At 81, Terry Gilliam From ‘Monty Python And The Holy Grail’ Returned To Animation

Among the knights who say “ni,” one cast member of Monty Python and the Holy Grail stands out for his American origins. That man is Terry Gilliam, whose career began rooted in the liveliness of cartoons. That translated well to the comedy troupe and to his many future projects.

Terry Gilliam was born on November 22, 1940. Unlike his future peers, he called Minneapolis, Minnesota home in his early years, though this would change drastically later in life. His areas of interest were similarly all over the place, deriving inspiration from Mad magazine and studying political science. The volatile situation in America during the late ’60s inspired his move to England; Gilliam claimed he was pulled over by police for his car, background, and appearance. “And I got more and more angry and I just felt, I’ve got to get out of here,” he realized, and so he got into making cartoons and went to Europe.

How did Terry Gilliam join Monty Python?

It’s partly thanks to this enthusiasm for cartoon drawing and animation that Gilliam found his way to the Monty Python troupe. First he was an animator, then a full member of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. As an animator he set himself apart for using cutouts, showcased strongly in Do Not Adjust Your Set. 1975 saw him make the leap to directing as co-director of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as well as playing Patsy and the Old Man.

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All his accumulated experience with Monty Python gave Gilliam the tools to work on his own independent projects. He also created a semi-autobiographical how-to guide teaching others his animation style. Reflecting on his own work, Gilliam sees his films as part of a trilogy, summed up with Time Bandits, Brazil, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, which together represent “the ages of man.” It wasn’t always easy victories, though; the high-budget The Man Who Killed Don Quixote suffered multiple setbacks that saw the project canceled. This almost resulted in a different big win for Gilliam, as Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling was eyeing him to direct the very first film in the franchise, though the studio went in a different direction. Gilliam did not take the news in a calm manner and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus suffered a similar fate as Don Quixote when Heath Ledger, known also as the Joker, died. But it’s difficult to keep a mind like his down for long.

Those who do also teach

Both Don Quixote and Doctor Parnassus had their day thanks in part to some creative casting with Adam Driver, along with Johnny Depp and Jude Law. He also launched into making Time Bandits into a television series, as well as an adaptation of Fisher King into Defective Detective. He still enjoys embracing fantasy and especially magical realism, saying, “It’s about expanding how you see the world.” Some of that wonder was incorporated into his appearance in the sci-fi space opera Jupiter Ascending in 2015.

Gilliam helps expanded how others see and create in the world by working as a creative supervisor for 1884, a steampunk retelling of 1984 by dystopian novelist George Orwell. This was part of a larger trend of helping other artists build projects across multiple mediums. Today, Gilliam is 81, the husband to makeup artist Maggie Weston, and the parent of three children. It’s exciting to imagine what he might get up to next!