Billy Connolly

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 being 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.

Director Nicholas Roeg was contracted by BBC Scotland to film Billy in 'Dallas Through the Looking Glass' but Billy pulled out. Nicholas went ahead and shot his own impromptu feature in 1980.

Three daughters with Pamela Stephenson: Daisy (born 31 December 1983), Amy (born 7 July 1986) and Scarlett (born 28 July 1988). Two children with his previous wife, Iris Pressagh: son Jamie (born 1969) and daughter Cara (born 1973).

Married Pamela Stephenson in Fiji on 20 December 1989.

He attended New York City, New York's Central Park premiere of Pocahontas (1995) two months after filming his scenes for Muppet Treasure Island (1996) in London, England. The Walt Disney Company distributed both of these films.

American audiences are generally unfamiliar with Connolly's musical accomplishments, since he all but eliminated the songs from his act before he became popular in North America. An exception to this were his guest appearances on Pearl (1996) in which he sang one of his old songs, "I Wish I Was in Glasgow", in a duet with Malcolm McDowell.

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.

July 2001: Received an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow.

He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Entertainment.

In October 2004, during an 18-night stint at London's Hammersmith Apollo, Connolly was criticised for making jokes about the hostage Kenneth Bigley. Shortly after Connolly joked about the future killing of the hostage and touched on the subject of Bigley's young Thai wife, Bigley was beheaded in Iraq. Connolly claims he was misquoted. He has declined to clarify what he actually said, claiming that the context was as important as the precise words used.

In September 2005, he announced that he is returning to live in his native Scotland, after residing in the United States for some years.

Received the Outstanding Contribution to Television and Film Award at the 2012 British Academy Scotland Awards.

Diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer and Parkinson's Disease [September 16, 2013].

To date (2016), Billy holds the record for the most guest appearances on the popular British TV talk show Parkinson (1971), with a reported 15 spots.

He was awarded the Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Entertainment and Charity in East Sussex, England.