Actors - Michael Palin

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	Actors - Michael Palin

Michael Edward Palin (born May 5, 1943 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England) is an English comedian, actor and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python, as well as for his travel documentaries.

In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

Early career

Michael Palin was educated at Birkdale School, Sheffield, and Shrewsbury School. He went on to read History at Brasenose College at The University of Oxford.

While performing onstage at the ETC in Oxford, Palin met Terry Jones, and together they wrote sketches for various BBC comedy shows. He married his wife, Helen Gibbins, in 1966, and they remain together to this day.

He worked with future Pythons and other Oxbridge comedians on projects such as How to Irritate People
with John Cleese and Tim Brooke-Taylor, and Do Not Adjust Your Set with Eric Idle, Terry Jones and David Jason, and Twice a Fortnight with Terry Jones, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and Jonathan Lynn. It was during this time that John Cleese called up Michael Palin and wondered whether he was interested in doing a show with him, which would become Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Monty Python

In Monty Python, Palin played various roles, showing the range of his acting abilities. Roles go from manic enthusiasm, (such as the lumberjack of the Lumberjack Song), or unflappable calmness (such as the Dead Parrot vendor or Cheese Shop proprietor). As the latter, he was often a foil to the rising ire of characters portrayed by John Cleese.

Palin frequently wrote with Terry Jones for the sketches, some of the most memorable being the Lumberjack Song and Spam. But some sketches Palin wrote by himself, (or began the sketch by himself) such as the Spanish Inquisition, in which a fairly widespread catchphrase was created- "No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

Other Performances

After Python ended, Palin collaborated with Python writing partner Terry Jones on the television comedy series Ripping Yarns and the play Secrets. He also appeared in All You Need Is Cash
as the lawyer and press agent for The Rutles.

In 1982, Palin wrote and starred in his first solo project after Python, The Missionary. In it, he plays the Reverend Charles Fortesque who is recalled back from Africa to England to aid prostitutes. This also starred Maggie Smith.

He frequently appeared in Terry Gilliam's films, such as Time Bandits
, Jabberwocky
, and Brazil
. His biggest international role in a movie besides Python was Ken Pile in A Fish Called Wanda
. The movie was such a success that John Cleese reunited the main cast of A Fish Called Wanda to make Fierce Creatures
. As Bugsy Malone, Michael once commented that Cleese had thought it amusing to give him a character that wouldn't shut up, when his character in A Fish Called Wanda hardly talked at all. Five days after, Michael went on another travel journey and returned a year later, only to find that the end of Fierce Creatures had been unsatisfactory and that the ending had to be reshot.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Michael Palin ]

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Actors - Michael Palin

Early career

Monty Python

Other Performances

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