Billy Connolly

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Birthday:

24 November 1942, Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Birth Name:

William Connolly

Height:

183 cm

Billy Connolly was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. He left school to work in the shipyards becoming a welder and joined the Territorial Army (in the parachute regiment) at around the same time. He developed an interest in folk music, eventually becoming an accomplished banjo player and a member of the band Humblebums with Gerry Rafferty (later of Baker Street fame). The jokes he told between songs eventually took over his act and he became a full-time comedian. Already a big star in Scotland, he became a household name in the UK after appearing on Parkinson (1971) in the early seventies. Billy has released many recordings and videos of his concert performances over the years. He has expanded his repertoire to include acting, appearing in a number of television dramas and films, most recently in the USA. In the 90s he made two documentary series for the BBC, about Scotland and Australia respectively, and in 1997 he starred in the award winning film Mrs Brown (1997). He is one of the UK's top comedian. Show less «

I'm now a Doctor of Letters. Most of them Fs and Bs.

Life for me is great. I'm a very f***in' wealthy person, I'm married to a very beautiful woman and I get laid with monotonous regularity.

I think my securities far outweigh my insecurities. I am not nearly as afraid of myself and my imagination as I used to be.

In Scotland, there is no such thing as bad weather - only the wrong clothes.

Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that who cares?... He's a mile away and you've got his shoes!

There are two seasons in Scotland - Winter and July.

It's very awkward to be kind of big in your own field. It limits what you're offered. People are swayed by the fact that you're a comedian o...Show more »

It's very awkward to be kind of big in your own field. It limits what you're offered. People are swayed by the fact that you're a comedian or a musician or whatever they think you are. When it comes to choosing you, they get a bit shaky about offering you a different type of role. But I've really been very lucky. When you compare me to other comedians, I've been very fortunate. So you'll get no complaints. Show less «

I'd never consciously left home to see a zombie movie. They were fine by me, but I had no intention of ever being in one. But I've been lear...Show more »

I'd never consciously left home to see a zombie movie. They were fine by me, but I had no intention of ever being in one. But I've been learning more about it as I've been doing interviews. I didn't even know there were specialist zombie magazines and clubs. I heard the other day that a radio station had asked people if they'd made preparations for an attack by zombies, and a staggering number of people replied yes! Show less «

I set out to be a cross between Lenny Bruce and Robert the Bruce -- my main thrust was the body and its functions and malfunctions -- the ab...Show more »

I set out to be a cross between Lenny Bruce and Robert the Bruce -- my main thrust was the body and its functions and malfunctions -- the absurdity of the thing. Show less «

Without arts programmes there's only reality TV, and reality TV needs the arts to show it what reality is.

Gerry Rafferty was a hugely talented songwriter and singer who will be greatly missed. I was privileged to have spent my formative years wor...Show more »

Gerry Rafferty was a hugely talented songwriter and singer who will be greatly missed. I was privileged to have spent my formative years working with Gerry and there remained a strong bond of friendship between us that lasted until his untimely death. Gerry had extraordinary gifts and his premature passing deprives the world of a true genius. Show less «

There comes a point when you don't give a shit what anybody thinks. It doesn't happen all at once, but it's lovely when it does. Criticism u...Show more »

There comes a point when you don't give a shit what anybody thinks. It doesn't happen all at once, but it's lovely when it does. Criticism used to worry me before, but I can suddenly write it off. It's too late. I don't have the time to spend thinking about it anymore. I need that time to live with. Show less «

I fucking hate going on holiday anywhere but in my own home. My idea of a nice break is lying in bed being brought cups of tea while watchin...Show more »

I fucking hate going on holiday anywhere but in my own home. My idea of a nice break is lying in bed being brought cups of tea while watching football, episodes of Law & Order (1990) or one of those reality shows set in a prison. And it fucking terrifies me to be somewhere where Pamela Stephenson's going to be lurking about waiting to guilt-trip me into going on a walk to Japanese gardens, sampling vanilla tea or trying to stay upright on a contraption that doesn't know if it's a kite or a surfboard. Wild horses couldn't persuade me. If she'd had her way, we'd start the day with an hour of power yoga on the shore, followed by a gluten-free breakfast, a scuba dive to see enormous, bitey things, then a tanning session on the beach where the combination of sunscreen and sand turns you into a giant schnitzel. After lunch there'd be kayaking to a deserted island, then a candlelit dinner in some exotic outdoor location where small bitey things make you even more miserable than the big ones. Show less «

Jazz makes me want to vomit!

I fucking hate sand.

I've had it with terrorists of all colors and fucking descriptions. Fucking bringing terror to some innocent person's life. Fuck you. Osama ...Show more »

I've had it with terrorists of all colors and fucking descriptions. Fucking bringing terror to some innocent person's life. Fuck you. Osama Bin Laden lives in a cave, shits in a fucking bucket. Why are we scared of this prick? Fuck you, Bin Laden! Show less «

I don't want to influence anybody so I shut up. I think the Scots will come to a good conclusion in the referendum. They'll get what they de...Show more »

I don't want to influence anybody so I shut up. I think the Scots will come to a good conclusion in the referendum. They'll get what they deserve. Show less «

[on the death of Robin Williams] Robin was 'on' all the time. He was a joy to be around, let me tell you. In all the years I knew him I neve...Show more »

[on the death of Robin Williams] Robin was 'on' all the time. He was a joy to be around, let me tell you. In all the years I knew him I never got tired of him. He was a one-off, so warm, so human. In my quieter moments I do sometimes think I could have done more to help him. It's a lonely life, show business. You spend a lot of time on your own, and if you dwell on these things you can hurt yourself, as Robin proved. Show less «

The future doesn't exist and neither does the past. Worrying about it is a waste of time and effort.

[on his belief that Robin Williams was trying to say goodbye when they last spoke] On the last phone call he said, 'I love you like a brothe...Show more »

[on his belief that Robin Williams was trying to say goodbye when they last spoke] On the last phone call he said, 'I love you like a brother' and I said, 'I know you do' and he said, 'Are you sure you know?' and I said, 'Yes'. Robin worried about everything. Show less «

[on politicians] Don't vote, it just encourages them.

Who discovered we could get milk from cows, and what did he think he was doing at the time?