destroy his reputation for niceness."—Eric Idle

  • "Michael Palin is not just one of Britain’s foremost comedy character actors, he also talks a lot. Yap, yap, yap he goes, all day long and through the night…then, some nights, when everyone else has gone to bed, he goes home and writes a diary."—John Cleese

  • "I'd far rather see for myself what's going on in the world outside, than rely on newspapers, television, politicians and religious leaders to tell me what I should be thinking."—Michael Palin

  • "I always wanted to be an explorer, but - it seemed I was doomed to be nothing more than a very silly person."—Michael Palin

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