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Eric Idle

ACTOR · BORN 1943

Eric Idle

Born
29 March 1943, South Shields, County Durham, England, UK
Known for
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), And Now for Something Completely Different (1971), Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982)

29 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an actor best known for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and And Now for Something Completely Different.

Eric Idle over the years

Eric Idle in 2003 (age 60)
2003 · age 60VTscapes - Tom E. Canavan, CC BY-SA 2.0
Eric Idle in 2014 (age 71)
2014 · age 71Eduardo Unda-Sanzana, CC BY 2.0

29 Interesting Facts About Eric Idle

Interesting Facts (16)

  1. #001

    According to his friends, Eric Idle was the one who secured part of the production money for Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) from former Beatle George Harrison, a feat appreciated by the other Pythons.

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  2. #002

    Eric Idle is the only member of the Monty Python group who wrote on his own.

    Eric Idle — a scene
    Eric Idle: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Eduardo Unda-Sanzana, CC BY 2.0

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  3. #003

    During the production of Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), while Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) was being shot in London, Eric Idle rented his house to Carrie Fisher.

    Eric Idle — a scene
    Eric Idle: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · VTscapes - Tom E. Canavan, CC BY-SA 2.0

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  4. #004

    Eric Idle is a longtime advocate of women's rights and animal rights.

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  5. #005

    On 1-5 July and 15-20 July 2014, The Pythons performed Monty Python Live (Mostly) at the O2 to a sold-out crowd of 16,000 people on each of the 10 nights, and Eric Idle wrote and directed the series.

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  6. #006

    On 12 August 2012, Eric Idle performed "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" live at the London Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, which was broadcast live to around 1 billion people worldwide.

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  7. #007

    On 12 November 2008, Eric Idle performed Swan Lake with the English National Ballet and sang "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" at the We Are Most Amused Gala held at the New Wimbledon Theatre in honour of His Royal Highness Prince Charles's 60th birthday.

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  8. #008

    Although An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997) was a commercial and critical disappointment, Idle was asked in real life for Alan Smithee's autograph… and he accepted (Smithee was the pseudonymous director whose existence Idle portrayed in the film).

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  9. #009

    His daughter Lily (b. 1990) is with Tania Kosevich.

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  10. #010

    He is a member of the comedy group "Monty Python".

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  11. #011

    His son Carey (b. 1973) is with Lyn Ashley.

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  12. #012

    He is the only member of Monty Python who did not appear in Monty Python's Friday Night Saturday Morning (1979).

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  13. #013

    Eric Idle wrote the play Pass the Butler, which ran for five months in London's West End.

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  14. #014

    Eric Idle wrote and directed The Rutles, a Beatles parody.

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  15. #015

    Eric Idle is a football enthusiast and plays chess, table tennis and guitar.

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  16. #016

    Eric Idle is best known as a comedian and a member of Monty Python, but he is also a writer, actor, director and the president of Prominent Properties (production studios).

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Behind the Scenes (5)

  1. #017

    He describes himself as having "creative dyslexia", meaning he can look at any word and automatically see the anagrams that can be made from it. One of the characters he played in "Monty Python's Flying Circus" was a man who spoke only in anagrams.

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  2. #018

    He had been invited to a party hosted by Steve Martin, and it was his wedding.

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  3. #019

    He is the President of Prominent Productions, whose productions include Splitting Heirs, A Fish Called Wanda, Erik the Viking, American Friends and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

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  4. #020

    He is the chairman of Prominent Features, which produced A Fish Called Wanda, Eric the Viking, Splitting Heirs and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

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  5. #021

    He owns his own company, Prominent Features.

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Characters & Cast (1)

  1. #022

    He directed The Frog Prince for American television, starring Robin Williams and The Rutles.

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Career & Awards (3)

  1. #023

    Eric Idle got permission from the other members of Monty Python (except, of course, Graham Chapman) to continue with "Spamalot" (set to open on Broadway in early 2005), a play/musical different from their classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), because they all found the script very funny.

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  2. #024

    He and John Du Prez were awarded the 2010 Musical Score award for "Monty Python's Spamalot" at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

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  3. #025

    John Du Prez and his musical "Monty Python's Spamalot" were nominated for the 2014 Joseph Jefferson Non-Equity Award for Music Production at the Nightblue Performing Arts Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

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Life & Family (4)

  1. #026

    Eric Idle's father, who served in the Royal Air Force, died in a car accident on Christmas Eve. Eric was two years old.

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  2. #027

    Eric Idle was once tasked by his fellow Pythons with answering an angry fan letter. Monty Python member Graham Chapman was openly gay, and the letter quoted Bible verses stating that homosexuals should be stoned to death. Jokingly, Idle said they had killed Chapman by stoning him.

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  3. #028

    In 1963, as a university student, Eric Idle was accepted into the Cambridge Footlights comedy club. The following year he became the club's president, and one of his first acts was to open membership to women. Feminist and writer Germaine Greer was one of the first to join.

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  4. #029

    He is the godfather of Duncan Jones.

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Related pages

  • John Cleese — Eric Idle comes up in the facts on that page

Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

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