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Terry Gilliam

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Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates

Terrence Vance Gilliam (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respelling; born 22 November 1940)[1][2] is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage animator,[3] and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman. Together they collaborated on the sketch series Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) and the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975, which Gilliam co-directed as well), Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983). In 1988, they received the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.[4] In 2009, Gilliam received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement.[5]

Gilliam transitioned to directing serious films with themes exploring imagination and oppositions to bureaucracy and authoritarianism. His films are sometimes set in dystopian worlds and involve black comedy and tragicomedic elements. He has directed 13 feature films, gaining acclaim for Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), The Fisher King (1991), 12 Monkeys (1995), and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998). He later directed The Brothers Grimm (2005), Tideland (2005), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), The Zero Theorem (2013), and The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018).

Gilliam was born in Minnesota, but spent his high school and college years in Los Angeles. He started his career as an animator and strip cartoonist. He joined Monty Python as the animator of their works, but eventually became a full member and was given acting roles. The only Monty Python member not born in Britain, Gilliam became a naturalised British citizen in 1968 and formally renounced his American citizenship in 2006.

Early life and education

Terry Gilliam was born on 22 November 1940 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Beatrice (née Vance) and James Hall Gilliam.[2] His father was a travelling salesman for Folgers before becoming a carpenter. Soon after, they moved to nearby Medicine Lake, Minnesota.[6] In 1952, the family moved to the Los Angeles neighborhood of Panorama City. Gilliam attended Birmingham High School. During high school, he began to avidly read Mad magazine, then edited by Harvey Kurtzman, which would later influence Gilliam's work.[7]

Gilliam graduated from Occidental College in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.[8]

Career

1965–1969: Animation and move to England

Gilliam began his career as an animator and strip cartoonist. One of his early photographic strips for the US magazine Help! featured future Python cast member John Cleese.[9] When Help! folded, Gilliam went to Europe.[10] Moving to England, he animated sequences for the children's series Do Not Adjust Your Set which he worked on from 1968 to 1969, and which also featured Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.[9]

1969–1974: Monty Python's Flying Circus

Template:See also Gilliam was a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus from its outset, credited at first as an animator (his name was listed separately after the other five in the closing credits) and later as a full member. His cartoons linked the show's sketches together and defined the group's visual language in other media, such as LP and book covers and the title sequences of their films.[11] His animations mix his own art, characterised by soft gradients and odd, bulbous shapes, with backgrounds and moving cutouts from antique photographs, mostly from the Victorian era.

Gilliam as Cardinal Fang in "The Spanish Inquisition" sketch during the Python reunion, Monty Python Live (Mostly), in 2014
A character of limited intelligence and vocabulary, Gumby (played by Gilliam) flower arranging at the 2014 reunion. The Gumbys were part of the Pythons' satire on 1970s television condescendingly encouraging more involvement from the "man in the street".

He also appeared in several sketches, though he rarely had main roles and did considerably less acting in the sketches. Gilliam did, however, have some notable sketch roles, such as Cardinal Fang of the Spanish Inquisition; the bespectacled commenter who said, "I can't add anything to that!" in the sketch "Election Night Special"; Kevin Garibaldi, the brat on the couch shouting "I want more beans!" in the sketch "Most Awful Family in Britain 1974" (episode 45); the Screaming Queen in a cape and mask in "The Visitors"; and Percy Bysshe Shelley in "Ant Poetry Reading". More frequently, he played parts that no one else wanted to play, generally because they required a lot of makeup or uncomfortable costumes, such as a recurring knight in armour who ended sketches by walking on and hitting one of the other characters over the head with a plucked chicken. He also designed the covers of most of the Monty Python albums, including Another Monty Python Record, The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief, Monty Python Live at Drury Lane, and all of their later film soundtrack albums.[12]

1975–1983: Transitional years

Template:Anchor In 1975, Gilliam began his career as a director by co-directing Monty Python and the Holy Grail with Terry Jones. Gilliam was responsible for photography and also appeared as both Patsy and the Old Man from Scene 24, while Jones guided the actors' performances. It was the only Python film directed by Gilliam, though he continued to act in their subsequent projects.

As Python started to take longer breaks between projects following Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Gilliam became a solo filmmaker, building upon the experience he had acquired. In 1977, he directed his first film outside the group, Jabberwocky, also a comedy set in the Middle Ages. It featured Python member Michael Palin in the lead role, and was based on the poem of the same name. In 1978, he published Animations of Mortality, an illustrated, tongue-in-cheek, semi-autobiographical how-to guide to his animation techniques and the visual language in them.[13]

Gilliam served as art director on Monty Python's Life of Brian, Terry Jones having taken on sole directing duties. Gilliam made Time Bandits in 1981. Following directing the short film The Crimson Permanent Assurance, which opened showings of Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, Python effectively ceased working together, and Gilliam pursued his career as a filmmaker.

1984–1998: Trilogies and critical success

The "Trilogy of Imagination", written by Gilliam, about "the ages of man", consisted of Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985), and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). All are about the "craziness of our awkwardly ordered society and the desire to escape it through whatever means possible."[14] All three films focus on these struggles and attempts to escape them through imagination: Time Bandits through the eyes of a child, Brazil through the eyes of a man in his thirties, and Munchausen through the eyes of an elderly man. In the summer of 1986, he cut ties with Arnon Milchan and 20th Century Fox and started directing Munchausen through his own new Prominent Films banner independently.[15]

In the 1990s, Gilliam directed a trilogy of Americana: The Fisher King (1991), 12 Monkeys (1995), and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), which took place on North American soil and, while still surreal, had fewer fantastical plots than his previous trilogy.[16]

1999–2009

Gilliam at an IFC Center event on 4 October 2006

In 1999, Gilliam attempted to film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, which was budgeted at US$32.1 million, making it among the highest-budgeted films to use only European financing; but in the first week of shooting, the actor playing Don Quixote (Jean Rochefort) suffered a herniated disc, and a flood severely damaged the set. The film was cancelled, resulting in an insurance claim of US$15 million.[17] Despite the cancellation, the aborted project did yield the 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha, produced from film from a second crew that had been hired by Gilliam to document the making of Quixote. After the cancellation, both Gilliam and the film's co-lead, Johnny Depp, wanted to revive the project. The insurance company involved in the failed first attempt withheld the rights to the screenplay for several years[18] with the production on hold until 2008.[19][20]

Following the failure of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series and a fan of Gilliam's work, advocated for him to direct Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2000, but Warner Bros. ultimately chose Chris Columbus for the job.[21]

Gilliam at the 41st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, April 2006

In 2002, Gilliam directed a series of television advertisements called "Secret Tournament". Part of Nike's 2002 FIFA World Cup campaign, the advertisements feature a secret three-on-three tournament between the world's best football players, including Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry, who are inside a huge tanker ship.[22] The advertisements are accompanied with a remixed version of the Elvis Presley song "A Little Less Conversation".[23]

In 2005, Gilliam released The Brothers Grimm, followed later in the year by Tideland. In 2006, Gilliam made his debut as theatre director by directing the stage show Slava's Diabolo, created and staged by the Russian clown artist Slava Polunin. The show combined Polunin's clown style, characterised by deep nonverbal expression and interaction with the audience, with Gilliam's rich visuals and surrealistic imagery. The show premiered at the Noga Hall of the Gesher Theatre in Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel.

In January 2007, Gilliam announced that he had been working on a new project with his writing partner Charles McKeown. One day later, the fansite Dreams reported[24] that the new project was titled The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; the following October, Dreams confirmed that this would be Gilliam's next project and was slated to star Christopher Plummer and Tom Waits.[25] Production began in December 2007 in London.[26] On 22 January 2008, production of the film was disrupted following the death of Heath Ledger in New York City. Variety reported that Ledger's involvement had been a "key factor" in the film's financing.[27] Production was suspended indefinitely by 24 January,[28] but in February the actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell signed on to continue Ledger's role, transforming into multiple incarnations of his character in the "magical" world of the film.[29][30] Thanks to this arrangement the principal photography was completed on 15 April 2008, on schedule. During the filming, Gilliam was accidentally hit by a bus and suffered a broken back.[31] The film had successful screenings including a premiere at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. The UK release for the film was scheduled for 6 June 2009, but was pushed back to 16 October 2009. The USA release was on 25 December 2009. Eventually, this $30 million-budgeted film had grossed more than $60 million in worldwide theatrical release and received two Academy Award nominations. The film's end credit states that the film is dedicated to the memories of Ledger and William Vince. Depp, Farrell, and Law donated their proceeds from the film to Ledger's daughter.[32]

2010–present

Gilliam made his opera debut at London's English National Opera (ENO) in May 2011, directing The Damnation of Faust, by Hector Berlioz.[33] On 16 September 2012, the production opened at the Vlaamse Opera in Ghent, Belgium, in the opera's original French-language version and received praise from critics and audiences alike. After a number of performances in Ghent, the production moved to the opera house in Antwerp for a sold-out run of performances.

In July 2012, Gilliam revealed plans for a film which would be shot in Bucharest, Romania. He denied that it would be Don Quixote but refused to give any further details.[34] On 13 August 2012, this project was announced to be The Zero Theorem, set to start shooting in Bucharest on 22 October, produced by Dean Zanuck (son of the late Richard D. Zanuck, who was originally to produce the film in 2009), with worldwide sales handled by Voltage Pictures, Toronto, and starring the Academy Award–winner Christoph Waltz in the lead (replacing Billy Bob Thornton, who had been attached to the project in 2009).[35][36][37][38][39][40][41] The Zero Theorem premiered at the 70th Venice International Film Festival on 2 September 2013.[42][43]

In June 2014, Gilliam followed up on his success with Faust with a new ENO production of another opera by Berlioz, the rarely performed Benvenuto Cellini.[44]

After regaining the rights to the screenplay of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Gilliam restarted preproduction in 2008, with Johnny Depp still attached to the project.[45] The film was to be reshot completely, with Rochefort's role recast. Michael Palin reportedly entered into talks with Gilliam about stepping in for Rochefort and playing Don Quixote.[46] However, Gilliam revealed on the Canadian talk show The Hour on 17 December 2009 that Robert Duvall had been cast to play Quixote, before the film was postponed once again.[47] In January 2014, Gilliam wrote on Facebook that "Dreams of Don Quixote have begun again".[48] At the Cannes Film Festival in 2016, it was confirmed that The Man Who Killed Don Quixote was going to be made, with Michael Palin and Adam Driver in starring roles.[49] In March 2017, filming finally began, with Driver and Jonathan Pryce starring.[50] On 4 June 2017, Gilliam announced that the shooting of the film was complete.[51] The film premiered on 19 May 2018, as the closing film of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival (where it received a standing ovation), and was released in French theatres the same day.[52][53][54][55]

His production of Into the Woods, which he co-directed with Leah Hausman, premiered at the Theatre Royal, Bath in August 2022 to positive reviews.[56]

In June 2024, Gilliam announced the making of a new film called The Carnival at the End of Days. It will star Depp, reuniting with Gilliam, along with Bridges, Driver, and Jason Momoa. The production of the film is expected to begin in January 2025 according to Gilliam. Johnny Depp will play Satan, and Jeff Bridges will play God in the film.[57]

Other projects

Template:See also

Gilliam at the 36th Deauville American Films Festival in 2010

In addition to film projects as director, Gilliam has been involved with developing projects for other artists and mediums. On 16 December 2010, Variety reported that Gilliam was to "godfather" a film called 1884, described as an animated steampunk parody of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, with several former Pythons lending their voices to the project; Gilliam was to be credited as "creative advisor".[58]

Fifteen years after the publication of Gilliam's Animations of Mortality, between the release of the CD-ROM game Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time in 1994, which used many of Gilliam's animation templates, and the making of Gilliam's film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Gilliam was in negotiations with Enteractive, a software company, to tentatively release in the autumn of 1996 a CD-ROM under the same title as his 1978 book, containing all of his thousands of 1970s animation templates as licence-free clip arts for people to create their own flash animations, but the project hovered in limbo for years,[59][60] probably because Enteractive was about to downsize greatly in mid-1996 and changed its focus from CD-ROM multimedia presentations to internet business solutions and web hosting in 1997[61] (in the introduction to their 2004 book Terry Gilliam: Interviews,[60] David Sterrit and Lucille Rhodes claimed that the internet had overwhelmed the "computer-communications market" and gave this as the reason that the Animations of Mortality CD-ROM never materialised). Around the time of Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), the project had changed into the idea of releasing his 1970s animation templates as a licence-free download of Adobe After Effects or similar files

Commercial success

Gilliam's first successful feature, Time Bandits (1981), earned more than eight times its original budget in the United States alone. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), although commercially unsuccessful, was nominated for four Oscars and won three BAFTA Awards, among several other Prizes in Europe. The Fisher King (1991), his first film not to feature a member of the Monty Python troupe, had a budget of $24 million and grossed more than $41 million at United States box office. 12 Monkeys grossed more than US$168 million worldwide, making it his most commercially successful film. The Brothers Grimm, despite a mixed critical reception, grossed over US$105 million worldwide. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, with a budget of $30 million, has been an international commercial success, grossing over $60 million in worldwide theatrical release. According to Box Office Mojo, Gilliam's films have grossed an average of $21,602,510.[62]

Personal life

Gilliam has been married to British makeup artist Maggie Weston since 1973. She worked on Monty Python's Flying Circus, many of the Python films, and Gilliam's films up to The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. They have three children: Amy Rainbow (born 1978), Holly Dubois (born October 1980), and Harry Thunder (born 3 April 1988), all of whom have also appeared in or worked on several of his films.

In 1968, Gilliam obtained British citizenship. He held dual American and British citizenship for the next 38 years, until he renounced his American citizenship in January 2006.[63][64] In an interview with Der Tagesspiegel,[65] he described the action as a protest against then-President George W. Bush, and in an earlier interview with The A.V. Club, he also indicated that it was related to concerns about future tax liability for his wife and children.[66][67] As a result of renouncing his citizenship, Gilliam was permitted to spend 30 days each year in the United States over the next ten years, "less than any European".[65] Holly followed suit, renouncing her American citizenship in 2017.[68]

He maintains a residence in Italy near the Umbria–Tuscany border. He has been instrumental in establishing the annual Umbria Film Festival,[69] held in the nearby town of Montone. Gilliam also resides in Highgate, London.[70]

Charitable activities

Gilliam has been involved with a number of charitable and humanitarian causes. In 2009, he became a board member of Videre Est Credere (Latin for "to see is to believe"), a UK human rights charity.[71] Videre describes itself as giving "local activists the equipment, training and support needed to safely capture compelling video evidence of human rights violations. This captured footage is verified, analysed and then distributed to those who can create change."[72] He participates alongside movie producer Uri Fruchtmann, music producer Brian Eno and executive director of Greenpeace UK John Sauven.

Filmography

Template:Main

Year Title Distributor
1975 Monty Python and the Holy Grail EMI Films / Cinema 5
1977 Jabberwocky Columbia Pictures / Warner Bros.
1981 Time Bandits Embassy Pictures
1985 Brazil Universal Pictures / 20th Century Fox
1988 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Columbia Pictures
1991 The Fisher King TriStar Pictures
1995 12 Monkeys Universal Pictures
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
2005 The Brothers Grimm Dimension Films
Tideland Revolver Entertainment / ThinkFilm
2009 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Lionsgate UK
2013 The Zero Theorem Stage 6 Films
2018 The Man Who Killed Don Quixote Sparky Pictures

Honours and accolades

Template:Main

Awards and nominations received by films directed by Gilliam
Year Title Academy Awards BAFTA Awards Golden Globe Awards
Nominations Wins Nominations Wins Nominations Wins
1983 Monty Python's The Meaning of Life 1
1985 Brazil 2 2 2
1988 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen 4 4 3
1991 The Fisher King 5 1 2 5 2
1995 12 Monkeys 2 1 1
2009 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus 2 2
Total 15 1 11 5 6 3

References

Template:Reflist

Bibliography

External links

Template:Sister project links

Template:Terry Gilliam Template:Navboxes Template:Monty Python

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  1. ↑ Template:Cite web
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Template:Cite web
  3. ↑ Earmarked for Collision: A Highly Biased Tour of Collage Animation - Routledge
  4. ↑ Template:Cite news
  5. ↑ Template:Cite news
  6. ↑ Template:Cite book
  7. ↑ Template:Cite book
  8. ↑ Template:Cite web
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Template:Cite web
  10. ↑ "Salman Rushdie Talks with Terry Gilliam". The Believer. March 2003.
  11. ↑ Template:Cite news
  12. ↑ Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut), episode 3, 2009
  13. ↑ Dreams: Terry Gilliam BooksTemplate:Dead link. Dreams: The Terry Gilliam Fanzine.
  14. ↑ Matthews, Jack (1996). Dreaming Brazil. Essay accompanying the Criterion Collection DVD.
  15. ↑ Template:Cite news
  16. ↑ Pirie, Chris (2002). "Gilliam the Snake Charmer". Imagine Magazine (backed up on Dreams by Phil Stubbs, used with permission.
  17. ↑ Template:Cite book
  18. ↑ Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link
  19. ↑ Template:Cite book
  20. ↑ Template:Cite news
  21. ↑ IMDb: Biography for Terry Gilliam. Retrieved 22 April 2007. Template:Unreliable source?
  22. ↑ Template:Cite web
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  24. ↑ Template:Cite web
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  29. ↑ Template:Cite news
  30. ↑ Template:Cite news
  31. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  32. ↑ Template:Cite news
  33. ↑ Template:Cite web
  34. ↑ Lyman, Eric. J. (2012)"Terry Gilliam: 'Don Quixote' Postponed Again, but Bucharest Calls (Q&A)". Hollywood Reporter. 7 July 2012.
  35. ↑ Billington, Alex (2012). "Terry Gilliam's Latest Existential Head Trip Will Star Christoph Waltz". Firstshowing.net. 13 August 2012.
  36. ↑ White, James (2012). "Waltz Figures Out the Zero Theorem: Terry Gilliam's Latest!". Empire. 13 August 2012.
  37. ↑ Eisenberg, Eric (2012). "Christoph Waltz to Star in Terry Gilliam's Zero Theorem". Cinema Blend. 13 August 2012.
  38. ↑ Fleming, Mike (2012). "Update: Toronto: Terry Gilliam Confirms Christoph Waltz for 'Zero Theorem'". 14 August 2012.
  39. ↑ Serafino, Jason (2012). "Christoph Waltz Signs On for Terry Gilliam's 'Zero Theorem'". Complex. 14 August 2012.
  40. ↑ Schafer, Sandy (2012). "Terry Gilliam Is Making 'The Zero Theorem' with Christoph Waltz", screenrant.com. 14 August 2012.
  41. ↑ Brown, Todd (2012)."Terry Gilliam Resurrects the Zero Theorem with Christoph Waltz" Template:Webarchive. Twitch Film. 14 August 2012.
  42. ↑ Template:Cite web
  43. ↑ Template:Cite web
  44. ↑ Opera on 3 – Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini. BBC Radio 3 broadcast, 30 June 2014.
  45. ↑ Template:Cite news
  46. ↑ Template:Cite web
  47. ↑ Template:Cite news
  48. ↑ Template:Cite web
  49. ↑ Skinner, Craig (2016). Exclusive: Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote to Star Adam Driver and Michael Palin; New Concept Art Uncovered. Flickreel.com. 11 May 2016.
  50. ↑ Template:Cite news
  51. ↑ Template:Cite web
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  58. ↑ Hopewell, John; Keslassy, Elsa (2010). "Gilliam to Godfather '1884': Tim Ollive to Helm Retro Sci-Fi Fantasy". Variety. 16 December 2010.
  59. ↑ Cate, Hans ten (1996) "Animations of Mortality:" Terry Gilliam's New Interactive CD-ROM Game Template:Webarchive. Monty Python's Daily Llama. 16 January 1996.
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 Sterrit, David; Rhodes, Lucille (2004). Terry Gilliam: Interviews, University Press of Mississippi.
  61. ↑ "Enteractive, Inc." MobyGames.com.
  62. ↑ Template:Cite web
  63. ↑ "Terry Gilliam Sounds Off" . ShowBuzz. CBS News. 6 October 2006.
  64. ↑ Template:Cite web
  65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 (10 February 2006). Kopflos am Potsdamer Platz. tagesspiegel Template:In lang. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  66. ↑ Template:Cite web
  67. ↑ Template:Cite book
  68. ↑ Template:Cite web
  69. ↑ Template:Cite web
  70. ↑ Template:Cite news
  71. ↑ UK Charity Commission, UK Charity Commission Report on Videre, UK Charity Commission, 23 July 2013
  72. ↑ Videre Website. Videre Est Credere. 23 July 2013.
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