Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS (born 5 May 1943) is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries. Palin wrote most of his comedic material with Terry Jones. Before Monty Python, they had worked on other shows such as The Ken Dodd Show, The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin appeared in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "Argument Clinic", "Dead Parrot", "The Lumberjack Song", and "The Spanish Inquisition".
Palin continued to work with Jones after Python, co-writing Ripping Yarns. He has also appeared in several films directed by fellow Python Terry Gilliam and made notable appearances in other films such as A Fish Called Wanda, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted the 30th favourite by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
After Python, he began a new career as a travel writer and travel documentarian. His journeys have taken him across the world, including the North and South Poles, the Sahara desert, the Himalayas and, most recently, Eastern Europe. In 2000 Palin was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to television.
Known for
The Simpsons
Springfield History Museum curator (voice)
Arthur Christmas
Ernie Clicker (voice)
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Various / "It's" man
Brazil
Jack Lint
The Dress
Howard
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
First Swallow-Savvy Guard / Dennis / Peasant 2 / Right Head / Sir Galahad the Pure / Narrator / King of Swamp Castle / Brother Maynard's Brother / Leader of The Knights Who Say NI!
The Witches
Witch at Meeting (uncredited)
Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)
Mrs. Betty Palin / Julius Caesar / Bevis
Life of Brian
Wise Man #3 / Mr. Big Nose / Francis / Mrs. A / Ex-Leper / Announcer / Ben / Pontius Pilate / Boring Prophet / Eddie / Shoe Follower / Nisus Wettus
Pleasure at Her Majesty's
Self
Monty Python Live (Mostly)
Self, others
Jabberwocky
Dennis Cooper
Monty Python: And Now for Something Rather Similar
Self
Daytime Live
Staged
Michael
Going Live!
Self
The Death of Stalin
Vyacheslav Molotov
Concert for George
Self
The Grand Knockout Tournament
Self
Rik Mayall: Lord of Misrule
Self
Absolutely Anything
Kindly Alien (voice)
Pebble Mill at One
The Missionary
The Reverend Charles Fortescue
Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days
Self
Attenborough at 90
Self
Jeepers Creepers
Newscaster (voice)
Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened
Self
Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?
Self
Henry Cleans Up
Henry
Clangers
Narrator (voice)
The Box
(voice)
Tracey Ullman: A Class Act
Various
50 Films to See Before You Die
Self
A Fish Called Wanda
Ken Pile
Roger of the Raj
Roger
Anatomy of a Liar
Self
The Secret Policeman's Ball
Various Roles
Frost on Sketch Shows
Self
Euroshow '71: May Day Special
Various (as Montypython Flyingcircus)
Legends
Self
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Various Roles
American Friends
Rev. Francis Ashby
Great Railway Journeys
Self - Presenter
Produced By George Martin
Self
Life Of Brian Screenplay
Wise Man #3, Mr. Big Nose, Francis, Mrs. A, Ex-Leper
Do Not Adjust Your Set
Various Characters
Time Bandits
Vincent
Whinfrey's Last Case
Gerald Whinfrey
Three Men in a Boat
Harris
Vanity Fair
William Makepeace Thackeray
Monty Python: Live at Aspen
Self
Hitler: The Comedy Years
Heinrich Himmler (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Magic Faraway Tree
The Secret Policeman's Ball
Self
An Accidental Studio
Self
The Secret Policeman's Ball
Self
ZULU Comedy Galla
Michael Palin
The Secret Life of Brian
Self
Monty Python: Before the Flying Circus
Self
Monty Python: Who's There?
Ken
Sahara with Michael Palin
Self - Presenter
The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash
Eric Manchester
G.B.H.
Jim Nelson
Movie Connections
Self
How to Irritate People
Various
Full Circle with Michael Palin
Self
Dame Maggie Smith - A Celebration
Self
Artsnight
Self
Monty Python's Best Bits (Mostly)
Self (archive footage)
Michael Palin In Wyeth's World
Self
Ripping Yarns
Ripping Yarns
Gerald Whinfrey
Ripping Yarns
Roger
Ripping Yarns
Kevin Orr / Uncle Jack
The Roots of Monty Python
Self (archive footage)
Tomkinson's Schooldays
Tomkinson / Headmaster / TV Introducer / Mr Craffitt
A Life on Screen
Self
Michael Palin: Travels of a Lifetime
Self - Host
Perspectives
Self
Viz: The Documentary
Self
Generation '66
Pole to Pole
Self
Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace
Self
The Broken Bottle
Alexander Armstrong's Real Ripping Yarns
Self
Worzel Gummidge
The Green Man
And Now for Something Completely Different
Gumby / Man with tape recorder / Phrasebook Author / Arthur Pewtey / Second self - defence student / Second Tenant / Lost His Wallet / Shrill Petrol Announcer / Milkman / Ernest Scribbler / Pet shop employee / Lumberjack / Headwaiter Gilberto / Herbert Anchovy / Blackmail Presenter / Gervais Brookhamster / Town Guild Lady
Michael Palin in North Korea
Self - Host
Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World
Jazz Band Undertaker (uncredited)
Fierce Creatures
Adrian 'Bugsy' Malone
Innes Lloyd: The Producer
Self
Monty Python: 30th Anniversary Sketches
Self
Monty Python's Personal Best
Self / Various Characters
Remember Me
Tom Parfitt
The Wind in the Willows
The Sun
Omnibus Presents Comic Relief
Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)
Self
Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure
Himalaya with Michael Palin
Self - Presenter
Monty Python in Aberystwyth
Self
Rabbit Ears - Jack and the Beanstalk
Narrator (voice)
Friday People
Comic Roots: Michael Palin
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
Various Roles
The Secret Life of Trees
Self - Narrator
The Wipers Times
General Mitford
Michael Palin's Quest for Artemisia
Self
The Wind in the Willows
Rat
A Private Function
Gilbert Chilvers
Travels with Palin
Self
Murder at Moorstones Manor
Charles Chiddingford
A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman
Various (voice)
Michael Palin in Venezuela
Self - Host
Michael Palin: The Art of Travel
The Meaning of Making 'The Meaning of Life'
Self
Michael Palin's New Europe
Self
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
Various Characters
The Complete and Utter History of Britain
Life of Python
Self / Various Roles
Brazil with Michael Palin
Self (Presenter)
Monty Python: Pythonland
Twice a Fortnight
Fawlty Towers: 50 Years of Laughs
Self
The Movie Life of George
Self
Close-Up Toothpaste Relaunch
salesman
Full House
Various
The Willows in Winter
Rat
Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and 'Dr. Strangelove'
Self
The Crimson Permanent Assurance
Workman
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
Self - Various Roles
Marty Feldman: Six Degrees of Separation
Self
Around the World in 20 Years
Self
Monty Python: The Meaning of Live
Self
Michael Palin: Into Iraq
A Series of Bird's
Michael Palin & the Mystery of Hammershøi
Host
Michael Palin in Nigeria
Self
Get Up and Go: The Making of 'The Rutles'
Self
Monty Python Conquers America
Self
Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind
Gariiiiiii (voice)
What the Pythons Did Next...
Self (archive footage)
John Peel's Record Box
Self
The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball
Self
The Fringe, Fame and Me
Self
The Phoenix: A Century of Cinema
Self
Monty Python's Best Bits Celebrated
Self (archive footage)(uncredited)
50 Years of BBC Two Comedy
Self
Frost on Sunday
Python at 50: Silly Talks and Holy Grails
Self (archive footage)
How To Make It In Comedy
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Graham Chapman's Personal Best
Various Characters
The Seventh Python
Self
Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut) - Theatrical Release
Self
Parrot Sketch Not Included: Twenty Years of Monty Python
Self / Various Characters
The Best of Monty Python's Flying Circus Volume 3
Self (archive footage)
Making Qi
Self
The Unknown Peter Sellers
Self
Ending It All
Life on Air: David Attenborough's 50 Years in Television
Self - Presenter
Comedians Do It On Stage
Self
Peter Sellers: A State of Comic Ecstasy
Self
Michael Palin: A Life on Screen
The Academy of Armando
Self
What Is Brazil?
Self
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Michael Palin's Personal Best
Monty Python & the Holy Grail Location Report
Self
The Monty Python Story
Self
Across the Andes by Frog
Captain Walter Snetterton
The Curse of the Claw
Kevin Orr / Uncle Jack
Meridian: The First Ten Minutes
Self
Spike Milligan I told you I was ill... A live tribute
Self
Golden Gordon
Gordon Ottershaw
Monty Python's Flying Circus—John Cleese's Personal Best
Various Characters
Inside Shabby Road: The Music of 'The Rutles'
Self
John Cleese's First Farewell Performance
Self
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Eric Idle's Personal Best
Various Characters
The Pythons: Somewhere in Tunisia, Circa A.D. 1979
Self
The Best of Monty Python's Flying Circus Volume 1
Self (archive footage)
When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain
Self
The Meaning of Monty Python
Self
The Philosophers' Football Match
Nietzsche
The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations
Self
The Great Birds Eye Peas Relaunch 1971
Escape from Stalag Luft 112B
Major Errol Phipps
Monty Python: From Spam to Sperm
Self
Palin on Redpath
Self - Presenter
Monty Python In The Netherlands
Sir David Attenborough and Sir Michael Palin in Conversation
Self
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Terry Jones' Personal Best
Various Characters
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
Eric Olthwaite / Bank Manager
Is This a Record?
Various
Final Ascent: The Legend of Hamish MacInnes
Self
The Art Of Travel With Michael Palin
Self
Not The Messiah: The Road To Albert Hall
The First Night of Meridian
Self - Host
The Graham Norton Show
Self
Saturday Night Live
Self - Co-Host
Saturday Night Live
Self - Special Guest
Saturday Night Live
Dick Savage (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Terry Gilliam's Personal Best
Various Characters
Michael Palin and the Ladies Who Loved Matisse
Narrator
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Graham Chapman's Personal Best
Various Characters
The One Show
Self - Guest
The Best of Monty Python's Flying Circus Volume 2
Self (archive footage)
Timewatch: The Last Day of World War One
Presenter
The New Incomplete And Utter History Of Everything
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest
Wogan
Self
New Tales from Around the World in 80 Days
Self
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Self
Parkinson
Self
The Jonathan Ross Show
Self
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
Self
The Frank Skinner Show
Self
Clive Anderson All Talk
Self
Fantasy World Cup
Self