Scottish comedian, presenter, musician and actor Sir William Connolly began his professional career as a welder, and then became famous as a singer. The first solo album "Billy Connolly Live!" brought him instant fame and was the first step on the road to great success.
William Connolly, well-known for his special sense of humor, often became the object of close attention from the media.
Starting his career as a welder in Glasgow shipyards, he soon decided to change his profession and became widely known as a performer of folk songs. Later, Connolly managed to gain recognition as a comedian, actor and host of various shows.
In addition to professional activities, he manages to pay attention to his hobbies. William Connolly is a soccer fan and patron of the National Association of Disabled Bikers.
short biography
Billy Connolly, at the birth of William "Billy" Connolly Jr., was born on November 24, 1942 in the city of 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. He is known to have a sister named Florence. And although the children were born in a complete family, the circumstances were such that two aunts Margaret and Mona were engaged in their upbringing. The fact is that while his father served in the army, his mother decided to leave the family, leaving not only her husband, but also her children. Billy at that time was three years old.
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 to a rented apartment. At fifteen, Billy Connolly graduated from St. Gerard Secondary school, receiving a diploma with an engineering qualification.
Career and creativity
Billy Connolly's career began in 1958, when he got a job as a laborer at a shipyard, and then he mastered the profession of a welder in the same place. Later he left for Nigeria, where he worked on an oil platform, while practicing folk songs.
In 1965, Connolly, together with guitarist Tam Harvey and singer-songwriter Gerald Rafferty, founded the folk band The Humblebums. They performed until 1971, after which they decided to dissolve the group. The Humblebums was one of Billy Connolly's first creative experiments.
Billy Connolly
Photo: Eva Rinaldi / Wikimedia Commons
In 1972, he introduced his first solo album, "Billy Connolly Live, " which brought him instant fame and love from folk music fans. Later, he released many musical collections, including "Wreck On Tour", "The Bin Yin", "In concert" and others.
In 1975, Connolly made his television debut on the popular Parkinson show. 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 Art Festival. A year later, he received his first role in the movie Delgado Fitzzhuha 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 the film "The Big Man - Crossing the Line" (1990), followed by roles in the series "Head of the Class" (1990 - 1991) and "Billy" (1992).
In 1993, he played a minor character in the film "Obscene Proposal" with Demi Moore and Robert Redford in the lead roles. And then he starred in such films as “The Third Planet from the Sun” (1996-2001), “Tracy accepts the 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, to release music albums, but comedic stand-up performances took a special place in his work. In the period from 2007 to 2010, he was regularly named among the best comedians in Britain. But due to health problems, he was forced to abandon part of the projects.
Connolly later starred in Quartet (2012), Vacation Dreams (2014), The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), Insurance Youth (2016), and voiced King Fergus from the movie Brave "(2012).
