Official name	Dunoon
Gaelic name	Dùn Obhainn
Scots name	Dunoon
Country	Scotland
Map type	Scotland
population	8,251
population ref	(2001 census) est. 8,310 (2006), excluding Sandbank |population_density
Os grid reference	NS174764
Edinburgh distance
London distance
Latitude	55.946730
Longitude	-4.923000
Post town	DUNOON
Postcode area	PA
Postcode district	PA23
Dial code	01369
Constituency westminster	Argyll and Bute
Unitary scotland	Argyll and Bute
Lieutenancy scotland	Argyll and Bute
Constituency scottish parliament	Argyll and Bute
Static image
Static image caption	Dunoon, looking north from Castle Hill towards Hunters Quay. The Victorian pier is to the right and the Queen's Hall is to the left }}

Dunoon (''Dùn Obhainn'' in Gaelic) is a resort town situated on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It sits on the Firth of Clyde to the south of Holy Loch and to the west of Gourock.

Waterfront

Dunoon Pier originated in 1835 however, the current structure was built in 1895 Prior to the late 1960s fleets of paddle steamers brought holidaymakers ''doon the watter'' from Glasgow to it and numerous other piers on the Clyde. Until June 2011, the pier was used daily by Caledonian MacBrayne who ran a regular car-ferry service to Gourock and by the ''PS Waverley'', the last surviving sea-going paddle steamer .

Overlooking the pier is a large statue to Robert Burns' love ''Highland Mary'', also known as ''Bonny Mary O' Argyll'', which is located on Castle Hill, just below the remains of the 12th century Dunoon Castle. Very little remains of the castle, which would originally have belonged to the Lamont family but became a royal castle with the Earls of Argyll (Campbells) as hereditary keepers, paying a nominal rent of a single red rose to the sovereign, presently Queen Elizabeth. In earlier times, Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed at the castle circa 1563 and granted several charters during her visit. The castle was destroyed during the rebellion in 1685.

In the spring of 2005, Dunoon seafront received a new breakwater, located just to the south of the main pier. As well as protecting the Victorian pier, a new linkspan was installed alongside the breakwater to allow the berthing and loading of ro-ro ferries instead of the side loading ferries presently serving the main pier. A tendering competition to serve the new linkspan between two interested parties, namely Caledonian MacBrayne and local operator Western Ferries failed when both parties withdrew from the tendering process. In June 2011, the outcome of a renewed tendering process saw a regular passenger only ferry service using the breakwater for berthing. The Paddle Steamer ''Waverley'' also berths there during the Summer months.

Transport

Dunoon is accessible by both land and sea routes.

Road

The town lies near the southern end of the A815 road. At its northernmost point, near Cairndow, this road joins the A83 and provides access to the town by road from Loch Lomond and Glasgow.

Ferry

There are two ferry operators who provide a fast and frequent service from Gourock to Dunoon. Local company, Western Ferries, carries motor vehicles and passengers. They ply the McInroy's Point-to-Hunters Quay route, whilst David MacBrayne Ltd subsidiary, Argyll Ferries run a passenger only service from Gourock pier to Dunoon breakwater. At Gourock Pier, a First ScotRail train service provides access to the national rail network via the Inverclyde Line.

Bus

Public transport within Dunoon and the surrounding area is provided under Government subsidy by bus and coach operator West Coast Motors.

The West Coast Motors ''486'' service provides a regular return journey from Dunoon town centre to Inveraray, where it connects with a Scottish Citylink service onward to Campbeltown and Oban. McGill's Bus Services operate service ''907'', a frequent coach service from Dunoon to Glasgow Buchanan Street Bus Station. The service travels aboard the ''Western Ferries'' crossing and operates via Greenock and Braehead Shopping Centre.

Tourist attractions

The Queen's Hall is the town's major multi-function hall complex. Situated at the head of the pier and built in 1958, the building houses four function suites and a large main hall. The main hall houses a full working stage with professional sound and lighting equipment and in recent years it has attracted popular bands such as Pink Floyd, Blur, The Saw Doctors, David Gray. Morrissey and Red Hot Chilli Pipers, among others.

Castle Toward, built in 1820 and formerly owned by the Lamont clan, is south of the town. It is now used as an outdoor education centre.

The arboretum at Benmore Botanic Garden, part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, is situated north of the town just before Loch Eck. The garden, formerly a private garden for the Younger family, is now open to the public. Its feature some of the tallest trees in Britain, including an avenue of Giant Redwoods, some of which are over high.

In recent years, Dunoon has returned as a 'doon the watter' destination. Throughout the era of the paddle-steamer, residents of Scotland's largest city enjoyed the freedom offered by a short trip down (doon) the Clyde to Dunoon and helped to develop its resort status.

Climate

As with the rest of the British Isles and Scotland, Dunoon experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. It is an exceptionally wet part of the country, particularly so for place near sea level, with annual average rainfall totals nearing 2,400mm per year. The closest MetOffice weather station is at Benmore Botanic Gardens, around 7 miles north of the town centre.

Recorded temperature extremes since 1960 range from during July 1983 to as low as during January 1982.

Holy Loch

As the Cold War intensified Holy Loch became internationally famous when in 1961 the U.S. Navy submarine tender brought Polaris ballistic missiles, nuclear submarines and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament protesters to the Firth of Clyde at nearby Sandbank, and Dunoon provided shore facilities. Holy Loch was, for 30 years, the home port of US Navy Submarine Squadron 14. In 1992, the Holy Loch base was deemed unnecessary following the demise of the Soviet Union and subsequently withdrawn. The last submarine tender to be based there, the USS Simon Lake, left Holy Loch in March 1992 leading to a major downturn in the local economy and prompting howls of protest from local taxi drivers and publicans.

The US Navy base was the subject of the 1988 film ''Down Where The Buffalo Go'' starring Harvey Keitel. Many of the scenes were shot around Dunoon and the navy base itself.

Holy Loch was also the location of the boat yard Alexander Robertsons, builders of the America's Cup challenger ''Sceptre'', a 65-foot, 17-tonne yacht designed by David Boyd.

Sport

The town's sporting arena is Dunoon Stadium, which is located in the north of the town, near Dunoon Grammar School. When it hosted football matches, it had the largest capacity of any amateur ground in Scotland. Its main use nowadays is as the focal point of the Cowal Highland Gathering.

The UK national championships in swamp football were held in Dunoon in 2006 and 2007. For 2008 they were held in nearby Strachur.

Cowal Rugby Club is the home of rugby in the Cowal Peninsula in Scotland. Formed in 1976 the club reached its peak in 2008 with its first league victory in the Scottish hydro Electric Western Regional League West Division 2.

Cowal Highland Gathering

The Cowal Highland Gathering attracts hundreds of contestants and many thousands of spectators from all over the world. It is held annually over the final weekend in August.

Media

Dunoon's local newspaper, published weekly on Fridays, is the ''Dunoon Observer and Argyllshire Standard''.

In March 2010, Dunoon Community Radio was launched. Programming is broadcast from the Argyll Business Centre.

Healthcare

Dunoon is served by Dunoon General Hospital, which provides 24-hour accident and emergency cover, a maternity unit, a palliative care hospice, a dental surgery, and two general healthcare wards providing 23 beds. Ambulance cover is provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service. The Emergency Medical Retrieval Service encompasses Dunoon within its catchment area, enabling rapid access to the skills of a consultant in emergency or intensive-care medicine, as well as facilitating transfers to larger, better-equipped city hospitals.

Notable people

Possibly Dunoon's most famous resident was Sir Harry Lauder (1870–1950), whose mansion, ''Laudervale'', stood just south of Dunoon on Bullwood Road. After a fire, which burnt over half of it, it stood ruinous until c. 1980 when it and the stable blocks were demolished. Much of the grounds were subsequently sold for housing development. The development there today preserves the ''Laudervale'' name.

Conservative Cabinet minister Virginia Bottomley (Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone) was born in Dunoon, as were former Manchester United player and QPR manager Stewart Houston, actor Sylvester McCoy, Tom Wisniewski of the Christian punk band MxPx and Lyn-Z, artist and bass player for the rock group Mindless Self Indulgence.

American actress Julianne Moore has connections to Dunoon, as her mother is originally from the town. Moore still has family in the area.

Neil MacFarlane, a professional footballer who reached the 2008 Scottish Cup Final with Queen of the South, was born in the town.

Grant Morrison, writer of Superman and Batman comic books, has moved from hometown Glasgow to a renovated mansion just outside of Dunoon, and spends part of the year in the town, and part in Los Angeles.

Actress Emma Thompson married husband Greg Wise in Dunoon in 2003. They also keep a second home near the town.

Dunoon Grammar School

Dunoon Grammar School was founded in 1641. It has many notable former pupils, including the Labour Party politicians John Smith, George Robertson (later head of NATO), Brian Wilson and the Reverend Donald Caskie, also known as the Tartan Pimpernel.

In popular culture

In the late 1960s, it was the subject of a song entitled "Why Don't They Come Back to Dunoon?" by The Humblebums. This was a less than flattering ditty, mourning the declining tourist trade in the town. "There was a competition in a Glasgow newspaper," Billy Connolly once said, in a short interjection during a 1969 performance of the song. "The first prize was a week in Dunoon, and the second prize was a fortnight in Dunoon." Dunoon is referenced in the 2010 Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre sketch 'The Getaway', in which the bank-robbing Socks mistakenly heist four kilos of small denomination coins and are forced to scale back their hideaway destination from Venezuela to the small Scottish town.

Churches

There are many Churches in Dunoon and surrounding areas.

St Muns Catholic Church

Cowal Baptist Church

Kirn Parish Church

Holy Trinity Epicostal Church

Strone & Ardentinny Church

Dunoon Baptist Church Centre

St Johns Church

High Kirk

Kingdom Hall Of Jehovah's Witnesses

The Free Church

References

External links

Local website and webcam

Dunoon and Cowal tourism website

Dunoon Community Radio

Dunoon, Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba ~ Gaelic Place-names of Scotland

National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE (selection of archive films about Dunoon)

Category:Ports and harbours of Scotland Category:Seaside resorts in Scotland Category:Towns in Argyll and Bute Category:Cowal

de:Dunoon fr:Dunoon ga:Dún Omhain gd:Dùn Omhain simple:Dunoon

name	Billy Connolly
birth name	William Connolly, Jr.
birth date	November 24, 1942
birth place	Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland
medium	Stand-up, television, film
nationality	Scottish
citizenship	British
active	1965 – present
genre	Observational comedy, Musical comedy
influences	Chic Murray, Dave Turner
influenced	Eddie Izzard, Ross Noble, Michael McIntyre, Jason Manford, Bill Bailey, Tim Vine, Jimmy Carr, Ronnie Golden, Russell Howard, Craig Ferguson, Stewart Lee, Chris Addison, Kevin Bridges.
spouse	Iris Pressagh (1969–1985, divorced)Pamela Stephenson (1989–present)
website	BillyConnolly.com

}} William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname 'The Big Yin' ('The Big One'). His first trade, in the early 1960s, was as a welder (specifically a boilermaker) in the Glasgow shipyards, but he gave it up towards the end of the decade to pursue a career as a folk singer in the Humblebums and subsequently as a soloist. In the early 1970s, he made the transition from folk-singer with a comedic persona to full-fledged comedian.

Connolly is also an actor, and has appeared in such films as ''Indecent Proposal'' (1993); ''Muppet Treasure Island'' (1996); ''Mrs. Brown'' (1997), for which he was nominated for a BAFTA; ''The Boondock Saints'' (1999); ''The Man Who Sued God'' (2001); ''Water'' (1985); ''The Last Samurai'' (2003); ''Timeline'' (2003); ''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' (2004); ''Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties'' (2006); ''Open Season'' (2006); ''The X-Files: I Want to Believe'' (2008); and ''Open Season 2'' (2008). Connolly reprised his role as Noah "Il Duce" MacManus in ''The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day''. Connolly appears as the King of Lilliput in the 2010 remake of ''Gulliver′s Travels''.

Early life

Connolly was born at 69 Dover Street ("on the linoleum, three floors up" "at six o'clock in the evening") in Anderston, Glasgow, to William Connolly and his wife Mary "Mamie" (McLean) Connolly, a hospital cafeteria worker. Connolly's grandfather was an Irish immigrant. In 1946, when he was barely four years old, Connolly's mother abandoned her children when his father was still away in the army. Connolly and his sister, Florence, were cared for by two aunts, Margaret and Mona Connolly, his father's sisters. His biography, written by wife Pamela Stephenson, documented years of physical and sexual abuse by his father, which began when he was ten and lasted until he was about fifteen.

"Twice in my life, little birds have flown in and made a huge difference," explained Connolly in 1996. When he was seven, the Connolly family went to Rothesay on holiday. He was sent to get some milk and bread rolls. On his way back with his hands full, a bird landed on his head. Connolly immediately thought God had called him and "nearly had a coronary". "It was a jackdaw, and I didn't know you could teach jackdaws to speak. But I was walking along, and this thing landed on my head and said hello. I nearly passed away. I learned subsequently that it was a tame bird, and we became friends and I got used to the idea: the bird would land on me and I was quite happy. My life had changed forever." Connolly said the second "bird" was Brett Whiteley, an Australian artist he met through Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits in the 1980s.

Between the ages of fourteen and twenty, Connolly was brought up in a tenement in the Anderston district of Glasgow. He later lived in Partick.

He attended St. Peter's Primary School in Glasgow and St. Gerard's Secondary School in Govan. At age 12, Connolly decided he wanted to become a comedian but did not think he fitted the mould, feeling he needed to become more "windswept and interesting". At 15, he left school with two engineering qualifications, one collected by mistake which belonged to a boy named Connell.

Connolly was a year too young to work in the shipyards. He became a delivery boy until he was sixteen, when he was deemed overqualified (due to his J1 and J2 certificates) to become an engineer. Instead, he worked as a boilermaker at Alexander Stephen and Sons Shipyard in Linthouse.

Connolly also joined the Territorial Army Reserve 15th (Scottish) Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (15 PARA). He later commemorated his experiences in the song "Weekend Soldier".

Career

Origin of "The Big Yin"

Connolly's ''The Big Yin'' nickname was first used during his adolescent years to differentiate between himself and his father. "My father was a very strong man. Broad and strong. He had an 18½-inch neck collar. Huge, like a bull. He was "Big Billy" and I was "Wee Billy". And then I got bigger than him, and the whole thing got out of control. And then I became ''The Big Yin'' in Scotland. So, we'd go into the pub and someone would say, 'Billy Connolly was in.' 'Oh? Big Billy or Wee Billy?' 'The Big Yin.' 'Oh, Wee Billy.' If you were a stranger, you'd think, 'What are these people talking about?'"

1960s

In 1966, after he had completed a five-year apprenticeship as a boilermaker, Connolly accepted a ten-week job building an oil platform in Nigeria. Upon his return to Scotland, he worked at John Brown & Company, but focused increasingly on being a folk singer.

Connolly's career as a folk singer led to him forming a folk-pop duo called The Humblebums with Tam Harvey. After recording one album, Harvey left the partnership and was replaced by future rock star Gerry Rafferty. Connolly’s time with Rafferty possibly influenced his future comedy as years later he would recall how Rafferty’s expert prank telephone calls, made while waiting to go on stage, used to make him "scream" with laughter. The Connolly-Rafferty version of The Humblebums recorded two more albums for independent record label Transatlantic Records. The albums were not big commercial successes but enjoyed cult status and critical acclaim. Connolly's contributions were primarily straightforward pop-folk with quirky and whimsical lyrics, but he had not especially focused on comedy at this point.

In 1970, the Humblebums broke up, with Rafferty going on to record a solo album: ''Can I Have My Money Back'' (1971). Connolly returned to being a folk singer. His live performances featured folk songs with humorous introductions that became increasingly long in duration.

The head of Transatlantic Records, Nat Joseph, who had signed The Humblebums and had nurtured their career, was concerned that Connolly find a way to develop a distinctive solo career just as his former bandmate, Gerry Rafferty, was doing. Joseph saw several of Connolly's performances and noted his comedic skills. Joseph had successfully nurtured the recording career of another Scottish folk entertainer, Hamish Imlach, and saw potential in Connolly following a similar path. He suggested to Connolly that he drop the folk-singing and focus primarily on becoming a comedian. It was a life-changing suggestion.

1970s

In 1972, Joseph produced Connolly's first solo album, ''Billy Connolly Live!'', a mixture of comedic songs and short monologues that hinted at what was to follow. In late 1973, Joseph produced the breakthrough album that propelled Connolly to British stardom. Recorded at a small venue, The Tudor Hotel in Airdrie, the record was a double album titled ''Solo Concert''. Releasing a live double-album by a comedian who was virtually unknown (except to a cult audience in Glasgow) was an unusual gambit by Joseph but his faith in Connolly's talent was justified. Joseph and his marketing team, which included publicist Martin Lewis, successfully promoted the album to chart success on its release in 1974. It featured one of Connolly's most famous comedy routines: "The Crucifixion", in which he likens Christ's Last Supper to a drunken night out in Glasgow. The recording was banned by many radio stations at the time. Building on his cult Scottish following, they broke Connolly throughout the UK – an unusual development for a regional comedian.

In 1975, the rapidity and extent of Connolly's breakthrough was used to secure him a booking on Britain's premier TV talk show, the BBC's ''Parkinson''. Connolly made the most of the opportunity and told a bawdy joke about a man who had murdered his wife and buried her bottom-up so he'd have somewhere to park his bike. This ribald humour was unusually forthright on a primetime Saturday night on British television in the mid-1970s, and his appearance made a great impact. He became a good friend of the host, Michael Parkinson, and now holds the record for appearances on the programme, having been a guest on fifteen occasions. Referring to that debut appearance, he later said: "That programme changed my entire life." Parkinson, in the documentary ''Billy Connolly: Erect for 30 Years'', stated that people still remember Connolly telling the punchline to the 'bike joke' three decades after that TV appearance. When asked about the material, Connolly stated, "Yes, it was incredibly edgy for its time. My manager, on the way over, warned me not to do it, but it was a great joke and the interview was going so well, I thought, 'Oh, fuck that!!' I don't know where I got the courage in those days, but Michael did put confidence in me." Connolly's UK success spread to other English-speaking countries: Australia, New Zealand and Canada. However, his broad Scottish accent and British cultural references made success in the US improbable.

His increased profile led to contact with other individuals, including musicians such as Elton John. John at that time was trying to assist British performers whom he personally liked to achieve success in the US (he had released records in the US by veteran British pop singer Cliff Richard on his own Rocket Records label.) John tried to give Connolly a boost in America by using him as the opening act on his 1976 US tour. But the well-intentioned gesture was a failure. Elton John's American fans had no interest in being warmed-up by an unknown comedic performer – especially a Scotsman whose accent they found incomprehensible. "In Washington, some guy threw a pipe and it hit me right between my eyes", he told Michael Parkinson two years later. "It wasn't my audience. They made me feel about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit."

Connolly continued to grow in popularity in the UK. In 1975 he signed with Polydor Records. Connolly continued to release live albums and he also recorded several comedic songs that enjoyed commercial success as novelty singles including parodies of Tammy Wynette's song "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." (which he performed on ''Top of the Pops'' in December 1975) and the Village People's "In the Navy" (titled "In the Brownies").

In 1979, Connolly was invited by producer Martin Lewis to join the cast of ''The Secret Policeman's Ball'', the third in the series of the ''Secret Policeman's Ball'' fundraising shows for Amnesty International. Connolly was the first comedic performer in the series who was not an alumnus of the ''Oxbridge'' school of middle-class university-educated entertainers and he made the most of his appearance. His performance was considered to be one of the highlights of the show's comedy album (released by Island Records in December 1979) and feature film (released by ITC Films in 1980). Appearing in the company of long-established talents such as John Cleese and Peter Cook helped elevate the perception of Connolly as one of Britain's leading comedic talents. Lewis also teamed Connolly with Cleese and Cook to appear in the television commercial for the album.

1980s

In 1981, John Cleese and Martin Lewis invited Connolly to appear in that year's Amnesty show, ''The Secret Policeman's Other Ball''. Connolly's performance was again reported as one of the highlights of the show and he was prominently featured in the subsequent comedy album (Springtime!/Island Records 1981) and UK film (UIP 1982). The commercial success of the special US version of ''The Secret Policeman's Other Ball'' film (Miramax Films 1982) introduced Connolly to a wider American audience, who were attracted to the film because of the presence of Monty Python members. His on-screen presence alongside these performers – who were already familiar to Anglophile comedy buffs – helped lay down a marker for Connolly's eventual return to the US in his own right eight years later.

In 1985, he divorced Iris Pressagh, his wife of sixteen years (they had separated four years earlier after living together in Drymen). He was awarded custody of their two children. That same year, he performed ''An Audience with...'', which was videotaped at the South Bank Television Centre in front of a celebrity audience for ITV. The uncut, uncensored version was subsequently released on video. In July 1985 he performed at the Wembley leg of Live Aid, immediately preceding Elton John.

In 1986, he visited Mozambique to appear in a documentary for Comic Relief. He also featured in the charity's inaugural live stage show, both as a stand-up and portraying a willing 'victim' in his partner Pamela Stephenson's act of sawing a man in half to create two dwarves.

Connolly completed his first world tour in 1987, including six nights at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which was documented in the ''Billy and Albert'' video.

When the Fox Network aired ''Freedomfest: Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Celebration'' in 1988, Connolly was still virtually unknown in the States, but his performance drew attention, particularly from producers, and interest in him grew.

In 1988, Connolly's father died after a stroke, the eighth of his life. His mother died five years later of motor neurone disease. She was living in Dunoon at that point.

On 20 December 1989, in Fiji, Connolly married Pamela Stephenson, the New Zealand-born comedy actress he had met when making a cameo appearance on the BBC sketch show ''Not the Nine O'Clock News'', in which she was one of four regular performers. He had been living with her since 1981. "Marriage to Pam didn't change me, it saved me," he later said. "I was going to die. I was on a downwards spiral and enjoying every second of it. Not only was I dying, but I was looking forward to it."

In October 1989, Connolly shaved off his trademark shaggy beard for a film role and he remained clean-shaven for several years.

1990s

Although Connolly had performed in North America as early as the 1970s, and had appeared in several movies that played in American theatres, he nonetheless remained relatively unknown until 1990 when he was featured in the HBO special ''Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Connolly in Performance'', produced by New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music. Goldberg introduced Connolly, and his performance has been cited as the moment that officially launched his career in the States. Soon after, Connolly succeeded Howard Hesseman as the star of the sitcom ''Head of the Class'' for the 1990–1991 season, but the series was cancelled during his tenure.

Connolly joined Frank Bruno and Ozzy Osbourne when singing 'The War Song of the Urpneys' in The Dreamstone.

The following year, Connolly and Stephenson moved to Los Angeles, and the family won green cards in the Morrison Visa Lottery. In 1991, Connolly received his first (and, to date, only) leading television role as the star of ''Billy'', another sitcom and a spin-off of ''Head of the Class''. It lasted only a half-season.

On 4 June 1992, Connolly performed his 25th-anniversary concert in Glasgow. Parts of the show, and its build-up, were documented in ''The South Bank Show'', which aired later in the year.

Connolly was dealt a blow in 1993 when his close friend and fishing partner, Jimmy Kent, died. This year also saw him contribute vocals to Mike Oldfield's single The Bell as the "Master of Ceremonies".

In early January 1994, Connolly began a 40-date ''World Tour of Scotland'', which would be broadcast by the BBC later in the year as a six-part series. It was so well received that the BBC signed him up to do a similar tour two years later, this time in Australia. The eight-part series followed Connolly on his custom-made Harley Davidson trike.

Also in 1995, Connolly recorded a BBC special, entitled ''A Scot in the Arctic'', in which he spends a week by himself in the Arctic Circle. He voiced Captain John Smith's shipmate, Ben, in Disney's animated film, ''Pocahontas''.

A year later, he appeared in ''Muppet Treasure Island'' as Billy Bones.

In 1997, Connolly starred with Judi Dench in ''Mrs. Brown'', in which he played John Brown, the favoured Scottish servant of Queen Victoria. He was nominated for a BAFTA Award and a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.

In 1998, Connolly's best friend, Danny Kyle, died. "He was me dearest, dearest, oldest friend," Connolly explained to an Australian audience on his ''Greatest Hits'' compilation, released in 2001.

He performed a cover version of the Beatles' song, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", on George Martin's 1998 album, ''In My Life''.

In November 1998, Connolly was the subject of a two-hour retrospective entitled ''Billy Connolly: Erect for 30 Years'', which included tributes from Judi Dench, Sean Connery, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Eddie Izzard. The special was released on DVD in North America in 2004.

The following year, Connolly undertook a four-month, 59-date sellout tour of Australia and New Zealand. Later in the year, he completed a five-week, 25-date sellout run at London's Hammersmith Apollo. In 2000 he travelled to Canada for two weeks on a 13-date tour.

2000s

In 2000 Connolly starred in ''Beautiful Joe'' alongside Sharon Stone. The following year he completed the third in his "World Tour" BBC series, this time of ''England, Ireland and Wales'', which began in Dublin and ended in Plymouth. It was broadcast the following year.

Also in 2001, Pamela Stephenson's first biography of her husband, ''Billy'', was published. It outlines his career and life, including the sexual abuse by his father that lasted from his tenth to his fourteenth years. Much of the book is about Connolly the celebrity but the account of his early years provides a context for his humour and point of view. A follow-up, ''Bravemouth'', was published in 2003.

Connolly has also written several books, including ''Billy Connolly'' (late 1970s) and ''Gullible's Travels'' (early 1980s), both based upon his stage act, as well as books based upon some of his "World Tour" television series. He has stated that his comedy does not work on the printed page.

A fourth BBC series, ''World Tour of New Zealand'', was filmed in 2004 and aired that winter. Also in his 63rd year, Connolly performed two sold-out benefit concerts at the Oxford New Theatre in memory of Malcolm Kingsnorth, who for twenty-five years was Connolly's tour manager and sound engineer.

He has continued to be a much in demand character actor, appearing in several films such as ''White Oleander'' (2002), ''The Last Samurai'' (2003) and ''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' (2004). He has also played an eclectic collection of leading roles in recent years, including a lawyer who undertakes a legal case of Biblical proportions in ''The Man Who Sued God'' (2001), and a young boy's pet zombie in ''Fido'' (2006).

In January 2005, Connolly came 8th in ''The Comedian's Comedian'', a poll voted for by fellow comedians and comedy insider and embarked on a major UK tour with 15 sold-out nights in Glasgow.

Also in 2005, Connolly and Stephenson announced, after fourteen years of living in Hollywood, they were returning to live in the former's native land. They purchased a yacht with the profits from their house-sale, and split the year between Malta and Candacraig House in Aberdeenshire.

Later in the year, Connolly topped an unscientific poll of "Britain's Favourite Comedian" conducted by TV network Five, placing him ahead of performers such as John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, Dawn French, and Peter Cook.

In 2006, Connolly revealed that he also has a house on the island of Gozo. He and his wife also have an apartment in New York City, near Union Square.

On 30 December 2007, Connolly escaped uninjured from a single-car accident on the A939 near the Scottish town of Ballater, Aberdeenshire.

In late February it was announced that Connolly would play ten shows in early April at the Post Street Theatre in San Francisco.

On 10 March 2008, tickets went on sale for Connolly's Irish tour, set to take place in May, June and July. He performed three shows in University Concert Hall, Limerick, ten shows at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, five shows at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast and three shows at the Cork Opera House. They all sold out in a matter of hours. The tour also travelled to Kerry (two shows) and Mayo (two shows).

In October 2009 he played a tour of his homeland, and sold out everywhere, despite adding extra dates. He stated he was proud to have broken the computer system for Glasgow and Edinburgh, as they could not handle the rush for tickets. In Glasgow he was playing at SECC. The SECC was built near the site where his family had lived when he was a child.

2010s

In 2010, Connolly revealed that he and his wife were now living full-time in New York City.

In May 2011 Connolly suffered a broken rib and a gashed knee when his motor trike rolled on top of him while filming for the ITV travel documentary ''Billy Connolly's Route 66''. He returned to filming a week later.

In February 2012 it was released in the media that Connolly would star in ''The Hobbit (2012/13 film)'' movies as Dain Ironfoot, a great dwarf warrior and cousin of Thorin Oakenshield. Sir Peter Jackson stated that "We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of dwarves, than Billy Connolly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of The Hobbit is now complete. We can't wait to see him on the battlefield."

Personal life

Connolly has been married to his second wife, comedian and psychologist Pamela Stephenson, since 1989. In the book ''Billy'', and in a December 2008 online interview, Connolly states he was sexually abused by his father between the ages of 10 and 15. He believes this was a result of the Catholic Church not allowing his father to divorce after his mother left the family. Due to this, Connolly has a "deep distrust and dislike of the Catholic church and any other organization that brainwashes people". In a 1999 interview with ''The Sunday Herald'' Connolly labelled the SNP as "racist" and the new Scottish parliament as a "joke".

Connolly has one sibling: an older sister, Florence, who is a retired school-teacher. He is also the father to five children: two from his first marriage and three from his second.

Connolly is a fan of Glasgow-based Celtic F.C. and has a seat for life at their stadium, Celtic Park, along with singer Rod Stewart.

Controversy

In October 2004, during an 18-night stint at London's Hammersmith Apollo, Connolly was criticised for making jokes about the hostage Kenneth Bigley. Shortly after Connolly joked about the future killing of the hostage and touched on the subject of Bigley’s young Thai wife, Bigley was beheaded in Iraq. Connolly claims he was misquoted. He has declined to clarify what he actually said, claiming that the context was as important as the precise words used.

Support for charity

Connolly is a patron of the National Association for Bikers with a Disability. He is also a patron of Celtic Football Club's The Celtic Foundation.

Folk music

In 1965, together with Tam Harvey, Connolly started a group called the Humblebums. At their first gig, Connolly reportedly introduced them both to the audience by saying, "My name's Billy Connolly, and I'm humble. This is Tam Harvey, he's a bum." The band would later include Gerry Rafferty. After Harvey left the group, Connolly and Rafferty continued as a duo and the latter two of their three albums featured just that duo. Connolly sang, played five-string banjo, guitar and autoharp, and at live shows entertained the audience with his humorous introductions to the songs.

Frank Bruno and Billy Connolly provided lead vocals on The War Song of the Urpneys from The Dreamstone, although the version heard in the series was largely sung by composer Mike Batt.

In his ''World Tour of Scotland'', Connolly reveals that at a trailer show during the Edinburgh Festival, the Humblebums took to the stage just before the late Yehudi Menuhin.

The Humblebums broke up in 1971 and both Connolly and Rafferty went solo. Connolly's first solo album in 1972, ''Billy Connolly Live!'' on Transatlantic Records, featured him as a singer/songwriter.

His early albums were a mixture of comedy performances with comedic and serious musical interludes. Among his best known musical performances were "The Welly Boot Song", a parody of the Scottish folk song "The Wark O' The Weavers," which became his theme song for several years; "In the Brownies", a parody of the hit Village People song "In the Navy" (for which Connolly filmed a music video); "Two Little Boys in Blue", a tongue-in-cheek indictment of police brutality done to the tune of Rolf Harris' "Two Little Boys"; and the ballad "I Wish I Was in Glasgow," which Connolly would later perform in duet with Malcolm McDowell on a guest appearance on the 1990s American sitcom ''Pearl'' (which starred Rhea Perlman). He also performed the occasional Humblebums-era song such as "Oh, No!" as well as straightforward covers such as a version of Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors," which was included on his ''Get Right Intae Him!'' album.

In November 1975, his spoof of the Tammy Wynette song "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" was a UK No. 1 single for one week. Wynette's original was about parents spelling out words of an impending marital split to avoid traumatising their young child. Connolly's spoof of the song played on the fact that many dog owners use the same tactic when they do not wish their pet to become upset about an impending trip to the vet. Connolly's song is about a couple whose marriage is ruined by a bad vet visit (spelling out "W-O-R-M" or "Q-U-A-R-A-N-T-I-N-E", for example.) His song "No Chance" was a parody of J. J. Barrie's cover of the song "No Charge".

In 1985 he sang the theme song to ''Super Gran'', which was released as a single and in 1996 he performed a cover of Ralph McTell's "'In the Dreamtime" as the theme to his ''World Tour of Australia''. By the late 1980s, Connolly had all but dropped the music from his act, though he still records the occasional musical performance, such as a 1980s recording of his composition "Sergeant, Where's Mine?" with The Dubliners. In 1998 he covered The Beatles' "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" on the George Martin tribute album, ''In My Life''. Most recently, he sang a song during the film ''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events''. And in 1995 and 2005, he released two albums of instrumental performances ''Musical Tour of Scotland'' and ''Billy Connolly's Musical Tour of New Zealand'', respectively.

Connolly is among the artists featured on ''Banjoman'', a tribute to American folk musician Derroll Adams, released in 2002. He plays one song, "The Rock".

Stand-up comedy

It is as a stand-up comedian that Connolly is best known. His observational comedy is idiosyncratic and often off-the-cuff. He has outraged certain sectors of audiences, critics and the media with his free use of the word "fuck". He has made jokes relating to masturbation, blasphemy, defecation, flatulence, haemorrhoids, sex, his father's illness, his aunts' cruelty and, in the latter stages of his career, old age (specifically his experiences of growing old). In 2007 and again in 2010, he was voted the greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups.

Since the 1980s, Connolly has worn a black T-shirt as part of his on-stage attire. The first one was by English designer Steven King.

Discography

A partial list of musical and comedic recordings:

1972 - ''Billy Connolly Live''

1974 - ''Cop Yer Whack for This''

1974 - ''Solo Concert''

1975 - ''Get Right Intae Him!

1975 - ''Words and Music''

1975 - ''The Big Yin''

1976 - ''Atlantic Bridge''

1977 - ''Billy Connolly''

1977 - ''Raw Meat for the Balcony!''

1978 - ''Anthology''

1979 - ''Riotous Assembly''

1981 - ''The Pick of Billy Connolly'' (compilation)

1983 - ''A Change is Good as Arrest''

1983 - ''In Concert''

1984 - ''Big Yin Double Helping'' (compilation)

1985 - ''An Audience With Billy Connolly''

1985 - ''Wreck on Tour''

1987 - ''Billy & Albert''

1991 - ''Live at the Odeon Hammersmith London''

1995 - ''Musical Tour of Scotland''

1999 - ''Comedy and Songs'' (compilation)

1999 - ''One Night Stand Down Under''

2002 - ''The Big Yin - Billy Connolly in Concert'' (compilation)

2003 - ''Transatlantic Years'' (compilation of material recorded between 1969 and 1974)

2005 - ''Billy Connolly's Musical Tour of New Zealand''

2007 - ''Live in Concert''

2010 - ''The Man'' Live in London, recorded January 2010

The above list does not include at least two albums recorded with the Humblebums prior to 1972, and only includes a sampling of the many reissues and compilations released over the years.

Playwright

Connolly has written three plays:

''An' Me Wi' A Bad Leg Tae'' (1975)

''When Hair Was Long And Time Was Short'' (1977)

''Red Runner'' (1979)

Film actor

Connolly has often joked about the regularity of the deaths of the characters he portrays in movies. "If you want to see me in a movie, you have to hurry to the theatre, because I usually die in the first fifteen minutes. I'm never in the sequel." Connolly also claims to be the only man to ever die in a Muppet movie. Notable film appearances include ''Absolution'' (1978) with Richard Burton, and ''Mrs Brown'' (1997) with Judi Dench.

Filmography

Year

Title

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1975

Television Movies

* ''Just Another Saturday'' as Paddy

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1976

''Connolly'' as Himself

Television Movies

* ''The Elephants' Graveyard'' as Jody

Documentaries/Specials

* ''Big Banana Feet'' as Himself

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1978

''Absolution as Blakey

* ''Billy Connolly in Concert'' as Himself

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1980

''The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979)>The Secret Policeman's Ball'' as Himself

* ''Worzel Gummidge: A Cup o' Tea an' a Slice o' Cake as Bogle McNeep

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1981

''Billy Connolly Bites Yer Bum!'' as Himself

Documentaries/Specials

Cambodia>Kampuchea'' as Himself

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1982

''The Secret Policeman's Other Ball'' as Himself

* ''The Pick of Billy Connolly'' as Himself

Television Movies

* ''Blue Money'' as Des

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1983

''Bullshot (film)>Bullshot'' as Hawkeye McGillicuddy

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1984

Television

* ''Tickle on the Tum''

Television Movies

* ''Weekend in Wallop'' as Himself

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1985

''Water (1985 film)>Water'' as Delgado

* ''An Audience with Billy Connolly'' as Himself

Television

* ''Supergran'' composer/singer of the theme song

Television Special

* ''Live Aid'' as Himself

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1986

''To the North of Katmandu''

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1987

''The Hunting of the Snark (musical)>The Hunting of the Snark'' as The Bellman

* ''Billy Connolly at the Royal Albert Hall'' as Himself

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1988

Documentaries/Specials

* ''Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute'' as Himself

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1989

''The Return of the Musketeers'' as Caddie

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1990

''Whoopi Goldberg Presents Billy Connolly (HBO Standup Performance)'' as Himself

* ''Crossing the Line'' (known in the UK as ''The Big Man'') as Frankie (for which he shaved off his trademark goatee)

Television

* ''Head of the Class'' as Billy MacGregor (1990–1991)

Television Movies

* ''Dreaming''

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1991

''Billy Connolly Live 1991'' as Himself

* ''Pale Blue Scottish Person (HBO Standup Performance)'' as Himself

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1992

''25 B.C.: The Best of 25 Years of Billy Connolly'' as Himself

Television

Billy (1992 TV series)>Billy'' as Billy MacGregor

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1993

''Indecent Proposal'' as the Auction MC

Television Movies

* ''Down Among the Big Boys'' as Jo Jo Donnelly

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1994

''Billy Connolly Live 1994'' as Himself

Television

* ''World Tour of Scotland'' as Himself

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1995

''Pocahontas (1995 film)>Pocahontas'' as Ben (voice)

* ''Two Bites of Billy Connolly'' as Himself

Documentaries/Specials

* ''A Scot in the Arctic'' as Himself

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1996

''Muppet Treasure Island'' as Billy Bones

Television

* ''Pearl'' guest star and composer of "I Wish I Was in Glasgow" (1983) in the episode "Billy"

* ''Billy Connolly's World Tour of Australia'' as Himself

Video Games

* ''Muppet Treasure Island'' as Billy Bones (voice)

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1997

''Beverly Hills Ninja'' as Japanese Antique Shop Proprietor

Mrs. Brown'' as John Brown (for which he was nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts>BAFTA)

* ''Paws as PC (voice)

* ''Billy Connolly: Two Night Stand'' as Himself

Television Movies

* ''Deacon Brodie'' as Deacon Brodie

Documentaries/Specials

* ''Sean Connery, an Intimate Portrait'' as Himself

* ''Sean Connery Close Up'' as Himself

* ''Whatever Happened to... Clement and La Frenais?'' as Himself

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1998

''Still Crazy'' as Hughie

** also the composer of "Stealin'"

* ''The Impostors'' as Mr. Sparks

* ''Middleton's Changeling'' as Alibius

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1999

''Billy Connolly: One Night Stand Down Under''

* ''The Boondock Saints'' as "Il Duce", A.K.A. Noah MacManus

* ''The Debt Collector'' as Nickie Dryden

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2000

''An Everlasting Piece'' as Scalper

Beautiful Joe (film)>Beautiful Joe'' as Joe

Television Movies

* ''Columbo: Murder with Too Many Notes'' as Findlay Crawford

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2001

''Gabriel and Me'' as Gabriel

* ''The Man Who Sued God'' as Steve Myers

* ''Who is Cletis Tout?'' as Dr. Savian

* ''Billy Connolly Live: The Greatest Hits'' as Himself

Television Movies

Prince Charming (TV film)>Prince Charming'' as Hamish

* ''Gentlemen's Relish'' as Kingdom Swann

Documentaries/Specials

* ''Comic Relief: Say Pants to Poverty'' as Himself

* ''Comic Relief Short Pants'' as Himself

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2002

''White Oleander (film)>White Oleander'' as Barry Kolker

* ''Billy Connolly Live 2002'' as Himself

* ''Billy Connolly's World Tour of England, Ireland and Wales'' as Himself

Documentaries/Specials

* ''Ultimate Fights from the Movies'' as Frankie from ''Crossing the Line''

British Academy of Film and Television Arts>BAFTA Tribute'' as Himself

* ''Judi Dench: A BAFTA Tribute'' as Himself

* ''The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch''

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2003

''The Last Samurai'' as Sgt. Zebulon Gant

Timeline (film)>Timeline'' as Prof. E.A. Johnston

Documentaries/Specials

* ''Billy Connolly: Erect for 30 Years'' as Himself

Julie Walters: A British Academy of Film and Television Arts>BAFTA Tribute'' as Himself

* ''The Importance of Being Famous'' as Himself

* ''Overnight'' as Himself

* ''Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do'' as Himself

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2004

''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'' as Uncle Monty

Television

* ''Billy Connolly's World Tour of New Zealand'' as Himself

Documentaries/Specials

* ''Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time'' as #73

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2005

DVD

* ''Billy Connolly: Live in New York''

Documentaries

* ''Ivor Cutler: Looking for Truth with a Pin'' as Himself

The Aristocrats (film)>The Aristocrats'' as Himself

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2006

''Open Season (film)>Open Season'' as McSquizzy

* ''Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties'' as Lord Dargis

Fido (film)>Fido'' as Fido

DVD

* ''Billy Connolly: The Essential Collection'' as Himself

Documentaries

Fuck (film)>Fuck'' as Himself

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2007

DVD

* ''Billy Connolly Live: Was it Something I Said?'' as Himself

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2008

''Open Season 2'' as McSquizzy

* ''The X-Files: I Want to Believe'' as Father Joseph "Joe" Crissman

DVD

* Billy Connolly: Journey to the Edge of the World

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2008

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2009

Television

ITV1, also aired Seven Network>Channel Seven in Australia)

* ''Good Sharma'' as Reverend Webster

DVD

* ''The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day'' as Noah MacManus, A.K.A. "Il Duce"

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2010

''Gulliver's Travels (2010 film)>Gulliver's Travels'' as King of Lilliput

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2010

Television

* ''Ben 10: Ultimate Alien'' as Captain Glowbeard (1 episode)

* ''Billy Connolly's Route 66'' as Himself

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2011

''The Ballad of Nessie'' as Narrator

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2012

''Brave (2012 film)>Brave'' as King Fergus

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2013

''The Hobbit: There and Back Again'' as Dain Ironfoot

Television guest appearances

''The South Bank Show'' on 13 May 1979

''Aspel & Company'' in episode (#2.11), 23 March 1985

''Minder'' as Tick Tack in episode "Fatal Impression" (#7.3), 16 January 1989

''The South Bank Show'' on 4 October 1992

''Late Show with David Letterman'' on 18 November 1993

''Clive James'' in episode (#1.3), 6 March 1994

''Pearl'' as William 'Billy' Pynchon in episode "Billy Returns" (#1.22), 25 June 1997 and episode "Billy" (#1.4), 30 September 1996

''Veronica's Closet'' as Campbell in "Veronica's Got a Secret" (#1.11), 8 January 1998

''Tracey Takes On...'' as Rory Cassidy in episode "Culture" (#3.9), 1 March 1998

''3rd Rock from the Sun'' as Inspector Macaffery one episode "Dial M for Dick" (#5.4), 9 November 1999

''Rove Live'' on 23 October 2001

''The Late Late Show'' on 17 October 2003

''Tinseltown TV'' on 6 December 2003

''Parkinson'' in 1975 and on 2 January 1978; 3 April 1982; 23 January 1998; 17 December 1999; 20 October 2001; 18 October 2003; 4 September 2004; 16 December 2007

''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' on 14 December 2004

''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' on 15 December 2004

''Last Call with Carson Daly'' on 22 December 2004

''Britain's Finest'' on episode "Actresses", 18 July 2005 and episode "Actors", 11 July 2005

''Real Time with Bill Maher'' on episode (#3.22), 28 October 2005

''Enough Rope'' on 20 February 2006

''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' on 10 May 2006

''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' on 28 September 2006

''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' on 9 June 2007

''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' on 2 November 2009

''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' on 18 December 2010 (Won the first Golden Mouth Organ after participating in the Mouth Organ Challenge at the end of the interview.)

''House'' on 27 February 2012, in the 14th episode of Season 8 ("Love is Blind"), as Mr. Thomas Bell, House's thought-to-be biological father (it was later revealed however that this was not the case).

Awards

Connolly was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Glasgow on 11 July 2001.

In 2003, the BAFTA presented him with a Lifetime Achievement award. Also in 2003, he received a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

On 4 July 2006, Connolly was awarded an honorary doctorate by Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) for his service to performing arts.

On 18 March 2007 and again on 11 April 2010, Connolly was named Number One in Channel 4's "100 Greatest Stand Ups".

On 22 July 2010, Connolly was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) by Nottingham Trent University

On 20 August 2010, Connolly was made a Freeman of Glasgow with the award of the Freedom of the City of Glasgow.

Bibliography

References

External links

Connolly's official website

A ''Guardian'' interview with Connolly from 2001

"Enough Rope" interview with Andrew Denton; 20 February 2006

Connolly's interview with ''The Guardian'', September 2001

"A laugh a minute? Life with Billy Connolly" - CNN.com

Category:1942 births Category:Boilermakers Category:Scottish male comedians Category:British Parachute Regiment soldiers Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Former Roman Catholics Category:Living people Category:People from Glasgow Category:Scottish banjoists Category:Scottish film actors Category:Scottish folk singers Category:Scottish people of Irish descent Category:Scottish stand-up comedians Category:Scottish television actors Category:Scottish voice actors

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