Scottish comedian, host, musician and actor Sir William Connolly began his professional career as a welder and later became famous as a singer. The very first solo album "Billy Connolly Live!" brought him instant fame and was the first step towards great success.
William Connolly, well known for his special sense of humor, has often been the object of scrutiny from the media.
Having started his career as a welder in the shipyards of Glasgow, he soon decided to change his profession and became widely known as a folk singer. Later, Connolly managed to achieve recognition as a comedian, actor and host of various shows.
In addition to his professional activities, he manages to pay attention to his hobbies. William Connolly is a soccer fan and patron of the National Disabled Bikers Association.
short biography
Billy Connolly, born William "Billy" Connolly Jr., was born on November 24, 1942 in Glasgow, Scotland. He received his name in honor of his father, who was also named William. And the boy's mother was Mary Connolly, nee Maclean, who worked in the cafeteria of the city hospital.
Glasgow city view, Scotland
Photo: Ian Dick from Glasgow, UK / Wikimedia Commons
Billy is not the only child in the family. It is known that he has a sister named Florence. And although the children were born into a complete family, the circumstances were such that two aunts, Margaret and Mona, were involved in their upbringing. The fact is that while his father was serving in the army, his mother decided to leave the family, leaving not only her husband, but also children. Billy was three years old at the time.
Connolly's relationship with his father was not easy, which was one of the reasons for his early growing up and independence. In 1956, at the age of fourteen, he moved into a rented apartment. At fifteen, Billy Connolly graduated from St. Gerard Secondary school with an engineering degree.
Career and creativity
Billy Connolly's career began in 1958, when he got a job as a handyman at a shipyard, and then mastered the profession of a welder there. Later he left for Nigeria, where he worked on an oil platform, while practicing folk songs.
In 1965, Connolly co-founded the folk group The Humblebums with guitarist Tam Harvey and songwriter Gerald Rafferty. They performed until 1971, after which they decided to disband the group. The Humblebums was one of the first creative experiments of Billy Connolly.
Billy Connolly
Photo: Eva Rinaldi / Wikimedia Commons
In 1972 he presented his first solo album "Billy Connolly Live", which brought him instant fame and love from folk music fans. Later he released many music compilations, including "Wreck On Tour", "The Bin Yin", "In concert" and others.
In 1975, Connolly made his television debut on the hit show "Parkinson". In addition to widespread popularity, this brought him offers to try himself as an actor. In 1984 he starred in the documentary "Weekend at Wallopo", which was dedicated to the first Nether Wallop International Arts Festival. A year later, he got his first film role in Delgado Fitzjuh in the musical comedy "Water" (1985).
Throughout the 90s, he continued to perform live concerts, as well as take part in television and film projects. Billy Connolly appeared in Big Man - Walking the Line (1990), followed by roles in Head of the Class (1990-1991) and Billy (1992).
In 1993, he played a minor character in Indecent Proposal, starring Demi Moore and Robert Redford. And then starred in such films as "The Third Planet from the Sun" (1996-2001), "Tracy Takes a Challenge" (1996-1999), "Muppet Treasure Island" (1996), "Her Majesty Mrs. Brown" (1997), "Paws" (1997) and others. In addition, Connolly voiced one of the characters in the cartoon "Pocahontas" (1995).
Actress Demi Moore Photo: Krish Dulal / Wikimedia Commons
In the 2000s, Billy Connolly continued to appear in television and documentaries, release music albums, but comedy stand-up performances took a special place in his work. Between 2007 and 2010, he was regularly named among the best comedians in Britain. But due to health problems, he was forced to abandon some of the projects.
Later, Connolly starred in The Quartet (2012), Dream Vacation (2014), The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), Insurance Youth (2016), and also voiced King Fergus from the cartoon Brave (2012).
Family and personal life
Billy Connolly has been married twice. In 1969, he married his first wife, Iris Pressach. In this union, he had two children - a son, Jamie Connolly and a daughter, Kara Connolly. In 1985, the couple broke up.
In 1989 he married Pamela Stevenson. She is known as an actress and singer who, after finishing her cinematic career, became a professional clinical psychologist. The couple have three children together - Daisy Connolly, Amy Connolly and Scarlett Lyla Connolly.
Pamela Stevenson
Photo: Peter from Salisbury, UK / Wikimedia Commons
In 2013, it became known that Billy Connolly had been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. He underwent successful treatment. But soon he faced a new problem - Parkinson's disease. Connolly continues to receive therapy to relieve symptoms of the condition.
