He officially broke into professional
show business (BBC) in 1966 when David
Frost asked him to join in with The
Frost Report, both writing and
performing. Also working for the Frost
Report at the same time were Chapman,
Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and Terry
Jones (all of Python fame). Cleese
continued the writing parternship with
Chapman, working on such titles as The
Magic Christian, with Peter Sellers and
Ringo Starr, and Rentadick.
The partnership continued into Monty
Python's Flying Circus, first airing on
10/5/69, along with Palin, Idle, Jones,
and Terry Gilliam, whom he met while
shooting for Help! magazine. Cleese
would stay with Python for three series,
leaving after that. He of course
rejoined the group later for such
efforts as Monty Python and the Holy
Grail, Life of Brian, and The Meaning of
Life.
It was around this time that Cleese met
American actress Connie Booth, and
married her in 1968. They had a
daughter, Cynthia, in February 1971. He
and Booth wrote and starred in a small
picture, Romance and a Double Bass, in
1974. The couple wrote and starred in
their most famous enterprise, Fawlty
Towers, in 1975, and later in 1979, with
Andrew Sachs and Prunella Scales. Cleese
and Booth divorced in 1976, Cleese later
marrying actress Barbara Trentham in
1981. They had a daughter, Camilla, in
1984. The couple divorced in 1990,
Cleese marrying Alyce Faye Eichelberger
in 1992.
After Towers, Cleese continued doing a
lot of work both writing and performing.
He did numerous television commericals
and cameos, as well as appearing in
television productions such as
Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, in
which he played Petruchio and received
much deserved critical acclaim. In terms
of cinema, he had roles in such movies
as Silverado and fellow Python Terry
Gilliam's Time Bandits, as well as
continuing the Python tradition with The
Meaning of Life.
His most
successful movie was the much-loved A
Fish Called Wanda, co-written by Cleese
with Charles Chrichton. It starred
Cleese along with Python Michael Palin,
Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kevin Kline, and
was very successful. Cleese also starred
in Fierce Creatures, with the same cast
as Wanda with a completely new story
line.
Most recently, he travelled to
Madagascar to do a one-hour documentary
on the rare, endangered lemurs there, an
informative yet amusing project shown on
PBS.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT....
The Lumberjack Song from
"Monty Python's Flying Circus"I never
wanted to do
this job in the
first place!
I... I wanted to be...
A LUMBERJACK!
(piano vamp)
Leaping from tree to tree! As they float
down the mighty rivers of
British Columbia! With my best girl by
my side!
The Larch!
The Pine!
The Giant Redwood tree!
The Sequoia!
The Little Whopping Rule Tree!
We'd sing! Sing! Sing!
Oh, I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay,
I sleep all night and I work all day.
CHORUS: He's a lumberjack, and he's
okay,
He sleeps all night and he works all
day.
I cut down trees, I eat my lunch,
I go to the lava-try.
On Wednesdays I go shoppin'
And have buttered scones for tea.
Mounties: He cuts down trees, he eats
his lunch,
He goes to the lava-try.
On Wednesdays 'e goes shoppin'
And has buttered scones for tea.
CHORUS
I cut down trees, I skip and jump,
I like to press wild flowers.
I put on women's clothing,
And hang around in bars.
Mounties: He cuts down trees, he skips
and jumps,
He likes to press wild flowers.
He puts on women's clothing
And hangs around.... In bars???????
CHORUS
I chop down trees, I wear high heels,
Suspendies and a bra.
I wish I'd been a girlie
Just like my dear papa.
Mounties: He cuts down trees, he wears
high heels
Suspendies?? and a .... a Bra????
(spoken, raggedly) What's this? Wants to
be a *girlie*? Oh, My!
And I thought you were so rugged!
Poofter!
CHORUS
All: He's a lumberjack, and he's
okaaaaaaayyy.....
(BONG)
"I say, Mr.
Death, that's rather rude of you popping in here uninvited and then having the audacity
to tell us we're all going to
die....here, do sit down and reap up a
spot of salmon mousse, won't you? Why so grim, now?"
"Well, sir, I woke up
this mornin', 'ad me tea, and observed
that me leg seemed to be
rather.....well...missing!"