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Billy Connolly is a Actor British born on 24 november 1942 at Glasgow (United-kingdom)

Billy Connolly

Billy Connolly
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Birth name William Connolly
Nationality United-kingdom
Birth 24 november 1942 (81 years) at Glasgow (United-kingdom)
Awards Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

William "Billy" Connolly, CBE (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname "The Big Yin" ("The Big One"). His first trade, in the early 1960s, was as a welder (specifically a boilermaker) in the Glasgow shipyards, but he gave it up towards the end of the decade to pursue a career as a folk singer in The Humblebums alongside friend Gerry Rafferty until 1971 and subsequently as a soloist. In the early 1970s, he made the transition from folk-singer with a comedic persona to fully-fledged comedian. Best known to many as a stand up comedian, he appears in several lists of the greatest comedians ever.

Connolly is also an actor and has appeared in such films as Water (1985); Indecent Proposal (1993); Pocahontas (1995); Muppet Treasure Island (1996); Mrs. Brown (1997); The Boondock Saints (1999); The Man Who Sued God (2001); The Last Samurai (2003); Timeline (2003); Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004); Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006); Open Season (2006); The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008); Open Season 2 (2008); Brave (2012) and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). Connolly reprised his role as Noah "Il Duce" MacManus in The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009). He also played "Wilf" in "Quartet" (2012), directed by Dustin Hoffman.

Biography

Connolly has been married to his second wife, comedian and psychologist Pamela Stephenson, since 1989. He is father to five children: two (Jamie and Cara) from his first marriage, to Iris Pressagh, and three (Scarlett, Amy and Daisy) from his second. Connolly and Stephenson won custody of Jamie and Cara in 1983, due to the fact that "[Pressagh] was unable to care for herself, let alone children". Pressagh moved to Spain and became estranged from her children. She died in 2010. Connolly became a grandfather in 2001, when Cara gave birth to Walter.

In the book Billy, and in a December 2008 online interview, Connolly states that he was sexually abused by his father between the ages of 10 and 15. He believes this was a result of the Catholic Church not allowing his father to divorce after his mother left the family. Because of this, Connolly has a "deep distrust and dislike of the Catholic church and any other organization that brainwashes people". On his religious views, Connolly called himself an atheist.

In September 2013 Connolly underwent minor surgery for early-stage prostate cancer. The announcement also stated that he is being treated for the initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Connolly admitted earlier in 2013 that he had started to forget his lines during performances.

Connolly appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? on 2 October 2014, when his family's Indian ancestry was revealed.

He is a fan of Glasgow-based Celtic F.C. and has a seat for life at the club's Celtic Park stadium, an honour bestowed only on him and Rod Stewart.


Political views
Connolly has stated in the past that he disapproves of Scottish independence, although he also disapproves of entertainers telling people how to vote, but admitted that 2012 had been "a very interesting time for Scotland".

He questions the expense of independence, and whether average Scots would benefit from another level of government. "But Scots are very capable of making up their mind without my tuppence worth."

In April 2014, despite previously vowing not to step into the 'morass' of the debate over the breakup of the Union, Connolly gave the clearest indication yet of his opposition to Scottish independence. In an interview with the Radio Times, he stated, "I think it's time for people to get together, not split apart. The more people stay together, the happier they'll be." He also wrote, referring to the Darien scheme, "You must remember that the Union saved Scotland. Scotland was bankrupt and the English opened us up to their American and Canadian markets, from which we just flowered."

Best films

Brave (2012)
(Actor)
Pocahontas (1995)
(Actor)
Open Season (2006)
(Actor)
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006)
(Actor)

Usually with

Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
(3 films)
Fran Walsh
Fran Walsh
(3 films)
Troy Duffy
Troy Duffy
(3 films)
Dick Clement
Dick Clement
(3 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Billy Connolly (46 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Wild Oats
Wild Oats (2016)

Directed by Andy Tennant
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy
Actors Demi Moore, Jessica Lange, Shirley MacLaine, Billy Connolly, Alan Arkin, Santiago Segura
Roles Chandler
Rating57% 2.8548552.8548552.8548552.8548552.854855
When a woman accidentally receives a life insurance check for $5,000,000 instead of $50,000, her friend convinces her to keep the money and they both end up on a mad dash towards the Canary Islands.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, 2h24
Directed by Andy Serkis, Peter Jackson
Origin USA
Genres Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Middle-earth films, Films about dragons, Children's films
Actors Dean O'Gorman, Lee Pace, Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom
Roles Dain Ironfoot
Rating73% 3.699083.699083.699083.699083.69908
Bilbo and the Dwarves watch from the Lonely Mountain as the dragon Smaug sets Laketown ablaze, and its people flee. Bard the Bowman breaks out of prison, and eventually kills Smaug with the black arrow brought to him by his son Bain. Smaug's falling body crushes the fleeing Master of Laketown, who was escaping Laketown on a boat laden with the town's gold. Bard reluctantly becomes the new leader of the Laketown people as they seek refuge in the ruins of Dale, while Legolas travels to investigate Mount Gundabad with Tauriel. Thorin, now struck with "dragon sickness" over the vast treasure in the mountain, searches obsessively for the Arkenstone, which Bilbo had previously found but kept hidden. Thorin, hearing that people have come to Dale, orders the entrance of the Lonely Mountain sealed off.
What We Did on Our Holiday, 1h35
Directed by Andy Hamilton
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Comedy, Comedy-drama
Themes Films about families
Actors David Tennant, Rosamund Pike, Billy Connolly, Ben Miller, Celia Imrie, Emilia Jones
Roles Gordie McLeod
Rating68% 3.447923.447923.447923.447923.44792
Doug McLeod (David Tennant) and his wife Abi (Rosamund Pike) unite following a tense separation to travel to the Scottish Highlands for Doug's father Gordie's (Billy Connolly) birthday. Gordie has terminal cancer so Doug's brother, millionaire Gavin McLeod (Ben Miller) has arranged a lavish party for him, inviting all the important people in the neighbourhood. Despite difficulties getting their three children, Lottie (Emilia Jones), Mickey (Bobby Smalldridge), and Jess (Harriet Turnbull), to leave the house, they hit the road, but find it congested and they are forced to stop overnight. Lottie expresses her troubles with trusting her parents following their recent separation and lies to each other; it is revealed that Doug had an affair, which led to Abi moving out and taking legal proceedings against him. They are only travelling to the Highlands together to appear as a couple for Gordie, not wanting to upset him in his final months.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 2h41
Directed by Peter Jackson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about animals, Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Middle-earth films, Films about dragons, Children's films
Actors Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Lee Pace
Roles Dain Ironfoot
Rating77% 3.897963.897963.897963.897963.89796
Thorin and his company are being pursued by Azog and his Orc party following the events of the previous film. They are ushered along by Gandalf to the nearby home of Beorn, a skin-changer who can take the form of the bear. That night, Azog is summoned to Dol Guldur by the Necromancer, who commands him to marshal his forces for war. Azog then delegates the hunt for Thorin to his son Bolg. The following day, Beorn escorts the company to the borders of Mirkwood, where Gandalf discovers Black Speech imprinted on an old ruin. This coincides with a telepathic message from Galadriel urging him to investigate the tombs of the Nazgûl. He warns the company to remain on the path and leaves them. Upon entering the forest they lose their way and are ensnared by giant spiders. Bilbo then sets about freeing the dwarves with the help of his recently acquired invisibility ring. He subsequently drops the Ring and first begins to understand its dark influence after he brutally kills a centipede-like creature to retrieve it.
Quartet
Quartet (2012)
, 1h38
Directed by Dustin Hoffman
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon, Sheridan Smith
Roles Wilf Bond
Rating67% 3.397223.397223.397223.397223.39722
The plot takes place in Beecham House, a retirement home for former professional musicians, patterned after the real-life Casa di Riposo per Musicisti founded by Giuseppe Verdi.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 2h49
Directed by Peter Jackson
Origin USA
Genres Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about animals, Films about magic and magicians, Monde imaginaire, Middle-earth films, Films about dragons, Children's films
Actors Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Stephen Fry, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott
Roles Dain
Rating77% 3.895933.895933.895933.895933.89593
Approaching his 111th birthday, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins begins writing down the full story of his adventure 60 years earlier for the benefit of his nephew Frodo. This connects The Hobbit with The Lord of the Rings movie 10 years earlier which had a similar scene. Long before Bilbo's involvement, the Dwarf king Thrór brings an era of prosperity for his kin under the Lonely Mountain, far to the East, until the arrival of the dragon Smaug. Destroying the nearby town of Dale, Smaug drives the Dwarves out of their mountain and takes their hoard of gold. Thrór's grandson Thorin sees King Thranduil and his Wood-elves on a nearby hillside, and is dismayed when they take their leave rather than aid his people, resulting in Thorin's everlasting hatred of Elves.
Brave
Brave (2012)
, 1h33
Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell, Mark Andrews
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Comedy-drama, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Films about families, Feminist films, Films about magic and magicians, Films about dogs, Mise en scène d'un ours, Witches in film, Political films, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Kelly Macdonald, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson
Roles Fergus (voice)
Rating70% 3.548853.548853.548853.548853.54885
In Scotland, Merida, a young princess of the clan Dunbroch, is given a bow and arrows by her father, King Fergus, for her birthday. Her mother, Queen Elinor, is dismayed. While venturing into the woods to fetch a stray arrow, Merida encounters a will-o'-the-wisp. Soon afterwards, Mor'du, a huge demon-bear, attacks the family. Merida flees on horseback with Elinor, while Fergus fights off Mor'du at the cost of his left leg.
The Ballad of Nessie, 5minutes
Directed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Fantasy, Animation
Themes Films about animals, La préhistoire, Animaux préhistoriques, Children's films
Actors Billy Connolly, Sylvain Hétu, Viviane Pacal, Claude Gagnon, Hugolin Chevrette-Landesque
Roles Narrator (voice)
Rating68% 3.442493.442493.442493.442493.44249
A legendary and friendly creature named Nessie lives happily in a small pond with her friend MacQuack, a rubber duck. When a rich developer takes the pond and land surrounding it to build a miniature golf course, Nessie is forced to search for a new home. She finds rejection everywhere and is always told to keep a stiff upper lip and not cry. Finally, Nessie loses all hope and starts crying for days, weeks, and months. When she can't cry anymore, she finds that her tears have created the Loch, a beautiful and perfect new home for her and MacQuack.
Gulliver's Travels, 1h25
Directed by Rob Letterman
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Seafaring films, Monde imaginaire, Transport films, Children's films
Actors Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Danni Bennatar, Jason Segel, Amanda Peet, Catherine Tate
Roles King Theodore
Rating49% 2.454812.454812.454812.454812.45481
Deeply depressed at his dead-end job in the mail room of a New York City newspaper, Lemuel Gulliver decides to talk to journalist Darcy Silverman. He convinces her he could write a report about his (false) extensive world "travels" saying his dream is to become a writer. After suffering writer's block and thinking that Darcy will not want to hang out with a "guy from the mailroom", he plagiarises a report from other publications on the internet. The next day, Darcy, impressed by his writing, presents Gulliver with a new task – to travel to the Bermuda Triangle and write an article about the legends of ships mysteriously disappearing there.
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, 1h58
Directed by Troy Duffy
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Crime
Themes Mafia films, Films about religion, Buddy films, Gangster films
Actors Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Clifton Collins, Jr., Julie Benz, Billy Connolly, Judd Nelson
Roles Poppa Il Duce
Rating61% 3.0987253.0987253.0987253.0987253.098725
After the McManus brothers, Connor and Murphy (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus), and their father, Noah (a.k.a. "Il Duce") (Billy Connolly), assassinated Joe Yakavetta, they fled to Ireland. Eight years later, their uncle Sibeal (Mairtin O'Carrigan), a priest, arrives to inform them that a renowned Boston priest was murdered by a mysterious assassin who attempted to frame the Saints by using their ritual assassination style. In response, the brothers dig up their old gear and weapons and depart for the United States.
Open Season 2, 1h16
Directed by Matthew O'Callaghan
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Adventure, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Film d'animation mettant en scène un animal, Films about cats, Films about dogs, Mise en scène d'un ours, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Joel McHale, Cody Cameron, Mike Epps, Jane Krakowski, Crispin Glover, Billy Connolly
Roles McSquizzy (voice)
Rating55% 2.756522.756522.756522.756522.75652
The film takes place one year after the events of the first film. Elliot (Joel McHale) has grown giant new antlers and is getting married to Giselle (Jane Krakowski). But during a mishap, Elliot's new antlers are cracked off and now look like they did in the first film, which upsets him. Luckily, Boog (Mike Epps) and the others manage to cheer Elliot up by having a rabbit fight. But Elliot has new emotions about his marriage and feels reluctant to marry Giselle. Mr. Weenie (Cody Cameron) finds a dog biscuit trail that his previous owners left behind and uncontrollably follows it. At the climax of the wedding, Elliot witnesses Mr. Weenie being taken away by his old owners, Bob and Bobbie (Georgia Engel). Elliot tells the story to the other forest animals (a little overreacting) and decides to make a rescue mission to save him. The other ones that go on Elliot's rescue mission are Boog, Giselle, McSquizzy (Billy Connolly), Buddy, (Matthew W. Taylor), and Serge (Danny Mann) and Deni (Matthew W.
The X Files: I Want to Believe, 1h44
Directed by Chris Carter
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Thriller, Fantastic, Action, Adventure
Themes Children's films, Films about extraterrestrial life
Actors David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Xzibit, Billy Connolly, Mitch Pileggi
Roles Father Joseph Crissman
Rating58% 2.9493452.9493452.9493452.9493452.949345
Dana Scully (Anderson), a former FBI agent, is now a staff physician at a Catholic hospital; she is treating Christian, a young boy with Sandhoff disease. FBI agent Mosely Drummy (Joiner) approaches Scully for help in locating her former partner, Fox Mulder (Duchovny), who has been in hiding as a fugitive since the events of the series finale. Drummy states that the FBI will call off its manhunt for Mulder if he helps investigate the disappearances of several women in Virginia, the latest of whom is a young FBI agent named Monica Bannan (Xantha Radley). Scully agrees and convinces a reluctant Mulder to help.
Open Season, 1h26
Directed by Roger Allers, Anthony Stacchi, Jill Culton
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Adventure, Musical, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Film d'animation mettant en scène un animal, Films about dogs, Mise en scène d'un ours, Musical films, Buddy films, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Gary Sinise, Debra Messing, Billy Connolly, Cody Cameron
Roles McSquizzy (voice)
Rating61% 3.050663.050663.050663.050663.05066
In the tranquil town of Timberline, 900-pound (407 kg) grizzly bear Boog enjoys a captive, but happy existence and spends his day as the star attraction of the town's nature show with nights living the life of luxury in the garage of park ranger Beth, who raised him since he was a cub. One day, the hunting fanatic Shaw drives into town with the one-antlered deer Elliot strapped to the hood of his truck. Boog frees Elliot at the last minute and against his better judgment, before Shaw can go after him. Boog never expects to see his "buddy" again. Elliot follows Boog home and finds him sleeping in the garage and starts to throw rabbits at the window. He tells him to be "free" from his garage captivity and introduces Boog to a world of sweet temptations outside of the garage that he has unknown. When Boog becomes intoxicated with sugar sweets, events quickly spiral out of control as the two ransack the town's grocery store. Elliot escapes before Boog is caught by a friend of Beth, police officer Gordy. At the nature show, Elliot who is being chased by Shaw, sees Boog who attacks him, causing the whole audience in the show to panic before Boog threatens to hurt Elliot. Shaw attempts to shoot Boog, but Beth sedates them with a tranquilizer gun before he could, thanks to Gordy. Shaw flees before he can arrest him for shooting a gun in the town. The two trouble-makers are released into the Timberline National Forest, only three days before open season starts, but they are set over the falls, where they will be safe.
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, 1h15
Directed by Tim Hill
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure, Animation
Themes Films about animals, Films about cats, Films about dogs, Children's films, Mise en scène d'un mammifère
Actors Bill Murray, Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Billy Connolly, Tim Curry, Ian Abercrombie
Roles Dargis
Rating50% 2.5130252.5130252.5130252.5130252.513025
Jon Arbuckle (played by Breckin Meyer) plans to propose to his girlfriend Dr. Liz Wilson (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt), who is going on a business trip to London. Jon follows her to the United Kingdom as a surprise; After escaping from the kennel, Garfield (voiced by Bill Murray) and Odie sneak into Jon's luggage and join him on the trip. Garfield and Odie break out of the hotel room, then get lost.