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Eric Idle

Highest Rated: 96% Life of Brian (1979)

Lowest Rated: 7% Splitting Heirs (1993)

Birthday: Mar 29, 1943

Birthday:

Birthplace: South Shields, England, UK

Eric Idle was born on March 29, 1943 in South Shields, County Durham, England. After a childhood spent in boarding school, Idle enrolled in Pembroke College, Cambridge in 1965, where he began his love affair with performance by way of the renowned Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club. Through the program, Idle met John Cleese and Graham Chapman, with whom he'd eventually go on to form the comedy troupe Monty Python. Idle met further future fellow Python members Terry Jones and Michael Palin while working on the comedy television series "Do Not Adjust Your Set" (ITV 1967-69) while still enrolled in college. Upon his graduation in '69, Idle and the others, along with Terry Gilliam, formed Monty Python, taking form early on with the sketch series "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (BBC One/BBC Two 1969-1974). Despite the success of the program, the team opted at the point of the show's termination to pursue individual projects; Idle experimented first with a radio show, "Radio Five" (BBC Radio One 1973-74), and then with a new sketch show, "Rutland Weekend Television" (BBC Two 1975-76), which spawned his best-known project outside Monty Python, "All You Need Is Cash" (NBC 1978), a satirical film based on the career of The Beatles that Idle wrote and starred in as both the narrator and Paul McCartney stand-in Dirk McQuickly, with songs by longtime collaborator Neil Innes of the Bonzo Dog Band, whom he first met on "Do Not Adjust Your Set." These aspirations notwithstanding, Monty Python did reunite for feature films like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975), "Life of Brian" (1979) and "The Meaning of Life" (1983). Going forward, Idle appeared in movies like "The Transformers: The Movie" (1986), the Gilliam-directed "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1986), "Casper" (1995), "An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn" (1997), and "Ella Enchanted" (2004). In 2005, Idle adapted "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" as a Broadway musical called "Spamalot," originally directed by Mike Nichols.

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Highest rated movies

96% 93% Life of Brian Watchlist 96% 95% Monty Python and the Holy Grail Sing-Along Watchlist
92% 82% All You Need Is Cash
Watchlist
90% 82% The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Watchlist
88% 87% And Now for Something Completely Different
Watchlist
86% 83% Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Watchlist
81% 88% South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Watchlist 78% 63% The Boxtrolls Watchlist
75% 62% The Wind in the Willows
Watchlist
62% 88% The Transformers: The Movie Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
20% 36% Absolutely Anything Extraterrestrial (Voice) - 2015
78% 63% The Boxtrolls Original Song $50.8M 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Boxtrolls 3D Original Song - 2014
No Score Yet 76% Not the Messiah: He's a Very Naughty Boy Writer - 2010
No Score Yet 87% Monty Python Almost the Truth Obligatory Making of Special Unknown (Character) - 2009
12% 26% Delgo Spig (Voice) $511.9K 2008
42% 52% Shrek the Third Merlin (Voice) $320.7M 2007
51% 57% Ella Enchanted Narrator $22.9M 2004
No Score Yet 13% National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure English Victim (Character) - 2003
30% 27% Hollywood Homicide Celebrity (Character) $30.0M 2003
No Score Yet 55% The Scream Team Coffin Ed (Character) - 2002
No Score Yet 34% The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch Narrator/Dirk McQuickly/Lady Beth Mouse-Peddler (Character),
Director
- 2002
30% 32% 102 Dalmatians Waddlesworth (Voice) $66.9M 2000
16% 24% Dudley Do-Right Prospector Kim Jay Darling (Character) $9.8M 1999
81% 88% South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Dr. Vosknocker (Voice) $52.0M 1999
No Score Yet 26% The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue Evil Martin (Voice) - 1998
40% 58% Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie Slyly the Fox (Voice) $106.3K 1998
43% 60% Quest for Camelot Devon (Voice) $22.7M 1998
8% 15% An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn Alan Smithee (Character) $43.9K 1997
75% 62% The Wind in the Willows Szczur (Character) $72.8K 1996
52% 50% Casper Paul 'Dibbs' Plutzker (Character) $100.3M 1995
7% 37% Splitting Heirs Tommy Butterfly Rainbow Peace Patel (Character) $3.0M 1993
12% 44% Mom and Dad Save the World King Raff (Character) $1.8M 1992
No Score Yet 33% Missing Pieces Wendel (Character) - 1992
14% 32% Too Much Sun Sonny (Character) $44.5K 1991
42% 53% Nuns on the Run Brian Hope/Flight Attendant 1 (Character) $9.7M 1990
90% 82% The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Desmond/Berthold (Character),
Original Music
$8.6M 1989
62% 88% The Transformers: The Movie Wreck-Gar (Voice) $5.8M 1986
37% 49% National Lampoon's European Vacation The Bike Rider (Character) - 1985
86% 83% Monty Python's The Meaning of Life Fish #3 / Singer / Mr. Moore / Mrs. Blackitt / Watson / Atkison / Perkins / Victim #3 / Front End / Mrs. Hendy / Man in pink / Noel Coward / Gaston / Angela (Character),
Writer,
Original Music
- 1983
22% 63% Yellowbeard Commander Clement (Character) - 1983
No Score Yet 92% Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl Unknown (Character),
Writer
- 1982
96% 93% Life of Brian Wiseguy/Stan (Loretta)/Harry the Haggler/Culprit Woman/Warris/Intensely Dull Youth/Jailer's Assistant/ Otto/ Lead Singer Crucifee (Character),
Writer,
Original Music
$150.2K 1979
No Score Yet 100% The Rutles Dirk McQuickly/The Narrator/Stanley J. Krammerhead III, Jr. (Character),
Director
- 1978
92% 82% All You Need Is Cash Dirk McQuickly/The Narrator/Stanley J. Krammerhead III, Jr. (Character) - 1978
96% 95% Monty Python and the Holy Grail Sing-Along Dead Collector/Mr Blint/Sir Robin/The Guard Who Doesn't Hiccough but Tries to Get Things Straight/Concorde/Roger the Shrubber/Brother Maynard (Character),
Writer
$1.8M 1975
88% 87% And Now for Something Completely Different Prosecutor/Marriage Counselor (Character),
Writer
- 1972

TV

Credit
No Score Yet 61% Late Night With Seth Meyers Guest 2024
No Score Yet 44% The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Guest 2023
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Graham Norton Show Unknown (Guest Star),
Guest
2010 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Jeopardy! Contestant 2020
No Score Yet No Score Yet Real Time With Bill Maher Guest 2012 2019
No Score Yet 49% The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Guest 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet Conan Guest 2016
No Score Yet 18% The Late Late Show With James Corden Guest 2015
No Score Yet 91% The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson Guest 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet Inside Comedy Unknown (Character) 2014
85% 76% The Simpsons Declan Desmond (Guest Voice) 2003-2004 2007 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet George Harrison: Living in the Material World Self 2011
No Score Yet No Score Yet Monty Python's Personal Best Unknown (Character),
Creator
2006
No Score Yet No Score Yet Comedy Connections Unknown (Guest Star) 2005
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Daily Show Guest 2000 2003 2005
No Score Yet No Score Yet Suddenly Susan Ian Maxtone-Graham (Character) 1999-2000
95% 95% Frasier Chuck (Guest Voice) 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet Around the World in 80 Days Unknown (Character) 1989
No Score Yet No Score Yet Laverne & Shirley Unknown (Guest Star) 1981
No Score Yet 57% Saturday Night Live Host 1976-1979
100% 85% Monty Python's Flying Circus Unknown (Character),
Writer
1969-1970 1972-1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet Do Not Adjust Your Set Unknown (Character) 1967-1969