Billy Connolly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Billy Connolly
Connolly at the premiere of Brave in 2012
Birth name	William Connolly
Born	(1942-11-24) 24 November 1942 (age 82) Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland
Medium	Film stand-up television
Years active	1965–present
Genres	Scottish comedy musical comedy observational comedy
Spouse	Iris Pressagh ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1985)​ Pamela Stephenson ​ (m. 1989)​
Children	5

Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a famous Scottish actor, musician, TV presenter, artist, and a retired stand-up comedian. People sometimes call him the Big Yin, which means "the Big One" in the Scots language. He is known for his unique and often made-up comedy, where he talks about everyday life. Many people in the United Kingdom think he is the greatest stand-up comedian ever. In 2022, he received a special award called the BAFTA Fellowship for his amazing career from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

In the early 1960s, Billy worked as a welder in the shipyards of Glasgow. But by the end of the decade, he decided to become a folk singer instead. He first sang in a folk rock band called The Humblebums with Gerry Rafferty. After leaving the band in 1971, he started singing on his own. In the early 1970s, Billy slowly changed from being a funny folk singer to a full-time comedian. This is what he became most famous for. In 1972, he performed his first show, a comedy act called Connolly's Glasgow Flourish. He also played at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. That same year, he released his first solo album, Billy Connolly Live!, which had funny songs and short stories. In 1975, his funny song "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." became a number one hit in the UK.

Billy has acted in many movies. Some of them include Pocahontas (1995), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Mrs Brown (1997), The Last Samurai (2003), and Brave (2012). For his role in Mrs Brown, he was nominated for a big acting award.

In 2017, for his 75th birthday, three famous artists painted his picture. These paintings later became part of a mural trail in Glasgow. In October that year, Prince William made him a knight at Buckingham Palace. This was to honor his work in entertainment and for charity. Billy announced he was stopping comedy in 2018. Since then, he has become a successful artist. He has released several collections of his artwork. He said that art has given him a "new lease of life".

Early Life and Childhood

Billy Connolly was born on 24 November 1942 in Anderston, Glasgow. He was born in a small flat with only two rooms. His family bathed in the kitchen sink because there was no hot water.

Billy's parents were William Connolly and Mary McLean. When he was four years old, his mother left the family. His father was serving in the Royal Air Force in Burma at the time. Billy and his older sister, Florence, were then looked after by their father's two sisters, Margaret and Mona. They lived in a crowded apartment in Partick.

Billy's father returned from the war but was like a stranger to his children. He never talked about their mother leaving. Billy was a Wolf Cub when he was young. He even visited a scout camp during his TV show World Tour of Scotland.

When he was 12, Billy decided he wanted to be a comedian. But he felt he needed to be more "windswept and interesting" first. At 14, he became interested in music, especially Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. He left school at 15 with two engineering certificates.

Billy was too young to work in the shipyards at first. So, he delivered books by bicycle for a bookshop. Then he drove a delivery van for a bakery. When he turned 16, he started working as a boilermaker at a shipyard in Linthouse. He also joined the Territorial Army Reserve. He later wrote a song about his time there called "Weekend Soldier".

How Billy Became "The Big Yin"

Billy Connolly's nickname, The Big Yin, started when he was a teenager. It helped people tell him apart from his father, who was also named Billy. His father was called "Big Billy" and he was "Wee Billy". But then Billy grew taller than his dad. So, he became known as The Big Yin in Scotland.

Billy's Career Journey

Starting in the 1960s

In the early 1960s, Billy first visited the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In 1965, after finishing his boilermaker training, he took a short job building an oil platform in Nigeria. When he came back, he decided to leave his shipyard job. He wanted to become a folk singer.

Billy bought his first banjo after watching a TV show. He started performing in folk clubs, guided by folk singer Danny Kyle. Billy then formed a folk-pop group called the Humblebums with Tam Harvey. In 1969, Gerry Rafferty joined them. The band signed with Transatlantic Records. After one album, Harvey left, and Billy and Gerry released two more albums together. Billy's funny stories during their shows might have helped him become a comedian later.

In 1968, Billy married Iris Pressagh, an interior designer. They had two children. They first lived in Glasgow, then moved to Drymen because fans would wait outside their home. In 1971, The Humblebums broke up. Billy went back to being a solo folk singer. His funny introductions to songs became longer and longer. His record label boss, Nat Joseph, saw his comedy talent. He suggested Billy focus on being a comedian.

Rise to Fame in the 1970s

In 1972, Billy performed his first comedy show, Connolly's Glasgow Flourish. He also played at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. That year, Nat Joseph produced Billy's first solo album, Billy Connolly Live!. It had funny songs and short stories. In late 1973, Joseph produced the album that made Billy famous in Britain, Solo Concert. This album was recorded live in a small hotel. It was unusual to release a double album by a comedian who wasn't well-known. But Joseph believed in Billy's talent, and the album became a hit in 1974.

In 1974, Billy sold out the Pavilion Theatre in his hometown. In 1975, he appeared on the BBC's main TV chat show, Parkinson. This appearance changed his life. After the show, people at the airport applauded him. Billy became good friends with the host, Michael Parkinson. He has been a guest on the show more than anyone else. Billy's success then spread to Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

His growing fame led him to meet other celebrities, like musician Elton John. John tried to help Billy become famous in America by having him open his 1976 US tour. But it didn't work because John's American fans didn't understand Billy's Scottish accent.

Billy continued to be very popular in the UK. In 1975, he signed with Polydor Records. He released live albums and funny songs. His parody of Tammy Wynette's song "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." became a number one hit in 1975. He performed it on Top of the Pops.

Connolly's banana boots, designed and made by Glasgow Pop Artist Edmund Smith and a regular in his act during the 1970s, are now on display in the People's Palace in Glasgow.

In 1976, Billy's first play, An' Me wi' a Bad Leg, Tae, opened. In 1979, Billy met Pamela Stephenson, a comedy actress from New Zealand. He met her when he made a small appearance on a BBC show she was on. Later, he met her again backstage at a show. He told her he was unhappy and his marriage was ending.

In 1979, Billy was asked to join the cast of The Secret Policeman's Ball. These were fundraising shows for Amnesty International, a human rights charity. Billy was the first comedian in the series who wasn't from a famous university. Being with well-known comedians like John Cleese and Peter Cook helped people see Billy as one of Britain's top comedians.

The 1980s and Beyond

In 1981, Billy appeared in another Amnesty show, The Secret Policeman's Other Ball. A special US version of the film helped introduce Billy to more American audiences. This was because it featured members of Monty Python, who were already popular there.

In 1985, Billy divorced Iris Pressagh after 16 years of marriage. They had separated four years earlier. Billy was given custody of their children, Jamie and Cara. That same year, he performed An Audience with..., a TV show in front of a celebrity audience. In July 1985, Billy performed at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium. He performed right before Elton John and introduced him on stage.

Billy became more known in North America in 1990. He was featured in an HBO TV special. Soon after, he starred in the sitcom Head of the Class for its last season. He also had his own spin-off series called Billy.

In 1991, HBO released Billy Connolly: Pale Blue Scottish Person, a stand-up show recorded in Los Angeles. On 4 June 1992, Billy performed his 25th-anniversary concert in Glasgow. Parts of this show were shown in a TV documentary. In 1994, Billy started a 40-show World Tour of Scotland. This was later shown as a six-part series on the BBC. It was so popular that he did Billy Connolly's World Tour of Australia in 1995. This eight-part series followed Billy on his custom-made Harley Davidson motorbike. Also in 1995, Billy filmed a BBC special where he spent a week alone in the Arctic Circle. He also voiced a character named Ben in Disney's animated film, Pocahontas.

In 1996, he appeared in Muppet Treasure Island as Billy Bones. In 1997, he starred with Dame Judi Dench in Mrs Brown. He played John Brown, a favorite Scottish servant of Queen Victoria. He was nominated for several awards for his acting.

In 1998, Billy's best friend, Danny Kyle, passed away. Billy sang a cover of the Beatles' song, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" on George Martin's 1998 album. In November 1998, a two-hour TV special celebrated Billy's career. It included tributes from famous people like Judi Dench, Sean Connery, and Robin Williams.

In 1999, Billy went on a four-month, sold-out tour of Australia and New Zealand. Later that year, he performed a five-week, sold-out run at London's Hammersmith Apollo.

In 2000, Billy starred in Beautiful Joe with Sharon Stone. The next year, he completed his third "World Tour" BBC series, this time of England, Ireland and Wales. It started in Dublin and ended in Plymouth. Also in 2001, Pamela Stephenson published her first book about Billy. A follow-up book was published in 2003.

A fourth BBC series, World Tour of New Zealand, was filmed in 2004. Billy also performed two sold-out concerts to honor his late manager, Malcolm Kingsnorth. He continued to be a popular actor, appearing in films like The Last Samurai (2003) and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004). He played a lawyer in The Man Who Sued God (2001) and a pet zombie in Fido (2006).

In 2005, Billy and Pamela announced they were moving back to Scotland after living in Hollywood for 14 years. They bought a yacht and split their time between Malta and their home in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire. Later that year, Billy was voted "Britain's Favourite Comedian" in a poll. In 2006, he shared that he also has a house on the Maltese island of Gozo and an apartment in New York City.

In 2011, Billy and his wife were living full-time in New York City. They decided to sell their Scottish home in 2013. In 2012, Billy voiced King Fergus in Pixar's animated film Brave. He also appeared in the film Quartet.

In 2014, he appeared in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Dáin II Ironfoot, a great dwarf warrior. The film's director, Peter Jackson, said Billy was the perfect actor for the role. Billy's manager of 32 years, Steve Brown, passed away in 2017. In 2018, Billy, who now lives in Florida, held his first art exhibition. He said at that time that he would no longer be touring as a comedian.

As of 2021, he and his wife live in Florida. He published his autobiography, Windswept and Interesting, in October 2021. In May 2022, Billy received a BAFTA Fellowship for his five-decade-long career.

Personal Life

Billy Connolly married Iris Pressagh in 1969. They separated in 1981 and divorced in 1985. In 1981, he started living with Pamela Stephenson. They got married in Fiji on 20 December 1989. Billy has two children from his first marriage and three from his second. He became a grandfather in 2001.

In 1986, he visited Mozambique for a documentary for Comic Relief. Billy completed his first world tour in 1987. In March 1988, his father passed away. His mother passed away five years later in 1993. Billy calls himself an atheist.

In September 2013, Billy had surgery for early-stage prostate cancer. It was also announced that he was being treated for the first signs of Parkinson's disease. Billy had said earlier in 2013 that he was starting to forget his lines during shows. In January 2019, he said that the disease might make him stop performing. In 2018, Billy moved to Key West, Florida. He supports the football club Celtic. Billy also has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Family History

Billy's grandfather on his father's side was an Irish immigrant. His great-great-great-grandfather, John O'Brien, fought in India in the 1800s. He married an Indian girl named Matilda. They had four children and settled in Bangalore. Billy's mother was from the Clan Maclean in Scotland. Her parents moved to Glasgow in the early 1900s. Billy learned about his Indian family history on the BBC show Who Do You Think You Are? in 2014.

Views on Politics

Billy Connolly has spoken against Scottish independence. In 1974, he made a TV broadcast for the Labour Party that criticized the Scottish National Party. In 1999, he said the new Scottish Parliament was a joke. He also refused to go to its opening ceremony.

Billy questioned the cost of independence and if it would help regular Scots. But he also said Scots could make up their own minds. In 2014, before the independence referendum, he said, "I think it's time for people to get together, not split apart." He also mentioned that the Union with England helped Scotland when it was struggling financially.

In October 2018, some news outlets said Billy supported independence after the Brexit vote. He reportedly called Brexit a "disaster" and said independence "may be the way to go" for Scotland to stay connected to Europe. However, in a 2020 documentary, he said, "I've never liked nationalism in any of its guises. I'm not saying I've never agreed with independence. I think a Scottish republic is as good an idea as any I ever heard."

Helping Charities

Billy Connolly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability. He is also a supporter of Celtic F.C.'s charity, The Celtic Foundation.

Other Things Billy Does

Folk Music

Billy started a group called the Humblebums with Tam Harvey in 1965. At their first show, Billy joked, "My name's Billy Connolly, and I'm humble. This is Tam Harvey, he's a bum." Gerry Rafferty later joined the band. Billy said Gerry was a much better musician than him. He felt Gerry's talent made him focus more on his comedy.

Billy and Frank Bruno sang the main vocals on "The War Song of the Urpneys" from The Dreamstone. The Humblebums broke up in 1971. Billy's first solo album in 1972, Billy Connolly Live!, showed him as a singer-songwriter.

His early albums had a mix of comedy and music. Some of his famous songs include "The Welly Boot Song" and "In the Brownies". He also sang the sad song "I Wish I Was in Glasgow". In November 1975, his funny version of "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" was a number one hit in the UK. By the late 1980s, Billy mostly stopped playing music in his shows. But he still records songs sometimes. In 1998, he covered the Beatles' "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!". He also sang "Bonnie George Campbell" in the film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Stand-up Comedy

Billy's comedy is unique and often made up on the spot. He talks about things he observes in life. In 2007, 2010, and 2013, he was voted the greatest stand-up comedian on Channel 4 and Channel 5 TV shows. Since the 1980s, Billy has worn a special black T-shirt with a long shirt-tail during his shows.

Comics Writing

Between 1973 and 1977, Billy wrote a daily comic strip with cartoonist Malky McCormick. It was called The Big Yin.

Art

Billy Connolly has published 11 collections of his art. He creates art by letting his hand move freely across the paper or canvas without a plan. This is similar to a style called Surrealist Automatism. In April 2019, his art was shown on MacLellan's Castle to celebrate World Parkinson's Day. His first sculpture, inspired by his past as a welder, was released in March 2020. He talked about his art and what inspires him on his 80th birthday in 2022.

Discography

Below is a partial list of Connolly's solo musical and comedic recordings. For his releases with the Humblebums, see here.

• 1972 – Billy Connolly Live
• 1974 – Cop Yer Whack for This
• 1974 – Solo Concert
• 1975 – Get Right Intae Him! (#80 AUS)
• 1975 – Words and Music
• 1975 – The Big Yin
• 1976 – Atlantic Bridge
• 1977 – Billy Connolly
• 1977 – Raw Meat for the Balcony!
• 1978 – Anthology
• 1979 – Riotous Assembly
• 1981 – The Pick of Billy Connolly (compilation) (#34 AUS)
• 1983 – A Change Is as Good as Arrest
• 1983 – In Concert
• 1984 – Big Yin Double Helping (compilation)
• 1985 – An Audience with Billy Connolly
• 1985 – Wreck on Tour
• 1987 – Billy & Albert
• 1991 – Live at the Odeon Hammersmith London
• 1995 – Musical Tour of Scotland
• 1995 – Live DownUnder 1995 (#23 AUS)
• 1996 – World Tour of Australia
• 1997 – Two Night Stand
• 1999 – Comedy and Songs (compilation)
• 2002 – Live in Dublin 2002
• 2002 – The Big Yin – Billy Connolly in Concert (compilation)
• 2003 – Transatlantic Years (compilation of material recorded between 1969 and 1974)
• 2003 – Humble Beginnings: The Complete Transatlantic Recordings 1969–74
• 2005 – Billy Connolly's Musical Tour of New Zealand
• 2007 – Live in Concert
• 2010 – The Man: Live in London (recorded January 2010)
• 2011 – Billy Connolly's Route 66

VHS / DVD Releases

Plays Written by Billy

Billy Connolly has written three plays:

• An' Me Wi' A Bad Leg Tae (1975)
• When Hair Was Long And Time Was Short (1977)
• Red Runner (1979)

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Awards and Recognitions

• On 11 July 2001, Billy received an honorary degree from the University of Glasgow.
• In 2002, the BAFTA gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• In 2003, Billy was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his work in entertainment.
• On 4 July 2006, he received another honorary doctorate from Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD).
• In 2007 and 2010, Billy was named the Number One "100 Greatest Stand-Ups" by Channel 4. He topped the list again in 2013 on Channel 5.
• On 22 July 2010, he received an honorary degree from Nottingham Trent University.
• On 20 August 2010, Billy was given the Freedom of the City of Glasgow, a special honor.
• On 10 December 2012, he received a BAFTA Scotland Award for his great achievements in Television and Film.
• In January 2016, he received a Special Recognition award at the National Television Awards for his career.
• In 2017, Billy was made a Knight Bachelor for his work in entertainment and charity.
• As of 2017, Glasgow has at least three large murals and one metal artwork showing him.
• On 22 June 2017, Billy received an honorary degree from University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.
• In November 2019, The Glasgow Times named Billy Connolly "The Greatest Glaswegian" based on a public poll.
• At the BAFTA TV awards of 2022, Billy was given the BAFTA Fellowship, a very high honor.

Images for kids

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  Connolly at the premiere of Brave in 2012

• 

  Connolly's banana boots, designed and made by Glasgow Pop Artist Edmund Smith and a regular in his act during the 1970s, are now on display in the People's Palace in Glasgow.

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  Connolly during a stand-up show in 2005

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  Connolly has been married to Pamela Stephenson since 1989

See Also

In Spanish: Billy Connolly para niños