{{infobox film | name

Link | image Link (film).jpg | caption DVD cover | director Richard Franklin | producer Richard Franklin | writer Lee David Zlotoff andTom Ackermann (story)Everett De Roche (screenplay) | starring Elisabeth ShueTerence Stamp | music Jerry Goldsmith | cinematography Mike Molloy | editing Andrew LondonDerek Trigg | distributor Cannon Films | released October 31, 1986 (USA) | runtime 103 minutes | language English | country | budget Unknown | gross $1,720,450 (USA) | preceded_by | followed_by }}

''Link'' is a 1986 British horror film starring Elisabeth Shue and Terence Stamp. The title character, "Link", is a super-intelligent orangutan who lashes out against his masters when they try to have him put to sleep. The film also features two chimpanzees, one of which is a baby.

It was directed by Richard Franklin and written by Everett De Roche from a story by Lee David Zlotoff and Tom Ackermann. The score was provided by Jerry Goldsmith. It was filmed in St. Abbs, Scotland.

Shue and Goldsmith received Saturn Award nominations for their contributions.

Although the title primate is clearly an orangutan, he is referred to as a chimpanzee through the entire film, and his fur appears to have been dyed black (Orangutans have reddish-brown fur).

It was originally written to be set in Australia, but when the director could not get funding in Australia, the setting was changed to the UK.

Cast

Elizabeth Shue as Jane Chase

Terrance Stamp as Dr. Steven Phillip

David O'Hara as Tom

Steven Pinner as David

Kevin Lloyd as Bailey

Richard Garnett as Dennis

Linus Roache in an uncredited performance

Locke as Link (uncredited)

Carrie as Voodoo (uncredited)

Jed as Imp (uncredited)

External links

britishhorrorfilms.co.uk review

Movie stills

Category:1980s horror films Category:1986 films Category:British horror films Category:Golan-Globus films Category:Natural horror films

de:Link – Der Butler es:Link (película) fr:Link (film) ru:Линк (фильм, 1986)

name	Jerry Goldsmith
birth name	Jerrald King Goldsmith
birth date	February 10, 1929
birth place	Los Angeles, California
death date	July 21, 2004
death place	Beverly Hills, California
Alma mater	University of Southern California
occupation	composer and conductor
years active	1951 - 2004
spouse	Sharon Hennagin (1950-1970)Carol Heather (1972-2004)
academyawards	Best Original Score1976 ''The Omen''
emmyawards	Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special1973 ''The Red Pony''1975 ''QB VII''1976 ''Babe''1981 ''Masada'' Outstanding Main Title Theme Music1995 ''Star Trek: Voyager''
awards	Academy Award for Best Original Score1976 ''The Omen''Saturn Award for Best Music1984 ''Gremlins''
background	non_performing_personnel }}

Jerrald King "Jerry" Goldsmith (February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring.

He composed scores for such noteworthy films as ''The Sand Pebbles'', ''Planet of the Apes'', ''Patton'', ''Chinatown'', ''The Wind and the Lion'', ''The Omen'', ''The Boys from Brazil'', ''Alien'', ''Poltergeist'', ''Gremlins'', ''Hoosiers'', ''Total Recall'', ''Basic Instinct'', ''Rudy'', ''Air Force One'', ''L.A. Confidential'', ''Mulan'', ''The Mummy'', three ''Rambo'' films, and five ''Star Trek'' films. He was nominated for six Grammy Awards, nine Golden Globes, four BAFTAs, and seventeen Academy Awards, and received an Oscar for ''The Omen'' in 1977.

He collaborated with some of the most prolific directors in film history, including Robert Wise (''The Sand Pebbles'', ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture''), Howard Hawks (''Rio Lobo''), Otto Preminger (''In Harm's Way''), Joe Dante (''Gremlins'', ''The 'Burbs''), Roman Polanski (''Chinatown''), Ridley Scott (''Alien'', ''Legend''), Steven Spielberg (''Poltergeist'', ''Twilight Zone: The Movie''), and Paul Verhoeven (''Total Recall'', ''Basic Instinct''). However, his most notable collaboration was arguably that with Franklin J. Schaffner, for whom Goldsmith scored such films as ''Planet of the Apes'', ''Patton'', ''Papillon'', and ''The Boys from Brazil''.

Early life and education

Goldsmith, who was Jewish, was born 10 February 1929 in Los Angeles, California. His parents were Tessa (née Rappaport), an artist, and Morris Goldsmith, a structural engineer. He started playing piano at age six, but only "got serious" by the time he was eleven. At the age of thirteen he studied piano privately with legendary concert pianist and educator Jakob Gimpel (whom Goldsmith would later employ to perform piano solos in his score to ''The Mephisto Waltz'') and by the age of sixteen he was studying both theory and counterpoint under Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who also tutored such noteworthy composers and musicians as Henry Mancini, Nelson Riddle, Herman Stein, André Previn, Marty Paich, and John Williams.

At the age of sixteen, Goldsmith saw the movie ''Spellbound'' (1945) in theaters and was inspired by the soundtrack by veteran composer Miklós Rózsa to pursue a career in music. Goldsmith later enrolled and attended the University of Southern California where he was able to attend courses by Rózsa, but dropped out in favor of a more "practical music program" at the Los Angeles City College. There he was able to coach singers, work as an assistant choral director, play piano accompaniment, and work as an assistant conductor.

Film and television scoring

1950s and work at CBS

In 1950, Goldsmith found work at CBS as a clerk typist in the network's music department under director Lud Gluskin. There he began writing scores for such radio shows as ''CBS Radio Workshop'', ''Frontier Gentleman'', and ''Romance''. In an interview with Andy Velez from BarnesandNoble.com, Goldsmith stated, "It was about 1950. CBS had a workshop, and once a week the employees, whatever their talents, whether they were ushers or typists, would produce a radio show. But you had to be an employee. They needed someone to do music, and I knew someone there who said I'd be great for this. I'd just gotten married and needed a job, so they faked a typing test for me. Then I could do these shows. About six months later, the music department heard what I did, liked it, and gave me a job." He later progressed into scoring such live CBS television shows as ''Climax!'' and ''Playhouse 90''. He also scored multiple episodes of the hit television series ''The Twilight Zone''. He remained at CBS until 1960, after which he moved on to Revue Studios, where he would later compose music for such television shows as ''Dr. Kildare'' and ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''.

His feature film debut occurred when he composed the music to the western ''Black Patch'' (1957). He continued with scores to such films as the western ''Face of a Fugitive'' (1957) and the science fiction film ''City of Fear'' (1959).

1960s

Jerry Goldsmith began the decade composing for such television shows as ''Dr. Kildare'' and ''Thriller'' as well as the drama film ''The Spiral Road'' (1960). However, he only began receiving widespread name recognition after his intimate score to the classic western ''Lonely Are the Brave'' (1962). His involvement in the picture was the result of a recommendation by veteran composer Alfred Newman who had been impressed with Goldsmith’s score on the television show ''Thriller'' and took it upon himself to recommend Goldsmith to the head of Universal Pictures’ music department, despite having never met him. That same year, Goldsmith composed the mostly atonal and dissonant score to the pseudo-biopic ''Freud'' (1962) that focused on a five-year period of the life of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Goldsmith’s score went on to garner him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, though he lost to fellow first-time nominee Maurice Jarre for his music to ''Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962). In 1963, Goldsmith composed a score to ''The Stripper'', his first collaboration with director Franklin J. Schaffner for whom Goldsmith would later score such motion pictures as ''Planet of the Apes'' (1968), ''Patton'' (1970), ''Papillon'' (1973), and ''The Boys from Brazil'' (1978).

Following his success with ''Lonely Are the Brave'' and ''Freud'', Goldsmith went on to achieve even more critical recognition with scores to such films as the western ''Rio Conchos'' (1964), the political thriller ''Seven Days in May'' (1964), the romantic drama ''A Patch of Blue'' (1965), the epic war film ''In Harm's Way'' (1965) (in which Goldsmith also made a brief cameo appearance), the World War I aviation film ''The Blue Max'' (1966), the period naval war epic ''The Sand Pebbles'' (1966), the thriller ''Warning Shot'' (1967), the western ''Hour of the Gun'' (1967), and the controversial mystery ''The Detective'' (1968). Goldsmith's scores to ''A Patch of Blue'' and ''The Sand Pebbles'' garnered him his second and third Oscar nominations, respectively, and were both one of the 250 nominees for the American Film Institute’s top twenty-five American film scores. His scores for ''Seven Days in May'' and ''The Sand Pebbles'' also garnered Goldsmith his first two respective Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Score in 1965 and 1967. During this time, he also composed for many lighter, comedic films such as the family comedy ''The Trouble with Angels'' (1966), the James Bond parodies ''Our Man Flint'' (1966) and its sequel ''In Like Flint'' (1967), and the comedy ''The Flim-Flam Man'' (1967).

In 1968, Jerry Goldsmith caught massive critical attention with his landmark, controversial soundtrack to the post-apocalyptic science fiction epic ''Planet of the Apes'' (1968), which was one of the first film scores to be written entirely in an Avant garde style. When scoring ''Planet of the Apes'', Goldsmith used such innovative techniques as looping drums into an echoplex, using the orchestra to imitate the grunting sounds of apes, having horns blown without mouthpieces, and instructing the woodwind players to finger their keys without using any air. He also used steel mixing bowls, among other objects, to create unique percussive sounds. The score went on to garner Goldsmith another Oscar nomination for Best Original Score and now ranks in #18 on the American Film Institute’s top twenty-five American film scores. The music to ''Patton'' subsequently earned Goldsmith an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score and was one of the American Film Institute's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores. Goldsmith received an Academy Award nomination for his efforts though he lost to Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola for ''The Godfather Part II''. The score to ''Chinatown'' is often regarded as one of the greatest scores of all time and ranks #9 on AFI's top 25 American film scores. The score garnered Goldsmith an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, though he lost to fellow composer John Williams for his score to ''Jaws''. ''The Wind and the Lion'' was also one of AFI's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores. The score was successful among critics and garnered Goldsmith his first (and ultimately only) Academy Award for Best Original Score and a nomination for Best Original Song for "Ave Satani". It was also one of AFI's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores. the science fiction suspense ''Coma'' (1978), the science fiction thriller ''Capricorn One'' (1978), the disaster film ''The Swarm'' (1978), the period comedy ''The Great Train Robbery'' (1979), and his Oscar nominated score to the science fiction thriller ''The Boys from Brazil'' (1978), in which he utilized lively waltzes to juxtapose the horrific concept of the film, cloning Adolf Hitler.

In 1979, Goldsmith composed a score to the landmark science fiction film ''Alien''. His score featured an orchestra augmented by a shofar, didgeridoo, steel drum, and serpent (a 16th century instrument), while creating further "alien" sounds by filtering string pizzicati through an echoplex. Many of the instruments were used in such atypical ways they were virtually unidentifiable. His score was, however, heavily edited during post-production and Goldsmith was required to rewrite music for several scenes. The final score resulted in several pieces being moved, replaced, or cut entirely. Director Ridley Scott and editor Terry Rawlings also, without the consent of Goldsmith, purchased the rights to the "Main Title" from ''Freud'' (1962) which they used during the acid blood sequence. Despite the heavy edits and rewrites, Goldsmith's score to ''Alien'' earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score and was one of AFI's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores. Having been the initial choice of Gene Roddenberry to compose the original ''Star Trek'' pilot "The Cage" yet being unable to do so due to scheduling conflicts, Goldsmith was the first pick of both Paramount Pictures and director Robert Wise to compose a score for ''The Motion Picture''. Goldsmith's initial main theme was not well-received by the filmmakers, director Robert Wise stating, "It sounds like sailing ships". Though somewhat irked by its rejection, Goldsmith consented to re-work his initial idea and finally arrived at the majestic ''Star Trek'' theme which was ultimately used. The film's soundtrack also provided a debut for the Blaster Beam, an electronic instrument long, created by musician Craig Huxley. The Blaster had steel wires connected to amplifiers fitted to the main piece of aluminum; the device was played with an artillery shell. Goldsmith heard it and immediately decided to use it for V'Ger's cues. An enormous pipe organ first plays the V'Ger theme on the ''Enterprise''s approach, a literal indication of the machine's power. His score for ''The Motion Picture'' earned him nominations for the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and was one of AFI's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores.

1980s

Throughout the 1980s, Goldsmith found himself increasingly scoring science fiction and fantasy films in the ongoing wake of the successful ''Star Wars'' (1977) composing for such films as the ''The Omen'' sequels ''Damien: Omen II'' (1978) and ''Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981), the space western ''Outland'' (1981), the animated fantasy ''The Secret of NIMH'' (1982), and the episodic fantasy mystery ''Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983), which he composed in four different styles to accompany the four parts of the film.

In 1982, Goldsmith was hired to compose the music to the classic Tobe Hooper directed, Steven Spielberg produced fantasy horror ''Poltergeist''. He wrote several themes for ''Poltergeist'' including a gentle lullaby for the protagonist Carol Anne and her family's suburban life, a semi-religious theme for scenes concerning the souls trapped between the two worlds, and bombastic atonal bursts during scenes of horror. The score for ''Poltergeist'' garnered him a nomination for an Academy Award, though he lost again to fellow composer John Williams for ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982). Goldsmith later returned in 1986 to compose the more synthetic score to ''Poltergeist II'', the first of its two sequels.

He did, however, still manage to compose for such non-fantasy productions as the period television miniseries ''Masada'' (1981) (for which he won an Emmy Award), the controversial war film ''Inchon'' (1982), the action classic ''First Blood'' (1982), and his Oscar and Golden Globe nominated score to the political drama ''Under Fire'' (1983) in which he used the ethnic sounds of a South American pan flute, synthetic elements, and the prominently featured solo work of jazz guitarist Pat Metheny.

Throughout the decade, many of his compositions became increasingly laced with synthetic elements such as his scores for the horror sequel ''Psycho II'' (1983), the comedy horror film ''Gremlins'' (1984) (for which he won a Saturn Award for Best Music), the fantasy superhero adaptation ''Supergirl'' (1984), the fantasy adventure ''Legend'' (1985) (initially heard only in European prints and then years later in a 2002 director's cut), the action sequel ''Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985), the family fantasy ''Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend'' (1985), and the fantasy horror ''Poltergeist II'' (1986). His incorporation of synthesizers, orchestra, and the recorded sounds of basketball hits on a gymnasium floor also garnered him another Academy Award nomination for his innovative and critically acclaimed score to the dramatic sports movie ''Hoosiers'' (1986), though he lost to Herbie Hancock for ''Round Midnight''.

Goldsmith finished out the decade with noteworthy scores to such films as the medieval adventure ''Lionheart'' (1987), the science fiction comedy ''Innerspace'' (1987), ''Rambo III'' (1988), the science fiction horror ''Leviathan'' (1989), and ''Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'' (1989), his second ''Star Trek'' film score. Goldsmith's score to ''Leviathan'' (1989) is notable for having incorporated the use of recorded whale sounds during the main titles. His critically acclaimed comedy score to ''The 'Burbs'' (1989) is also noteworthy for the use of pipe organ, recorded dog barking sound effects, and for parodying the trumpet "call to war" triplets on an echoplex from his previous score to ''Patton'' (1970).

1990s

In 1990, Jerry Goldsmith received critical acclaim for his score to the romantic drama ''The Russia House'', which featured a unique mixture of Russian music and jazz to complement the nationalities and characteristics of the two main characters. He also composed critically acclaimed music for the science fiction action film ''Total Recall'' (1990), which Goldsmith later regarded as one of his best scores. Other noteworthy scores of the era include ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990) (in which Goldsmith also made a brief cameo appearance), the psychological thriller ''Sleeping with the Enemy'' (1991), the family comedy ''Mom and Dad Save the World'' (1991), the fantasy romance ''Forever Young'' (1992), the thriller ''The Vanishing'' (1993), and the family comedy ''Dennis the Menace'' (1993). In 1992, Goldsmith also composed a critically acclaimed score for the medical drama ''Medicine Man''. In concert, Goldsmith would later recount a story of how actor Sean Connery copied Goldsmith's signature ponytail hairstyle for his character Robert Campbell in the film. In the film's closing credits Goldsmith is listed as "hair designer".

In 1992, Goldsmith composed and conducted a score to the erotic thriller ''Basic Instinct''. The soundtrack, an unsettling hybrid of orchestral and electronic elements, garnered him yet another Academy Award nomination as well as a Golden Globe nomination and was later regarded by the composer as one of his most challenging works. In 1993, Goldsmith also wrote an acclaimed score for the classic sports film ''Rudy'', which has since been used in the trailers for numerous films including ''Angels in the Outfield'' (1994), ''Good Will Hunting'' (1997), ''Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron'' (2002), and ''Seabiscuit'' (2003).

Goldsmith composed acclaimed scores for such films as the superhero adaptation ''The Shadow'' (1994), the thriller ''The River Wild'' (1994), the romantic comedy ''I.Q.'' (1994), the action film ''Congo'' (1995), the fantasy adventure ''First Knight'' (1995), the science fiction drama ''Powder'' (1995), the action film ''Executive Decision'' (1996), and his third ''Star Trek'' film installment ''Star Trek: First Contact'' (1996) which he composed with his son Joel Goldsmith. In 1995, Goldsmith also composed the theme for the UPN series ''Star Trek: Voyager'' for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.

In 1996, Goldsmith composed the critically successful score to the horror action film ''The Ghost and the Darkness'' which featured a traditional Irish folk melody interwoven with African rhythms. In 1997, he was hired to replace a score by Randy Newman for ''Air Force One''. Goldsmith, with the assistance of composer Joel McNeely, completed the brassy, heroic score in only twelve days. In 1997, Goldsmith also composed a percussive, jazzy score for the critically acclaimed crime drama ''L.A. Confidential''. His score garnered him nominations for the Oscars, Golden Globes, and was also one of AFI's 250 nominees for the top twenty-five American film scores. He also continued with scores for such films as the survival drama ''The Edge'' (1997), the science fiction horror ''Deep Rising'' (1998), and the action thriller ''U.S. Marshals'' (1998). In 1998, he also composed a score of combined eastern, orchestral, and synthetic elements for the Disney animated film ''Mulan'', which subsequently earned him his final Oscar and Golden Globe nominations along with songwriter Matthew Wilder and lyricist David Zippel.

Goldsmith concluded the decade with critically successful scores to such popular movies as the action film ''Small Soldiers'' (1998), his penultimate ''Star Trek'' film ''Star Trek: Insurrection'' (1998), the comedy horror ''The Mummy'' (1999), the horror film ''The Haunting'' (1999), and the action adventure ''The 13th Warrior'' (1999). In 1999, he also composed "Fanfare for Oscar" for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

2000s and final scores

During the early 2000s, Goldsmith composed scores to the science fiction thriller ''Hollow Man'' (2000), the mystery film ''Along Came a Spider'' (2001), the drama ''The Last Castle'' (2001), the action/political thriller ''The Sum of All Fears'' (2002), and his last ''Star Trek'' film ''Star Trek: Nemesis'' (2002), which would also be the last film to feature the cast of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''. Goldsmith also composed an original score to the simulator attraction ''Soarin' Over California'' which debuted 8 February 2001 at the Disneyland Resort, and the same attraction ''Soarin''' which opened 5 May 2005 in Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort. It was later said that when Goldsmith first rode the ride, he left it crying and saying, "I'd do anything to be part of this project. I'd even score the film for free."

Goldsmith's final theatrical score, composed during declining health, was the critically acclaimed music for the live action/animated film ''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' (2003), directed by long-time Goldsmith collaborator Joe Dante. His last collaboration was with another long-time collaborator, Richard Donner (for whom Goldsmith had scored ''The Omen'' in 1976), on the science fiction film ''Timeline'' (2003). However, due to a complicated post-production process, Goldsmith's score was rejected and replaced by a new score by composer Brian Tyler. Goldsmith's rejected score was later released on CD, 7 September 2004 through Varèse Sarabande, not long after his death in 2004. The album quickly became out of print and has since become a sought rarity among soundtrack collectors.

Concert works

Toccata for Solo Guitar

In the 1950s, Goldsmith composed "Toccata for Solo Guitar". The music was later performed and recorded by Gregg Nestor and released through BSX Records 5 January 2010.

The Thunder of Imperial Names

In 1957, Goldsmith composed the patriotic piece "The Thunder of Imperial Names" for concert band and narration, which first appeared on the CBS Radio Workshop episode "1489 Words". "The Thunder of Imperial Names" was later performed and re-recorded in 2006 by the United States Air Force Tactical Command Band under conductor Lowell E. Graham and narrated by Gary McKenzie.

Christus Apollo

In 1969, the California Chamber Symphony commissioned Goldsmith to compose a cantata based on the text "Christus Apollo" by science fiction author Ray Bradbury, with whom Goldsmith had previously worked on dramatic radio and later the film ''The Illustrated Man'' (1969). The piece, written in four parts, consisted of orchestra, choir, mezzo-soprano solo, and narration. Goldsmith composed the piece largely using the 12-tone system, later stating, "I feel there is a great relationship between impressionism and dodecaphonicism and that was the musical language I wanted for 'Christus Apollo'." For the 2002 Telarc album release, "Christus Apollo" was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Voices, mezzo-soprano Eirian James, and narrated by legendary actor Anthony Hopkins.

Music for Orchestra

In 1970, Goldsmith was approached by conductor Leonard Slatkin to compose a short piece for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. The atonal, bombastic composition was written in three sections developed from one common 12-tone row including the "turbulent" first section, the "introspective" second section, and climaxing in a "very agitated" third section. Goldsmith later reflected that the piece was a result of much turbulence in his life, stating, "I was going through a divorce and my mother was seriously ill with cancer." Goldsmith continued, "All of my personal turmoil - pain, anger, and sorrow - went into writing 'Music for Orchestra' in strict dodecaphonic form."

Fireworks (A Celebration of Los Angeles)

In 1999, Goldsmith composed the energetic "Fireworks" (A Celebration of Los Angeles) to conclude his first concert series with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Looking back on the experience, Goldsmith later said, "After starting to write what was to be a big fireworks extravaganza, I realized that I was writing about the city where I was born and had lived my entire life. I decided instead to make the piece a grand celebration of my childhood, growing years, my years of maturity, and all the events that climaxed with my first appearance at the Hollywood Bowl."

Legacy

Jerry Goldsmith has often been considered one of the most innovative and influential composers in the history of film music. While presenting Goldsmith with a Career Achievement Award from the Society for the Preservation of Film Music in 1993, fellow composer Henry Mancini (''Breakfast at Tiffany's'', ''The Pink Panther'') said of Goldsmith, "...he has instilled two things in his colleagues in this town. One thing he does, he keeps us honest. And the second one is he scares the hell out of us." In his review of the 1999 re-issue of the ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' soundtrack, Bruce Eder highly praised Goldsmith's ability, stating, "...one of the new tracks, 'Spock's Arrival,' may be the closest that Goldsmith has ever come to writing serious music in a pure Romantic idiom; this could have been the work of Rimsky-Korsakov or Stravinsky -- it's that good." In a 2001 interview, film composer Marco Beltrami (''3:10 to Yuma'', ''The Hurt Locker'') stated, "Without Jerry, film music would probably be in a different place than it is now. I think he, more than any other composer bridged the gap between the old hollywood scoring style and the modern film composer."

Personal life

Goldsmith was married twice. He was first married to Sharon Hennagin in 1950 which ended in their divorce in 1970. He later married Carol Heather in 1972 and the couple remained together until his death in 2004. His oldest son Joel Goldsmith is also a composer and collaborated with his father on the score for ''Star Trek: First Contact'', composing approximately twenty-two minutes of the score. Jerry Goldsmith also conducted Joel's theme for ''The Untouchables'' and composed the theme for the pilot ''Hollister'', scored by Joel. Goldsmith's daughter, Carrie Goldsmith, went to high school with famed ''Titanic'' composer James Horner, who also composed music for Star Trek's second and third movies: ''Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' and ''Star Trek III: The Search for Spock''. Carrie Goldsmith was working on a biography of her father, though the book has been suspended indefinitely for unspecified reasons.

Goldsmith passed away at his Beverly Hills home 21 July 2004 after a battle with colon cancer at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife Carol and his children Aaron, Joel, Carrie, Ellen Edson, and Jennifer Grossman.

List of movies and series

1950s

''The Lineup'' (1954) (TV series)

''Climax!'' (1954) (TV series)

''Black Patch'' (1957)

''Face of a Fugitive'' (1959)

''City of Fear'' (1959)

''Playhouse 90'' (1959) (TV series)

''The Twilight Zone'' (1959) (TV series)

1960s

''The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio'' (1960) (TV movie)

''Full Circle'' (1960) (TV series theme)

''Pete and Gladys'' (1960) (TV series theme)

''Studs Lonigan'' (1960)

''Adam Harding'' (1960)

''Thriller'' (1960)

''Dr. Kildare'' (1961)

''The Expendables'' (1962) (TV movie)

''The Crimebusters'' (1962)

''Lonely Are the Brave'' (1962)

''The Spiral Road'' (1962)

''Freud'' (1962)

''The List of Adrian Messenger'' (1963)

''The Stripper'' (1963)

''A Gathering of Eagles'' (1963)

''Lilies of the Field'' (1963)

''Take Her, She's Mine'' (1963)

''The Prize'' (1963)

''Seven Days in May'' (1964)

''Shock Treatment'' (1964)

''Fate Is the Hunter'' (1964)

''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1964) (TV series theme)

''Rio Conchos'' (1964)

''The Satan Bug'' (1965)

''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1965) (TV series: 2 episodes)

''In Harm's Way'' (1965)

''To Trap a Spy'' (feature film expansion of ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'''s pilot) (1965)

''Von Ryan's Express'' (1965)

''Morituri'' (1965)

''The Legend of Jesse James'' (1965) (TV series theme)

''The Agony and The Ecstasy'' (1965)

''A Patch of Blue'' (1965)

''Our Man Flint'' (1966)

''The Trouble with Angels'' (1966)

''Stagecoach'' (1966)

''The Blue Max'' (1966)

''Seconds'' (1966)

''The Sand Pebbles'' (1966)

''Warning Shot'' (1967) (TV movie)

''In Like Flint'' (1967)

''The Flim-Flam Man'' (1967)

''Hour of the Gun'' (1967)

''Sebastian'' (1968)

''Planet of the Apes'' (1968)

''The Detective'' (1968)

''Bandolero!'' (1968)

''Room 222'' (1969)

''100 Rifles'' (1969)

''The Illustrated Man'' (1969)

''The Chairman'' (1969)

''Justine'' (1969)

1970s

''Patton'' (1970)

''The Ballad of Cable Hogue'' (1970)

''Prudence and the Chief'' (1970) (TV movie)

''The Brotherhood of the Bell'' (1970) (TV movie)

''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' (1970)

''The Traveling Executioner'' (1970)

''Rio Lobo'' (1970)

''A Step Out of Line'' (1971) (TV movie)

''The Mephisto Waltz'' (1971)

''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' (1971)

''Wild Rovers'' (1971)

''The Last Run'' (1971)

''Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate'' (1971) (TV movie)

''Crosscurrent'' (1971) (TV movie)

''The Homecoming: A Christmas Story'' (1971) (basis for ''The Waltons'')

''Lights Out'' (1972) (TV movie)

''Crawlspace'' (1972) (TV movie)

''The Culpepper Cattle Co.'' (stock music only) (1972)

''The Other'' (1972)

''The Man'' (1972) (TV movie)

''Anna and the King'' (1972)

''Pursuit'' (1972) (TV movie)

''Barnaby Jones'' (1973) (theme and pilot score)

''Shamus'' (1973)

''The Waltons'' (1973)

''Hawkins on Murder'' (1973) (TV movie and series theme)

''The Red Pony'' (1973) (TV movie)

''Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies'' (1973)

''The Going Up of David Lev'' (1973) (TV movie)

''One Little Indian'' (1973)

''The Don Is Dead'' (1973)

''Papillon'' (1973)

''Indict and Convict'' (1974) (TV movie)

''Police Story'' (1974) (theme and pilot score)

''A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (1974) (TV movie)

''Winter Kill'' (1974) (TV movie)

''QB VII'' (1974) (miniseries)

''Chinatown'' (1974)

''S*P*Y*S'' (1974)

''Ransom'' (1975)

''Archer'' (1975) (TV series theme)

''Breakout'' (1975)

''The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'' (1975)

''The Wind and the Lion'' (1975)

''A Girl Named Sooner'' (1975) (TV movie)

''Adams of Eagle Lake'' (1975) (TV series theme)

''Medical Story'' (1975) (TV series theme)

''Take a Hard Ride'' (1975)

''Babe'' (1975) (TV movie)

''Breakheart Pass'' (1975)

''The Hemingway Play'' (1976) (TV movie)

''The Last Hard Men'' (stock music only) (1976)

''Logan's Run'' (1976)

''The Omen'' (1976)

''High Velocity'' (1976)

''The Cassandra Crossing'' (1976)

''Twilight's Last Gleaming'' (1977)

''Islands in the Stream'' (1977)

''MacArthur'' (1977)

''Damnation Alley'' (1977)

''Contract on Cherry Street'' (1977) (TV movie)

''Coma'' (1978)

''Capricorn One'' (1978)

''Damien: Omen II'' (1978)

''The Swarm'' (1978)

''The Boys from Brazil'' (1978)

''Magic'' (1978)

''The Great Train Robbery'' (1979)

''Alien'' (1979)

''Players'' (1979)

''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979)

1980s

''Caboblanco'' (1980)

''The Salamander'' (1981)

''Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981)

''Masada'' (1981) (TV miniseries, first half only - second half scored by Morton Stevens)

''Outland'' (1981)

''Raggedy Man'' (1981)

''Night Crossing'' (1981)

''Poltergeist'' (1982)

''The Secret of N.I.M.H.'' (1982)

''The Challenge'' (1982)

''Inchon'' (1982)

''First Blood'' (1982)

''Psycho II'' (1983)

''Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983)

''Under Fire'' (1983)

''The Lonely Guy'' (1984)

''Gremlins'' (1984)

''Supergirl'' (1984)

''Runaway'' (1984)

''Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend'' (1985)

''Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985)

''Explorers'' (1985)

''Legend'' (1985)

''King Solomon's Mines'' (1985)

''Link'' (1986)

''Amazing Stories'' (1986) (TV series: episode "Boo!")

''Poltergeist II: The Other Side'' (1986)

''Hoosiers'' (1986)

''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (theme only, re-arranged by Dennis McCarthy) (1987)

''Extreme Prejudice'' (1987)

''Innerspace'' (1987)

''Lionheart'' (1987)

''Rent-A-Cop'' (1988)

''Rambo III'' (1988)

''Criminal Law'' (1988)

''Alien Nation'' (rejected) (1988)

''The 'Burbs'' (1989)

''Leviathan'' (1989)

''Warlock'' (1989)

''Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'' (1989)

1990s

''The Russia House'' (1990)

''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990)

''Total Recall'' (1990)

''H.E.L.P.'' (1991) (TV series theme)

''Not Without My Daughter'' (1991)

''Sleeping with the Enemy'' (1991)

''Mom and Dad Save the World'' (1991)

''Medicine Man'' (1991)

''Basic Instinct'' (1992)

''Forever Young'' (1992)

''Mr. Baseball'' (1992)

''Gladiator'' (rejected) (1992)

''Hollister'' (1992) (TV movie theme)

''Love Field'' (1993)

''The Vanishing'' (1993)

''Dennis the Menace'' (1993)

''Rudy'' (1993)

''Six Degrees of Separation'' (1993)

''Malice'' (1993)

''Matinee'' (1993)

''Angie'' (1994)

''Bad Girls'' (1994)

''The Shadow'' (1994)

''The River Wild'' (1994)

''I.Q.'' (1994)

''Congo'' (1995)

''First Knight'' (1995)

''Star Trek: Voyager'' (1995) (TV series theme)

''Powder'' (1995)

''City Hall'' (1995)

''Executive Decision'' (1996)

''Two Days in the Valley'' (rejected) (1996)

''Chain Reaction'' (1996)

''Star Trek: First Contact'' (1996) (additional music by Joel Goldsmith)

''The Ghost and the Darkness'' (1996)

''Fierce Creatures'' (1996)

''Air Force One'' (1997) (additional music by Joel McNeely)

''L.A. Confidential'' (1997)

''The Edge'' (1997)

''Deep Rising'' (1998)

''U.S. Marshals'' (1998)

''Small Soldiers'' (1998)

''Mulan'' (1998)

''Star Trek: Insurrection'' (1998)

''The Mummy'' (1999)

''The Haunting'' (1999)

''The 13th Warrior'' (1999)

2000s

''Hollow Man'' (2000)

''Soarin' Over California'' (2001) (simulator ride)

''Along Came a Spider'' (2001)

''The Last Castle'' (2001)

''The Sum of All Fears'' (2002)

''Star Trek Nemesis'' (2002)

''Looney Tunes: Back in Action'' (2003)

''Timeline'' (rejected) (2003)

Awards and nominations

AFI

The American Film Institute respectively ranked Goldsmith's scores for ''Chinatown'' (1974) and ''Planet of the Apes'' (1968) #9 and #18 on their list of the 25 greatest film scores. He is one of only five composers to have more than one score featured in the list, including Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner, and John Williams. His scores for the following films were also nominated for the list:

''Alien'' (1979)

''L.A. Confidential'' (1997)

''The Omen'' (1976)

''Papillon'' (1973)

''A Patch of Blue'' (1965)

''Patton'' (1970)

''The Sand Pebbles'' (1966)

''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (1979)

''The Wind and the Lion'' (1975)

Academy Awards

Goldsmith received a total of 17 Academy Award nominations, making him one of the most nominated composers in the history of the Academy Awards. Despite this Goldsmith only won the Oscar on one occasion, for his score to the 1976 film ''The Omen''. This makes Goldsmith the most nominated composer to have only won an Oscar on one occasion. |- | 1962 | ''Freud'' | Best Music Score—substantially original | |- | 1965 | ''A Patch of Blue'' | Best Music Score—substantially original | |- | 1966 | ''The Sand Pebbles'' | Best Original Music Score | |- | 1968 | ''Planet of the Apes'' | Best Original Score—for a motion picture [not a musical] | |- | 1970 | ''Patton'' | Best Original Dramatic Score | |- | 1973 | ''Papillon'' | Best Original Dramatic Score | |- | 1974 | ''Chinatown'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1975 | ''The Wind and the Lion'' | Best Original Score | |- | rowspan=2 | 1976 | ''The Omen'' | Best Original Score | |- | "Ave Satani" (from ''The Omen'') | Best Original Song | |- | 1978 | ''The Boys from Brazil'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1979 | ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1982 | ''Poltergeist'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1983 | ''Under Fire'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1986 | ''Hoosiers'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1992 | ''Basic Instinct'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1997 | ''L.A. Confidential'' | Best Original Dramatic Score | |- | 1998 | ''Mulan'' (shared nomination with Matthew Wilder and David Zippel) | Best Original Musical or Comedy Score |

BAFTA Awards

|- | 1974 | ''Chinatown'' | Best Film Music | |- | 1975 | ''The Wind and the Lion'' | Best Film Music | |- | 1979 | ''Alien'' | Best Film Music | |- | 1997 | ''L.A. Confidential'' | Best Film Music |

Emmy Awards

|- | 1961 | ''Thriller'' (shared nomination with Pete Rugolo) | Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Music for Television | |- | 1966 | ''The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'' | Individual Achievements in Music | |- | 1973 | ''The Red Pony'' | Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition | |- | 1975 | ''QB VII'' (ABC Movie Special) | Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special | |- | 1976 | ''Babe'' | Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special | |- | 1981 | ''Masada'' | Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Limited Series or a Special (dramatic underscore) | |- | 1995 | ''Star Trek: Voyager'' | Outstanding Main Title Theme Music |

Golden Globes

|- | 1964 | ''Seven Days in May'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1966 | ''The Sand Pebbles'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1974 | ''Chinatown'' | Best Original Score | |- | rowspan=2 | 1979 | ''Alien'' | Best Original Score | |- | ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1983 | ''Under Fire'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1992 | ''Basic Instinct'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1997 | ''L.A. Confidential'' | Best Original Score | |- | 1998 | ''Mulan'' (shared nomination with Matthew Wilder and David Zippel) | Best Original Score |

Grammy Awards

|- | 1966 | ''The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'' (shared nomination with Lalo Schifrin, Morton Stevens, and Walter Scharf) | Best Original Score from a Motion Picture or Television Show | |- | 1975 | ''QB VII'' | Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special | |- | 1976 | ''The Wind and the Lion'' | Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special | |- | 1977 | ''The Omen'' | Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special | |- | 1980 | ''Alien'' | Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special | |- | 1981 | "The Slaves" (track from ''Masada'' soundtrack) | Best Instrumental Composition |

Saturn Awards

|- | 1978 | ''The Boys from Brazil'' | Best Music | |- | rowspan=2 | 1979 | ''Magic'' | Best Music | |- | ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' | Best Music | |- | 1984 | ''Gremlins'' | Best Music | |- | rowspan=2 | 1986 | ''Link'' | Best Music | |- | ''Poltergeist II: The Other Side'' | Best Music | |- | 1999 | ''The Mummy'' | Best Music | |- | 2000 | ''Hollow Man'' | Best Music | |- | 2003 | ''Looney Tunes: Back In Action'' | Best Music |

See also

Film scores

List of film score composers

List of Star Trek composers and music

References

Further reading

Thomas, Tony: ''Music For The Movies'' (1973)

Thomas, Tony: ''Film Score'' (1979)

Brown, Royal S.: ''Overtones And Undertones'' (1994)

Büdinger, Matthias: "A Patch Of Goldsmith". In: ''Soundtrack'' vol. 8, No. 69, p. 46-48

External links

Jerry Goldsmith Online

StarTrek.com Creative Staff Profile

Jerry Goldsmith at Soundtrackguide.net

Jerry Goldsmith at The Danish Filmmusic Society (DFS)

Jerry Goldsmith Discography at SoundtrackCollector.com

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an:Jerry Goldsmith br:Jerry Goldsmith bg:Джери Голдсмит ca:Jerry Goldsmith cs:Jerry Goldsmith de:Jerry Goldsmith es:Jerry Goldsmith fa:جری گلدسمیت fr:Jerry Goldsmith ko:제리 골드스미스 hr:Jerry Goldsmith id:Jerry Goldsmith it:Jerry Goldsmith he:ג'רי גולדסמית' ka:ჯერი გოლდსმითი nl:Jerry Goldsmith ja:ジェリー・ゴールドスミス no:Jerry Goldsmith pl:Jerry Goldsmith pt:Jerry Goldsmith ro:Jerry Goldsmith ru:Голдсмит, Джерри sk:Jerry Goldsmith sh:Jerry Goldsmith fi:Jerry Goldsmith sv:Jerry Goldsmith th:เจอร์รี โกลด์สมิธ tr:Jerry Goldsmith uk:Джеррі Голдсміт zh:杰里·戈德史密斯

name	Billy Connolly
birth name	William Connolly, Jr.
birth date	November 24, 1942
birth place	Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland , United Kingdom
medium	Stand-up, television, film, music
nationality	Scottish
active	1965–present
genre	Observational comedy, Musical comedy
subject	Everyday life, sex, religion, old age, Scottish culture
influences	Chic Murray
influenced	Eddie Izzard, Craig Ferguson, Ross Noble
spouse	Iris Pressagh (1969–1985) (divorced)Pamela Stephenson (1989–present)
website	BillyConnolly.com

}} William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE (born 24 November 1942) is a British comedian, musician, presenter and actor born in Scotland. 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, a role in which he continues. He also became an actor, and has appeared in such films as ''Indecent Proposal'' (1993); ''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); and ''The X-Files: I Want to Believe'' (2008). Connolly reprised his role as Noah "Il Duce" MacManus in ''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 (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, two 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. Connolly still supports football club Partick Thistle. Connolly has wryly observed that many people think that the name of the club is "Patrick Thistle nil".

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 four 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 condemned the SNP as "racist" and the new Scottish parliament as a "joke".

Connolly has two siblings: an older sister, Florence, who is a retired school-teacher, and a younger brother, Michael; he has referred to both in his stand-up routines. He is also the father to five children: two from his first marriage and three from his second.

Controversy

Kenneth Bigley joke

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.

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.

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

align="center"

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''

align="center"

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

align="center"

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

''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

''Open Season 2'' as McSquizzy

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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"

align="center"

2010

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

align="center"

2010

Television

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

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2011

''Open Season 3'' as McSquizzy

* ''The Ballad of Nessie'' as Narrator

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2012

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

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

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 List.

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: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 comedians 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

cs:Billy Connolly cy:Billy Connolly da:Billy Connolly de:Billy Connolly es:Billy Connolly eu:Billy Connolly fr:Billy Connolly ga:Billy Connolly it:Billy Connolly hu:Billy Connolly ms:Billy Connolly nl:Billy Connolly ja:ビリー・コノリー pl:Billy Connolly pt:Billy Connolly ru:Конолли, Билли sco:Billy Connolly sl:Billy Connolly fi:Billy Connolly sv:Billy Connolly

name	Willie Nelson
alias	Red Headed Stranger Dr. Booger
alt	A red Headed man with white beard smiling. He wears a red bandanna, a black shirt and a red, white and blue guitar strap.
background	solo_singer
birth name	Willie Hugh Nelson
born	April 30, 1933Abbott, TexasUnited States
instrument	Vocals, guitar
genre	Country, country rock, outlaw country, alternative country
occupation	MusicianSongwriterProducerActorActivist
years active	1956–present
label	Liberty, RCA, Atlantic, Columbia, Island, Justice Records, Lost Highway
associated acts	Waylon Jennings, The Highwaymen, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson
website	www.willienelson.com
notable instruments	"Trigger" (Martin N-20) 200px|altA signature penned in black inkSignature of Willie Nelson }}

Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 30, 1933) is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. He was one of the main figures of outlaw country, a subgenre of country music that developed at the end of the 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.

Born during the Great Depression, and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the ''Bohemian Fiddlers'' as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky tonks. Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote "Family Bible" and recorded the song "Lumberjack" in 1956. In 1960, he signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy". In 1962, he recorded his first album, ''And Then I Wrote''. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits during the end of 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, and the failure to succeed in music, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, Texas. The rise of the popularity of Hippie music in Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.

In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as ''Shotgun Willie'' and ''Phases and Stages''. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album, ''Red Headed Stranger''. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, ''Wanted! The Outlaws'', which he recorded with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. During the mid 1980s, while creating hit albums like ''Honeysuckle Rose'' and recording hit songs like "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho & Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. During 1990 Nelson's assets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, that claimed that he owed US $32,000,000. It was later discovered that his accountants, Price Waterhouse did not pay Nelson's taxes for years. The impossibility of Nelson to pay his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments made by him during the 1980s. Nelson released in 1991 ''The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?'', the profits of the double album, destined to the IRS and the auction of Nelson's assets cleared his debt by 1993. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, and released albums every year. Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. Nelson explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk. Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film, ''The Electric Horseman'', followed by other appearances in movies and on television.

Nelson is a major liberal activist and the co-chair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which is in favor of marijuana legalization. On the environmental front, Nelson owns the bio-diesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel, which is made from vegetable oil. Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the Advisory Board of the Texas Music Project, the official music charity of the state of Texas.

Early life

Willie Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas during the Great Depression on April 30, 1933 to Myrle Marie (née Greenhaw) and Ira Doyle Nelson. The Nelson family had moved from Arkansas in 1929, looking for work. Nelson's grandfather, William, worked as a blacksmith, while his father worked as a mechanic. His mother left soon after he was born, and his father remarried and moved away, leaving the grandparents, who both studied music at night via a mail-order course, to bring up Nelson and his sister Bobbie. Nelson's grandfather bought him a guitar when he was six, and taught him a few chords; and with his sister Bobbie he sang gospel songs in the local church. He wrote his first song when he was seven, and played the guitar for the local band ''Bohemian Polka'' at age nine. During the summer, like most of Abbott's inhabitants, the family picked cotton. As Nelson didn't like picking cotton, starting at age thirteen and continuing through high school, he earned money by singing in local dance halls, taverns, and honky tonks. Nelson was influenced musically during his childhood by Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Ernest Tubb, Django Reinhardt, Ray Price and Hank Snow.

Nelson attended Abbott High School where, as well as raising pigs for the Future Farmers of America organization, he was a halfback in the school football team, and also played basketball as a guard, and as a shortstop in baseball. While still at school he sang and played guitar in ''The Texans'', a band formed by his sister's husband, Bud Fletcher. After leaving school in 1950 he joined the United States Air Force for eight to nine months, then worked as a disc jockey at local radio stations. He had short stints with KHBR in Hillsboro, Texas and later with KBOP in Pleasanton, Texas. In 1952, he married Martha Matthews, and from 1954 to 1956 studied agriculture at Baylor University, where he joined the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, but dropped out to pursue success in music.

Music career

Beginnings (1956–1972)

In 1956, Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington to begin his formal musical career. His first record, "No Place For Me" included Leon Payne's "Lumberjack" on the b-side, but was not successful. Nelson continued working as a radio announcer and singing in Vancouver clubs. He sold the song "Family Bible" for US$50 to a guitar instructor, and the song turned into a hit for Claude Gray in 1960. Nelson moved to Nashville in 1960, but no label signed him. Although most of his demos were rejected, thanks to his songwriting and Hank Cochran's help, he signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music. After Ray Price recorded Nelson's "Night Life", Nelson joined Price's touring band as a bass player. While playing with Price and the ''Cherokee Cowboys'', Nelson's songs became hits for other artists, including "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Billy Walker), "Hello Walls" (Faron Young), "Pretty Paper" (Roy Orbison), and, most famously, "Crazy" (Patsy Cline), Unfortunately, further hit singles eluded him. Nelson's tenure at Liberty yielded his first album entitled ''And Then I Wrote'', released in September 1962. Fred Foster of Monument Records signed Nelson in early 1964, but only one single saw the light of day – the excellent but non-charting "I Never Cared For You." After Nelson became a megastar, he aided Foster and his old label by participating in ''The Winning Hand'' in 1982, a double album largely consisting of unreleased tracks (although many were overdubbed with new vocals and instrumentation) with Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and Brenda Lee. In fact, "Everything's Beautiful (In Its Own Way)," a duet with Parton, became a Top Ten hit.

By the fall of 1964, Nelson had moved to RCA Victor Records at the behest of Chet Atkins, signing a contract for US $10,000 per year. ''Country Willie – His Own Songs'' became Nelson's first RCA album, recorded in April 1965. That same year he joined the Grand Ole Opry. During his first few years on RCA, Nelson had no significant hits, but from November 1966 through March 1969, his singles reached the Top 25 in a consistent manner. "One In a Row" (#19, 1966), "The Party's Over" (#24 during a 16-week chart run in 1967), and his cover of Morecambe & Wise's "Bring Me Sunshine" (#13, March 1969) were Nelson's best-selling records during his time with RCA. After recording his final RCA single – "Mountain Dew" (backed with "Phases, Stages, Circles, Cycles and Scenes") in late April 1972, RCA requested that Nelson renew his contract ahead of schedule, with the implication that RCA would not release his latest recordings if he did not. He signed Neil Rashen as his manager to negotiate with the label, who got RCA to agree to end Nelson's contract upon repayment of US$14,000. During those proceedings, Nelson decided to move to Austin, Texas and take a short break. Austin's burgeoning hippie music scene (see Armadillo World Headquarters) rejuvenated the singer. His popularity in Austin soared as he played his own brand of country music marked by country, folk and jazz influences. Rashen eventually signed Nelson to Atlantic Records for US$25,000 per year, becoming the label's first country artist. By February 1973, Nelson was recording his acclaimed ''Shotgun Willie'' at Atlantic Studios in New York City.

Outlaw country and success (1973–1989)

''Shotgun Willie'', released in May 1973, earned excellent reviews but did not sell well. The album led Nelson to a new style, later stating that ''Shotgun Willie'' had "cleared his throat". His next album, ''Phases and Stages'', released in 1974, was a concept album about a couple's divorce, inspired by his own experience. Side one of the record is from the viewpoint of the man, while the other side is from the viewpoint of the woman. The album included the hit single "Bloody Mary Morning" and a duet of "After the Fire is Gone" with Tracy Nelson. Nelson then moved to Columbia Records, where he signed a contract that gave him complete creative control, made possible by the critical and commercial success of his previous albums. The result was the critically acclaimed, and massively popular 1975 concept album ''Red Headed Stranger''. Although Columbia was reluctant to release an album with primarily a guitar and piano for accompaniment, Nelson and Waylon Jennings insisted. The album included a cover of Fred Rose's 1945 song "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain", that had been released as a single previous to the album, and became Nelson's first number one hit as a singer.

As Jennings was also achieving success in country music in the early 1970s, the pair were combined into a genre called outlaw country, since it did not conform to Nashville standards. The album ''Wanted! The Outlaws'' in 1976 with Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser cemented the pair's outlaw image and became country music's first platinum album. Later that year Nelson released ''The Sound in Your Mind'' (certified gold in 1978 and platinum in 2001) and his first gospel album ''Troublemaker'' (certified gold in 1986). In 1978, Nelson released two more platinum albums, ''Waylon & Willie'', a collaboration with Jennings that included "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys", a hit single written and performed by Ed Bruce. His next album, ''Stardust'', an album of standards from the American songbook, was produced by Booker T. Jones. Though observers predicted that ''Stardust'' would ruin his career, it went platinum the same year. Nelson continued to top the charts with hit songs during the late 1970s, including "Good Hearted Woman", "Remember Me", "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time" and "Uncloudy Day".

During the 1980s Nelson recorded a series of hit singles including "Midnight Rider", a 1980 cover of the Allman Brothers song which Nelson recorded for ''The Electric Horseman'', the soundtrack "On the Road Again" from the movie ''Honeysuckle Rose'', and a duet with Julio Iglesias titled "To All the Girls I've Loved Before". ''Pancho & Lefty'', a duet album with Merle Haggard, and ''WWII'', with Jennings, came out in 1982, while ''Take it to the Limit'' was released in 1983, also with Jennings.

In the mid-1980s, Nelson, Jennings, Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash formed The Highwaymen, who achieved platinum record sales and toured the world. Meanwhile, he became more involved with charity work, such as singing on ''We are the World'' in 1984. In 1985, Nelson had another success with ''Half Nelson'', a compilation album of duets with a range of artists such as Ray Charles and Neil Young. In 1980, Nelson performed on the south lawn of the White House. The September 13 concert featured First Lady Rosalynn Carter and Nelson in a duet of Ray Wylie Hubbard's "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother". Nelson frequently visited the White House according to his biography, ''Willie Nelson: An Epic Life'', where he smoked marijuana on the White House roof.

IRS and later career (1990–present)

In 1990, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) seized most of Nelson's assets, claiming that he owed US$32,000,000. It was later discovered that his accountants, Price Waterhouse, had not been paying Nelson's taxes for years. In addition to the unpaid taxes, Nelson's situation was worsened by the weak investments he had made during the early 1980s. Nelson's attorney negotiated a settlement with the IRS in which he paid US$6,000,000, although Nelson did not comply with the agreement. Nelson released ''The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?'' as a double album, with all profits destined for the IRS. Many of his assets were auctioned and purchased by friends, who donated or rented his possessions to him for a nominal fee. He sued Price Waterhouse, contending that they put him in illegal tax shelters. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount and Nelson cleared his debts by 1993.

During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson toured continuously, recording several albums including 1998's critically acclaimed ''Teatro'', and performed and recorded with other acts including Phish, Johnny Cash, and Toby Keith. His duet with Keith, "Beer for My Horses", was released as a single and topped the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts for six consecutive weeks in 2003, while the accompanying video won an award for "Best Video" at the 2004 Academy of Country Music Awards. A USA Network television special celebrated Nelson's 70th birthday, and Nelson released ''The Essential Willie Nelson'' as part of the celebration.

Nelson headlined the 2005 Tsunami Relief Austin to Asia concert to benefit the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which raised an estimated US$75,000 for UNICEF. Nelson's 2007 performance with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis at the Lincoln Center, was released as the live album ''Two Men with the Blues'' in 2008; reaching number one in ''Billboard's'' Top Jazz Albums and number twenty on the ''Billboard 200''. In 2009 Nelson and Marsalis joined with Norah Jones in a tribute concert to Ray Charles, which resulted in the ''Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles'' album, released in 2011. In 2010, Nelson released ''Country Music'', a compilation of standards produced by T-Bone Burnett. The album peaked number four in ''Billboard's'' Top Country Albums, and twenty on the ''Billboard 200''. It was nominated for ''Best Americana Album'' in the 2011 Grammy Awards. In 2011 Nelson participated in the concert ''Kokua For Japan'', a fundraising event for the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan which raised US$1.6 million.

Music style

Nelson uses a variety of music styles to create his own distinctive blend of country music – a hybrid of jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk. His "unique sound", which uses a "relaxed, behind-the-beat singing style and gut-string guitar", and his "nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing", has been responsible for his wide appeal, and has made him a "vital icon in country music", influencing the "new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the '80s and '90s".

Guitars

In 1969, the Baldwin company gave Nelson an amplifier and a three-cord pickup electric guitar, that Nelson played with such intensity he broke it. He sent it to be repaired in Nashville by Shot Jackson, who told Nelson that the damage was too great. Jackson offered him a Martin N-20 nylon-string acoustic and, at Nelson's request, moved the pickup to the Martin. Nelson purchased the guitar unseen for US$750 and named it after Roy Rogers' horse "Trigger". The next year Nelson rescued the guitar from his burning ranch.

Constant strumming with a guitar pick over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar's body near the sound hole—the N-20 has no pick-guard since classical guitars are meant to be played fingerstyle instead of with picks. Its soundboard has been signed by over a hundred of Nelson's friends and associates, ranging from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. In 1991, during his process with the IRS, Nelson was worried that Trigger could be auctioned off, stating: "When Trigger goes, I'll quit". He asked his daughter, Lana, to take the guitar from the studio before any IRS agent got there, and bring it to him on Maui. Nelson then hid the guitar in his manager's house until his debt was paid in 1993.

Activism

Nelson is active in a number of issues. Along with Neil Young and John Mellencamp, he set up Farm Aid in 1985 to assist and increase awareness of the importance of family farms, after Bob Dylan's comments during the Live Aid concert that he hoped some of the money would help American farmers in danger of losing their farms through mortgage debt. The first concert included Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, and Neil Young among many others, and raised over $9 million for America's family farmers. Besides organizing and performing in the annual concerts, Nelson is the president of the board of Farm Aid.

Nelson is a co-chair of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) advisory board. He has worked with NORML for years, fighting for marijuana legalization. In 2005 Nelson and his family hosted the first annual "Willie Nelson & NORML Benefit Golf Tournament", leading to a cover appearance and inside interview in the January 2008 issue of ''High Times'' magazine. After his arrest for possession in 2010, Nelson created the Tea Pot party under the motto "Tax it, regulate it and legalize it!".

Nelson supported Dennis Kucinich's campaign in the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries. He raised money, appeared at events, and composed the song "Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth?", criticizing the war in Iraq. He recorded a radio advertisement asking for support to put musician/author Kinky Friedman on the ballot as an independent candidate for the 2006 Texas gubernatorial election. Friedman promised Nelson a job in Austin as the head of a new Texas Energy Commission due to his support of bio-fuels. In January 2008, Nelson filed a suit against the Texas Democratic Party, alleging that the party violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution by refusing to allow co-plaintiff Kucinich to appear on the primary ballot because he had scratched out part of the loyalty oath on his application.

In 2004, he and his wife Annie became partners with Bob and Kelly King in the building of two Pacific Bio-diesel plants, one in Salem, Oregon and the other at Carl's Corner, Texas (the Texas plant was founded by Carl Cornelius, a longtime Nelson friend and the namesake for Carl's Corner). In 2005, Nelson and several other business partners formed Willie Nelson Biodiesel ("Bio-Willie"), a company that is marketing bio-diesel bio-fuel to truck stops. The fuel is made from vegetable oil (mainly soybean oil), and can be burned without modification in diesel engines.

Nelson is an advocate for better treatment for horses and has been campaigning for the passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S. 311) alongside the Animal Welfare Institute. He is on its Board of Directors and has adopted a number of horses from ''Habitat for Horses''. In 2008, Nelson signed on to warn consumers about the cruel-and illegal-living conditions for calves raised to produce milk for dairy products. He wrote letters to Land O'Lakes and Challenge Dairy, two of the major corporations that use milk from calves raised at California's Mendes Calf Ranch, which employs an intensive confinement practice that was the subject of a lawsuit and campaign brought by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Personal life

Willie Nelson has married four times and fathered seven children. His first marriage was to Martha Matthews; it lasted from 1952 to 1962, and produced three children: Lana, Susie, and Billy. The last committed suicide in 1991. The marriage was marked by violence, with Matthews assaulting Nelson several times. Nelson's next marriage was to Shirley Collie in 1963. The couple divorced in 1971, after Collie found a bill of the maternity ward of a Houston hospital charged to Nelson and Connie Koepke for the birth of Paula Carlene Nelson. Koepke and Nelson married the same year and had two daughters, Paula Carlene and Amy Lee. Following a divorce in 1988, he married his current wife, Annie D'Angelo, in 1991. He had two sons, Lukas Autry and Jacob Micah, with her. Nelson traces his genealogy to the American Revolutionary War, in which his ancestor John Nelson served as a major.

While swimming in Hawaii in 1981, Nelson's lung collapsed. All of his scheduled concerts were canceled and he was taken to the Maui Memorial Hospital. Nelson temporarily stopped smoking cigarettes each time his lungs became congested, and resumed when the congestion ended. In 2008 he started to smoke with a carbon-free system to avoid the effects of smoke in his lungs. In 2004 Nelson underwent surgery for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, as he had damaged his wrists by continuously playing the guitar. By the recommendation of his doctor, he canceled his scheduled concerts and only wrote songs during his recovery.

Nelson has been arrested several times for marijuana possession. The first occasion was in 1974, in Dallas, Texas. Twenty years later, in 1994, highway patrolmen found a marijuana cigarette in his car near Waco, Texas; the resulting court appearance causing him to cancel his appearance at the Grammy awards. While traveling to Ann W. Richards' funeral in 2006, Nelson, along with his manager and his sister, Bobbi, were arrested in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana and charged with possession of marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms. Nelson received six months probation. On November 26, 2010, Nelson was arrested for possession of six ounces of marijuana found in his tour bus while traveling from Los Angeles to Texas. He was released after paying bail of US$2,500. Prosecutor Kit Bramblett supported not sentencing Nelson to jail due to the possession of a small amount, Bramblett sentenced him to pay a US$100 fine and told Nelson that he would have him sing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" for the court. Judge Becky Dean-Walker stated that Nelson only had to pay the amount of the fine, but did not require him to perform the song, explaining that the prosecutor was joking. Nelson's lawyer Joe Turner reached an agreement with the prosecutor. Nelson was set to pay a US$500 fine to avoid a two-year jail sentence with a 30-day review period, which in case of another incident would end the agreement. The judge later rejected the agreement, claiming that Nelson was receiving preferential treatment for his celebrity status.

Steakhouses

In 2002, Nelson became the official spokesman of the Texas Roadhouse, a chain of steakhouses. Nelson heavily promoted the chain and appeared on a special on Food Network. The chain installed ''Willie's Corner'', a section dedicated to him and decked out with Willie memorabilia, at several locations. In 2008, Nelson reopened Willie's place, a truckstop in Hillsboro, Texas. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court allowed Nelson to invest in it. The establishment currently has about 80 employees and is used as a concert hall with a bar and a dance floor.

Legacy

Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. In 2011, Nelson was inducted to the National Agricultural Hall of Fame, for his labor in Farm Aid and other fund risers to benefit farmers.

In 2003 Governor Perry signed bill #2582, introduced by State Representative Elizabeth Ames Jones and Senator Jeff Wentworth, which funded the ''Texas Music Project'', the state's official music charity. Nelson was named Honorary Chairman of the Advisory Board of the project. In 2005, Democratic Texas Senator Gonzalo Barrientos introduced a bill to name of the Travis County section of State Highway 130 after Nelson, and at one point 23 of the 31 state Senators were co-sponsors of the bill. The legislation was dropped after two Republican senators, Florence Shapiro and Wentworth, objected, citing Nelson's lack of connection to the highway, his fundraisers for Democrats, his drinking, and his marijuana advocacy.

An important collection of Willie Nelson materials (1975–1994) became part of the Wittliff collections of Southwestern Writers, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas. The collection contains lyrics, screenplays, letters, concert programs, tour itineraries, posters, articles, clippings, personal effects, promotional items, souvenirs, and documents. It documents Nelson's IRS troubles and how Farm Aid contributions were used. Most of the material was collected by Nelson's friend Bill Wittliff, who wrote or co-wrote ''Honeysuckle Rose'', ''Barbarosa'' and ''Red Headed Stranger''.

In April 2010, Nelson received the "Feed the Peace" award from The Nobelity Project for his extensive work with Farm Aid and overall contributions to world peace. On June 23, 2010 he was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. Nelson is an honorary trustee of the Dayton International Peace Museum. In 2010, Austin, Texas renamed Second Street to Willie Nelson Boulevard. The city also planned to honor him with a life-size statue, to be placed at the entrance of ''Austin City Limits''' new studio. The non-profit organization Capital Area Statues commissioned sculptor Clete Shields to execute the project.

For many years, Nelson's image was marked by his red hair, often divided into two long braids partially concealed under a bandanna. In the April 2007 issue of Stuff Magazine Nelson was interviewed about his long locks. "I started braiding my hair when it started getting too long, and that was, I don't know, probably in the 70's." On May 26, 2010, the Associated Press reported that Nelson had cut his hair, and Nashville music journalist Jimmy Carter published a photograph of the pigtail-free Nelson on his website. Reportedly, he wanted a more maintainable hairstyle, as well helping him stay cool more easily at his Maui home.

Nelson's touring and recording group, the ''Family'', is full of longstanding members, including his sister Bobbie Nelson, drummer Paul English, harmonicist Mickey Raphael, Bee Spears, Billy English (Paul's younger brother), and Jody Payne. ''Willie & Family'' tours North America in the bio-diesel bus ''Honeysuckle Rose IV'', which is fueled by Bio-Willie.

Works

As well as recording sixty seven studio albums, Nelson has appeared in over thirty films and TV shows. His acting debut was in the 1979 movie, ''The Electric Horseman'', followed by appearances in ''Honeysuckle Rose'', ''Thief'', and ''Barbarosa''.

In 1988 his first book, ''Willie: An Autobiography'', was published. ''The Facts of Life: and Other Dirty Jokes'', a personal recollection of tour and musical stories from his career, combined with song lyrics, followed in 2002. In 2005 he co-authored ''Farm Aid: A Song for America'', a commemorative book about the twentieth anniversary of the foundation of Farm Aid. His third book, ''The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart'', was published in 2006. In 2007 a book advocating the use of bio-diesel and the reduction of gas emissions, ''On The Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and The Future of the Family Farm'', was published. His next book, ''A Tale Out of Luck'', published in 2008 and co-authored by Mike Blakely, was Nelson's first fictional book.

;Recordings

;Films

;Books

''Willie: An Autobiography'', Simon & Schuster, 1988, with Bud Shrake

''The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes'', Random House, 2002

''The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart'', Gotham, 2006, with Turk Pipkin

''A Tale Out of Luck'' (a novel), Center Street, 2008, with Mike Blakely

''On The Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and The Future of the Family Farm'', Fulcrum Publishing, 2007

''Farm Aid: A Song for America'', 2005, Rodale Books, foreword by Willie Nelson

See also

Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame

List of country musicians

Music of Austin

List of best-selling music artists

References

;Books

Cartwright, Gary (2000), ''Turn out the lights: chronicles of Texas in the 80's and 90's'', University of Texas Press

Dicair, David (2007), ''The First Generation of Country Music Stars'', McFarland

Erlewine, Michael (1997), ''All music guide to country: the experts' guide to the best recordings in country music'', Miller Freeman

Hartman, Gary (2008), ''The History of Texas Music'', Texas A&M; University Press

Jennings, Waylon; Kaye, Lenny (1996), ''Waylon: an Autobiography'', Warner Brooks

Kienzle, Richard; ''Southwest shuffle: pioneers of honky-tonk, Western swing, and country jazz'' (2003), Routledge

Nelson, Willie; Bud Shrake; Edwin Shrake (2000), ''Willie: an Autobiography'', Cooper Square Press

Patoski, Joe Nick (2008), ''Willie Nelson: an Epic Life'', Hachette Digital

Patoski, Joe Nick (2008), ''The Gospel According to Willie", Texas Co-op Power

Reid, Jan (2004), ''The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock: New Edition'', University of Texas Press

Richmond, Clint (2000), ''Willie Nelson: Behind the Music'', Simon & Schuster

Reid Jan; Sahm Shawn (2010), ''Texas Tornado: The Times and Music of Doug Sahm'', University of Texas Press

Scobey, Lola (1982), ''Willie Nelson: Country Outlaw'', Kensington Pub Corp

Wolff, Kurt; Duane, Orla (2000), ''Country Music: the Rough Guide'', Rough Guides

;Journals

;Further reading

''The Encyclopedia of Country Music'' ed. Paul Kingsbury, pp. 374–76 "Willie Nelson", Bob Allen, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998

External links

[ Willie Nelson] at Allmusic

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name	Julio Iglesias
background	solo_singer
birth name	Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva
born	September 23, 1943Madrid, Spain
genre	Latin and Latin pop
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1968–present
label	Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment
website	www.julioiglesias.com }}

Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (born September 23, 1943), better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 10 best selling music artists in history. While Iglesias rose to international prominence in the 1970s and 1980s as a performer of romantic ballads, his success has continued on as he entered new musical endeavors.

Personal life

Iglesias was born Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva in Madrid, the eldest son of Dr. Julio Iglesias Puga and Maria del Rosario de la Cueva y Perignat. Iglesias' father's family was from Galicia, and Iglesias' mother was from Andalusia.

In the 1960s, he studied law in Madrid and was a goalkeeper for one of Real Madrid's football teams. On September 22, 1963, he was involved in a car crash, resulting in an injury to his spinal cord. He said, "I had a car accident; [a] very, very strange car accident...I lost control of the car and rolled it, resulting in what they call 'paraparexia,' which is not a paraplegi[a]. It's a compression in the [spinal] cord, in the sense of the neck...my spinal cord; and I was very, very ill for three years." His doctors thought he would never walk again; indeed, his legs were left permanently weakened, and they continued to require therapy as of late October 2010. However, slowly, he began recovering his health. To develop and increase the dexterity of his hands, he began playing guitar. When he recovered from his accident, he resumed academic studies and traveled to the United Kingdom to study the English language, first in Ramsgate, then at Bell Educational Trust's Language School in Cambridge.

In 1971, he married Filipino journalist Isabel Preysler and had three children, Chabeli Iglesias, Julio Iglesias, Jr. and Enrique Iglesias. Their marriage was annulled in 1979. In the 1980s, Iglesias was reported to have slept with over 2000 women and to have sex twice a day. He said in an interview with ''People'' magazine, "I love the girls like crazy, really, like crazy, since I was 4 years old, but I want Americans to know that I am not a superman. If something is coming my way one day, maybe I react like every human being and fall in love for the moment. But I am not so obsessed that I wouldn't choose many other things before sex." I'm just a regular party guy, like every party guy in the world."

On August 24, 2010, Julio Iglesias and Miranda Rijnsburger got married after a 20-year relationship. The religious ceremony was celebrated in the Parish of the Virgen del Carmen of Marbella, and was followed by a Mass of thanksgiving in the chapel on the property the couple owns in the same city. The couple has three sons and twin daughters: Miguel (born September 7, 1997), Rodrigo (born April 3, 1999), Victoria and Cristina (born May 1, 2001) and Guillermo (born May 5, 2007). When Iglesias was 61 years old, his 89 year old father produced more children: half brother Jaime born on May 18, 2004, half-sister Ruth born on July 26, 2006. Julio's siblings were born to Dr. Iglesias Puga's second marriage to Ronna Keitt.

Career

In 1968, he won the Benidorm International Song Festival, a songwriter's event in Spain, with the song ''"La vida sigue igual"'' (meaning "Life Continues Just The Same") which was used in the film ''La vida sigue igual'', about his own life. After his events he signed a deal with Discos Columbia, the Spanish branch of the Columbia Records company. He represented Spain in the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest, earning fourth place, after Northern Irish singer Dana and the Welsh singer Mary Hopkin. His entry was the song "Gwendolyne." Shortly after he had a number one hit in many European countries with "Un Canto A Galicia." That single sold 1 million copies in Germany. In 1975 he found success in the Italian market by recording a song exclusively in Italian called "Se mi lasci non vale" ("If You Leave Me, It Can't Be"). Notable albums from this decade are ''A Flor de Piel'' (1974, with the European hit "Manuela"), "El Amor" (1975), and "Soy" (1978). He also sang in French. One of his popular songs is "Je n'ai pas changé".

Following the annulment of his marriage to Preysler in 1979, he moved to Miami, Florida, in the United States and signed a deal with CBS International, and started singing in different languages such as English, French, Portuguese, German and other languages to his music. Iglesias released the album ''De Niña a Mujer'' (1981), from it came the first English-language hit, a Spanish cover of "Begin the Beguine" which became number 1 in the United Kingdom, he also released a collection, ''Julio'' (1983). In 1984, he released ''1100 Bel Air Place'', the hit album which gave him publicity in the English speaking entertainment industry. It sold four million albums in the United States, with the first single "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", a duet with Willie Nelson, earning a fifth place spot in the Billboard Hot 100; it also featured "All of You", with Diana Ross.

In February 1985, Julio Iglesias made a cameo appearance as himself on The Golden Girls as Sophia Petrillo's date on St. Valentine's Day.

In 1985, Julio Iglesias, Sr, was kidnapped, but found alive two weeks later, prompting Julio Iglesias to move his children to Miami, Florida. That year he recorded the duets with Diana Ross and Willie Nelson previously mentioned. Iglesias won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album in the 1988 Grammy Awards for the album ''Un Hombre Solo'' (''A Man Alone''). He recorded a duet with Stevie Wonder on "My Love", in his ''Non Stop'' album, a crossover success in 1988. In the 1990s, Iglesias returned to his original Spanish melody in ''Tango'' (1996), nominated for Best Latin Pop Album at the 1998 Grammy Awards, losing to the ''Romances'' album by Mexican singer, Luis Miguel. Also that year, his youngest son from his first marriage, Enrique Iglesias, also was nominated for the ''Vivir'' album.

Julio Iglesias went on to win the World Music Award for ''Tango'' in Monaco later that year where he was up against singer Luis Miguel and son Enrique for the second time. Julio performed two "Tangos" to the delight of the audience. In 1995, he appeared as a guest star in the videoclip of Thalía's song "Amandote"; ''she'' had starred in the video clip of ''Iglesias's'' hit "Baila Morena". Iglesias returned to the headlines in October 2003, when he went to Argentina and kissed show host Susana Giménez three times during a live telecast of her show.

In 2003, he released his album ''Divorcio'' (''Divorce''). In its first day of sales, ''Divorcio'' sold a record 350,000 albums in Spain, and reached the number 1 spot on the charts in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Russia. thumb|A promotional poster of Iglesias for his show in Iaşi, Romania. In 2003 and 2004, he was featured on a ten month world tour; which took Iglesias, aided by the success his album ''Divorcio'' and toured from Europe and Asia to North America, South America and Africa. More than half the shows on the tour sold out within days of going on sale. In December 2004, his Dutch girlfriend Miranda Rijnsburger and Iglesias himself recorded a duet of the Christmas song "Silent Night". The song, which was not officially released, also included a voice message from Iglesias, Rijnsburger and their 4 young children. The song was released online through the singer's official website and a CD was included on their Christmas card as a holiday gift from the Iglesias family to their friends and fans around the world.

In 2008, Iglesias recorded another song as a gift to his fans. The family recorded "The Little Drummer Boy" in Spanish and English and included it in the family's Christmas card. Iglesias also made investments in the Dominican Republic's eastern town of Punta Cana, a major tourist destination, where he spends most of the year when he is not on tour. Iglesias's south Florida mansion on the exclusive private Indian Creek Island property was placed on the market in 2006 for a quoted $28 million dollars, making it one of "Ten Most Expensive Homes in the South" in 2006 according to Forbes Magazine.

In September 2006, a new English album titled ''Romantic Classics'' was released. "I've chosen songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s that I believe will come to be regarded as the new standards", Iglesias stated in the album's sleeve notes. The album features the hits "I Want To Know What Love Is", "Careless Whisper", and "Right Here Waiting". ''Romantic Classics'' was Iglesias's highest debut on the Billboard charts, entering at number 31 in the United States, 21 in Canada, 10 in Australia, and top spots across Europe and Asia. He returned to the studio to record songs in Filipino and Indonesian for his Asian releases of ''Romantic Classics'' which helped propel record sales in the Asian entertainment industry. Iglesias promoted ''Romantic Classics'' in 2006 and was seen all over the world on Television shows and in the United States, he appeared on ''Dancing With The Stars'' (where he sang his hit "I Want To Know What Love Is"), ''Good Morning America'', ''The View'', ''Fox and Friends'', and ''Martha Stewart''.

In 2008, Iglesias promoted his ''Romantic Classics'' album worldwide and in 2009-2010, he plans for a world tour as a celebration of forty years in the music industry. After his house in Indian Creek didn't sell he razed his house to the ground in 2008 and says he plans to build another.

In 2010, Iglesias continued to travel around the world with his "Starry Night World Tour" to promote his 42 years of career.

According with his official site, he has sold over 300 million albums worldwide until November 1, 2010.

In March 2011, the artist will launch a new studio album called Numero 1.

Discography

Studio, live, remastered and compilation main albums

2011: ''Numero 1''

2010: ''The Essential: Julio Iglesias''

2010: ''Original album classic''

2010: ''Nathalie-The best of Julio Iglesias''

2007: ''Quelque Chose De France''

2006: ''Romantic Classics'' (US:#41)

2006: ''Remastered+Bonus Track''

2006: ''Remastered'' (US:#81)

2005: ''L'homme Que Je Suis''

2003: ''Divorcio''

2001: ''Ao meu Brasil''

2000: ''Noche De Cuatro Lunas''

1996: ''Tango''

1995: ''La Carretera''

1994: ''Crazy'' (US:#30)

1992: ''Calor'' (US:#186)

1990: ''Starry Night'' (US:#37)

1989: ''Raíces''

1988: ''Non Stop'' (US:#52)

1987: ''Un Hombre Solo''

1987: ''Tutto l'amore che ti manca''

1985: ''Libra'' (US.#92), (US Latin:#1)

1984: ''1100 Bel Air Place'' (US:#6) [Singles: "All Of You" US:#19, US R&B;:#38, "Moonlight Lady" Adult Contemporary #17, "To All The Girls I've Loved Before" US:#5, US Country:#1]

1983: ''En Concierto''

1982: ''Momentos''

1982: ''Momenti''

1982: ''Et l'amour crea la femme''

1981: ''De niña a mujer''

1981: ''Fidèle''

1981: ''Minhas canções preferidas''

1981: ''Zartlichkeiten''

1980: ''Hey!''

1980: ''Amanti''

1980: ''Sentimental''

1979: ''A vous les femmes''

1979: ''Innamorarsi alla mia eta''

1979: ''Emociones''

1978: ''Aimer La Vie''

1978: ''As Vezes Tu, As Vezes Eu''

1978: ''Da "Manuela" A "Pensami"''

1978: ''"Quiero" Album (El Amor)''

1977: ''A mis 33 años''

1976: ''America''

1976: ''Ein Weihnachtsabend Mit Julio Iglesias''

1976: ''En El Olympia''

1975: ''A Mexico''

1975: ''El Amor''

1974: ''A Flor de Piel''

1974: ''Viens M'embrasser''

1973: ''Soy''

1972: ''Un Canto a Galicia''

1972: ''Por una mujer''

1969: ''Yo Canto''

References

External links

Interview with Julio Iglesias

Category:1943 births Category:English-language singers Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1970 Category:French-language singers Category:Galician people Category:German-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Honorees Category:Italian-language singers Category:Russian-language singers Category:Living people Category:People from Madrid Category:Portuguese-language singers Category:Real Madrid Castilla footballers Category:Spanish Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Spanish expatriates in the United States Category:Spanish footballers Category:Spanish-language singers Category:Spanish male singers Category:Spanish singers Category:People from Miami, Florida

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