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Graham Arthur Chapman ( January 8, 1941— October 4, 1989) was a British comedian and writer. He was one of the six Monty Python members and lead actor in their two narrative films (King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Brian in Life of Brian).Chapman studied medicine at Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge, where he began writing comedy with classmate John Cleese. He qualified as a doctor at the Barts Hospital Medical College. The duo wrote professionally on the BBC during the 1960sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around, primarily for the ubiquitous David FrostSir David Paradine Frost (born April 7, 1939) is a British television presenter. He was born at Tenterden, Kent, the son of a Methodist minister. Frost's well-known ability to network with the right people was in evidence while at Cambridge, where he edit but also for Marty FeldmanMarty Feldman ( July 8, 1933 December 2, 1982). English writer, comedian and film and television actor, famous for his bulging eyes, which were the result of a thyroid condition. Like Spike Milligan, Feldman started his show-business career as a trumpet p.
They joined Michael PalinMonty Python's Life of Brian Michael Edward Palin (born May 5, 1943) is a British comedian who was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire. He is famous for being a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus in which he generally played roles that called for manic enthu, Terry JonesTerence Graham Parry Jones (born February 1, 1942) is a British comedian and writer. Jones was born in Colwyn Bay, Wales, and graduated from St. Edmund Hall, Oxford. He appeared on At Last the 1948 Show with Michael Palin and John Cleese and wrote for The, Eric IdleMonty Python film Life of Brian Eric Idle (b. March 29, 1943, South Shields, County Durham, England)is a comedian, sketch writer, and actor as well as an author and accomplished guitarist and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as a member of the British and American artist Terry GilliamTerence Vance Gilliam (born November 22 1940 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA) is a film director. Terry Gilliam started off as an American animator and strip cartoonist; one of his early photographic strips featured John Cleese. Moving to England, he anima for Monty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python's Flying Circus (aka MPFC was the popular BBC sketch comedy show from Monty Python. The first episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus was recorded September 7, 1969, and broadcast on October 5 of the same year on BBC One not BBC Two as is oft in 1969. Cleese and Chapman's classic Python sketches included " The Ministry of Silly Walks" and " Dead Parrot."
One of his particularly famous sketches was the character of The Colonel, a stuffy army officer who occasionally appeared out of nowhere to order the end of a sketch for being too silly. After Cleese left the show in 1973, Chapman wrote alone for the final season. He then developed a number of movie scripts, most notably Yellowbeard, where he starred with Cleese, Peter Cook, and Cheech and Chong.
His memoir, A Liar's Autobiography (Volume Six), was published in 1980. Chapman joined the Dangerous Sports Club, which introduced bungee jumping to a wide audience, and he went on lengthy college lecture tours in the 1980s. In the fall of 1989 on the eve of the Python 20th anniversary, he died of throat cancer which had metastasized to his spine—in Jones' words, "the worst case of party-pooping in all history." Cleese delivered a eulogy for Chapman, during which Cleese used the word " fuck." Cleese's eulogy was so funny that it was noted that some people at the funeral "almost died laughing." Cleese has said that Chapman would have liked that.
Chapman was in many ways the loneliest Python member. He drank alcohol excessively in the 1970s, and he also kept his homosexuality a secret, at least from the public, for much of his adult life. Although his memoir Liar's, which described his birth as "a great disappointment to his parents, who had been expecting a black heterosexual Jew," certainly did much to out him. Certainly, Chapman's homosexuality was no secret to his friends. One of Michael Palin's favourite stories about Graham involved Palin's trips to collect him every morning for Python related business, he would call up to Chapman's window and be greeted by a collection of young men before Graham eventually surfaced—pipe in mouth. When a member of the public wrote to the BBC to complain that she had heard a member of the Python team was a homosexual, Eric Idle sent a reply confirming that the culprit had been found and shot. It should also be noted that the other Pythons must have known what Chapman was getting at when he produced "The Mouse Problem" sketch.
The remaining Python members have acknowledged that Chapman was exasperating to work with, and difficult to know. But none of the other Pythons could have played King Arthur or Brian as well as Chapman. After his death, speculation of a Python revival inevitably faded—as Idle said, "we would only do a reunion if Graham came back from the dead. So we're negotiating with his agent."
