Graham Chapman

On the surface, Graham Chapman seemed the sanest of Britain's Monty Python troupe - he was tall, well-spoken and apparently possessed of refined manners. That veneer soon fell away within minutes of the launch of a sketch, whereupon Chapman would erupt into arias of mad behavior that skewered not only his own appearance, but the staid gentility of England's upper class. He found that streak of inspired insanity while a student at Cambridge, and with fellow alum John Cleese, began contributing to UK television and radio comedies. In 1969, he and Cleese teamed with Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones to form Monty Python, an unbridled comedy troupe whose stream of consciousness approach would have a lasting impact on world humor for decades to come. Chapman remained with Python until his untimely death in 1989, which robbed audiences of one of the most irreverent minds in entertainment.