Michael Palin

Sir
Michael Palin
KCMG CBE FRGS FRSGS FRSL
Palin wearing glasses
Palin in 2018 at the National Churches Trust Carol Concert
Born
Michael Edward Palin

(1943-05-05) 5 May 1943 (age 81)
Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
EducationBrasenose College, Oxford (BA)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • writer
  • television presenter
Years active1965–present
Known for
Spouse
Helen Gibbins
​
​
(m. 1966; died 2023)​
Children3
Websitethemichaelpalin.com

Sir Michael Edward Palin KCMG, CBE, FRGS, FRSGS, FRSL (/ˈpeɪlɪn/; born 5 May 1943[1]) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group.[2] He received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2013[3] and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.[4][5]

Palin started in television working on programmes including the Ken Dodd Show, The Frost Report, and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin joined Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman. He acted in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "Argument Clinic", "Dead Parrot sketch", "The Lumberjack Song", "The Spanish Inquisition", "Bicycle Repair Man" and "The Fish-Slapping Dance". Palin continued to work with Jones away from Python, co-writing Ripping Yarns.[6]

Palin co-wrote and starred in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983). For his performance in A Fish Called Wanda (1988) he received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.[7][8] Other notable films include Jabberwocky (1977), Time Bandits (1981), The Missionary (1982), A Private Function (1984), Brazil (1985), Fierce Creatures (1997), and The Death of Stalin (2017).

Since 1980, Palin has made numerous television travel documentaries and is a widely recognised writer and presenter.[9] He has acted as a travel writer and travel documentarian in programmes broadcast on the BBC. His journeys have taken him across the world, including the North and South Poles, the Sahara, the Himalayas, Eastern Europe, and Brazil; in 2018, he visited North Korea, documenting his visit to the isolated country in a series broadcast on Channel 5. Palin visited Nigeria in 2023 to make a travel documentary that was aired in spring 2024. From 2009 to 2012 he was President of the Royal Geographical Society.[10]

  1. ^ "PALIN, Michael Edward". Who's Who. Vol. 2015 (Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ Appleyard, Bryan (9 September 2018). "The Magazine Interview: Michael Palin on Monty Python, travel and how to stay married". The Times. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Michael Palin To Receive Academy Fellowship at the Arqiva British Academy Television Awards". bafta.org. 2 May 2013. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  4. ^ "Trio of Dames lead showbiz honours". BBC News. 31 December 1999. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2006.
  5. ^ "New Year Honours 2019: Twiggy, Michael Palin and Gareth Southgate on list". BBC. 28 December 2018. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  6. ^ ""Ripping Yarns" remembers a Britain that is not yet lost". The Economist. 5 January 2017. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Film – Actor in a Supporting Role in 1989". BAFTA. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
  8. ^ "Sir Michael Palin to have heart surgery". BBC. 24 July 2019. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Michael Palin | British comedian". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  10. ^ People & Staff Archived 15 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine Royal Geographical Society. Retrieved 24 June 2012