Famous comedian, member of Monty Python: Who is Michael Palin?
Legendary actor, comedian, writer, and traveler Michael Palin, who was declared Sir by Queen Elizabeth in 2019, was a member of the much-loved Monty Python comedy troupe, which still attracts millions of people with both his television comedy shows and movies.
Michael Palin (born 5 May 1943, in Sheffield, England) is an English actor, writer, and world traveler.
Palin became known after becoming a member of Monty Python in the 1970s. He starred in the TV series Ripping Yarns and many movies. After more than 20 years, he rose to fame with his television travel show "Around the World in 80 Days." He has been married to Helen Gibbons since 1966 and has three children.
Palin, who spent his acting career making everyone laugh, lost his wife, Helen Palin, with whom he shared the same pillow for 57 years, on May 2, 2023.
Sir Michael Edward Palin (born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. He received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2013 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.
80-year-old Michael Palin suffered a great heartbreak after losing his beloved wife Helen.
Helen Palin, the mother of Michael Palin's three children, was 80 years old when she died on May 2, 2023. He was suffering from kidney failure and had been struggling with this condition for many years.
Michael Palin said that his wife, whom he constantly waited by her bedside and prayed for, was suffering from terrible chronic pain, along with her children and doctors, before making the decision to "give up".
"SHE WAS THE FOUNDATION OF MY LIFE"
Michael and his wife, Helen, met when they were both 16 and married in their early 20s. Describing his wife, the veteran actor says, "Helen was the foundation of my life. Her quiet and wise judgment guided all my decisions, and her humor and practical common sense were at the center of our life together."
Helen has been by Michael's side throughout his career, which began with productions for the Oxford Review, Oxford University's drama club, where he worked with Terry Jones. And he was there when he and Jones met their fellow comedians…
THE COMEDY TEAM BECAME A LEGEND
Cambridge graduates John Cleese, 84, Graham Chapman, who died in 1989 at the age of 48, and Eric Idle, 81, as well as 83-year-old Terry Gilliam, the only non-Oxford graduate, united to form the Monty Python comedy team, which has now become a cult.
"We're not that close, but when we get together, we talk about 'that thing' like it's a long relationship from years ago, and we get pretty teary," Palin said of the teammates he still sees. "Python still sells worldwide, not like it used to, but a success none of us could have imagined," he says.