Terry Jones obit

Terry Jones, 'Monty Python' star, dead at 77

He was not on the list.



Terry Jones, a star of the seminal comedy group "Monty Python" who delivered some of the most famous lines in comedic history, has died, his agent confirmed to the PA Media news agency. He was 77.

Jones was a major creative force behind the surrealist troupe's pioneering works, which flitted between styles and tones and cemented the six-man group as one of the most influential acts in the British cultural canon.

In recent years, the Welsh actor, director, author and historian battled primary progressive aphasia -- a rare form of dementia that affects speech. He died on Saturday evening with his wife by his side, his family said in a statement.

"Over the past few days his wife, children, extended family and many close friends have been constantly with Terry as he gently slipped away at his home in North London," the statement said. "We have all lost a kind, funny, warm, creative and truly loving man whose uncompromising individuality, relentless intellect and extraordinary humour has given pleasure to countless millions across six decades."



Jones was known for playing a variety of "Monty Python" roles, including a number of female characters, and uttered perhaps its most famous line -- "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!" -- while playing Brian's mother in the classic 1979 satire on religion "Life of Brian."

Sometimes referred to as the Beatles of comedy, Python's influence permeated a half century of comedy on both sides of the Atlantic -- and prominent comics and actors paid tribute Wednesday to Jones.

Python co-star Michael Palin said Jones was "passionate about living life to the full," while fellow member John Cleese said "it feels strange that a man of so many talents and such endless enthusiasm, should have faded so gently away."

Referring to fellow Python Graham Chapman, who died in 1989, Cleese added: "Two down, four to go."

A legendary troupe

Immediately identifiable by the gigantic "Foot of Cupid" that thundered down during their opening titles, "Monty Python" stomped their authority on British comedy during a lengthy and prolific stretch in the 1970s and 1980s.

Jones helped create the group a few years earlier, after meeting Palin at Oxford while performing in the university's dramatic societies.

"Terry seemed to have his own integrity and his own little world, which he carried around with him and there was no one really quite like him," Palin remembered in the Pythons' 2003 autobiography.

The troupe first won acclaim for its offbeat and unpredictable TV sketch show "Monty Python's Flying Circus," which ran for five years until 1974.

Some of the most iconic scenes in British comedy came from the show. Jones co-wrote and starred in the affectionately daft "Spam" song and sketches about "Four Yorkshiremen" and "the Spanish Inquisition," all of which have been frequently quoted and imitated.



The show's irreverent style and disregard for established comic formulas resonated worldwide.

When it eventually aired in the United States, "Flying Circus" achieved further acclaim and was parodied by a number of shows. "Saturday Night Live" re-created its famous "Dead Parrot" sketch, for instance, while writers of "The Simpsons" referenced it on several occasions.

International plaudits and a few controversies followed in the second half of the '70s..

Jones co-directed the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" with Terry Gilliam in 1975, also starring as pompous knight Sir Bedevere.

A retelling of the story of King Arthur that features an ensemble of offbeat characters like The Knights Who Say Ni, the film was ranked by ABC in 2011 as the second-best comedy movie of all time, after "Airplane!"

Four years later, the group returned for "Life of Brian," with Jones handling directorial duties himself. The film, which follows a man mistakenly identified as the Messiah after being born next door to Jesus Christ, prompted a huge outcry from religious protesters and organizations, but has since been acknowledged as a classic.

"I never thought it would be as controversial as it turned out, although I remember saying when we were writing it that some religious nut case may take potshots at us," Jones told the Radio Times magazine in 2011. "At the time, religion seemed to be on the back burner and it felt like kicking a dead donkey. It has come back with a vengeance and we'd think twice about making it now."

In his tribute to Jones, Cleese added on Wednesday: "Of his many achievements, for me the greatest gift he gave us all was his direction of 'Life of Brian.' Perfection."

Jones also directed the group's final film, "The Meaning of Life," in 1983. The Pythons produced a total of 45 TV episodes for the BBC and five films together before going their separate ways that year.

He went on to write historical nonfiction books, presented several documentaries and wrote the screenplay to the 1986 fantasy film "Labyrinth," starring David Bowie.

Jones then joined the remaining Pythons for a reunion show in 2014, for which tickets sold out in 43 seconds.

"Spamalot," a 2005 stage production written by Eric Idle, introduced Python to a new generation of fans and provided a regular source of royalties.

"That ('Monty Python') income means I can do things that don't make money," Jones told CNN in 2005. Such projects included books on Geoffrey Chaucer, famed author of "The Canterbury Tales," and another on the Iraq War, which Jones vigorously opposed.

"I find that looking at history that people don't change," Jones mused in the interview. "They're just as bright and just as devious as they are now."

Jones co-created and co-wrote with Palin the anthology series Ripping Yarns. He also wrote an early draft of Jim Henson's 1986 film Labyrinth, though little of his work remained in the final cut. Jones was a well-respected medieval historian, having written several books and presented television documentaries about the period, as well as a prolific children's book author.

'A creative powerhouse'

The entertainment world was quick to remember Jones' contribution to comedy.

"Monty Python" co-star Palin told PA: "Terry was one of my closest, most valued friends. He was kind, generous, supportive and passionate about living life to the full."

"I loved him the moment I saw him on stage at the Edinburgh Festival in 1963," added Idle. "So many laughs, moments of total hilarity onstage and off we have all shared with him. It's too sad if you knew him, but if you didn't you will always smile at the many wonderfully funny moments he gave us."

Filmmaker Edgar Wright said Jones was an "esteemed director," and writer Neil Gaiman said he was "funny, brilliant and honest."

"36 years ago I met Terry Jones. I was meant to interview him. I asked for tea, so he opened a bottle of Chablis & got me drunk," Gaiman remembered.

Actor and comedian Stephen Fry tweeted: "Farewell, Terry Jones. The great foot has come down to stamp on you. My god what pleasure you gave, what untrammelled joy and delight. What a wonderful talent, heart and mind."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined in the tributes, writing: "A beloved comedian, a brilliant writer & director, and a creative powerhouse -- Terry Jones was one of a kind. Sending my condolences to his family, friends, and legions of fans around the world. We'll miss you, Terry."



His family's statement said: "His work with Monty Python, his books, films, television programmes, poems and other work will live on forever, a fitting legacy to a true polymath."

"We hope that this disease will one day be eradicated entirely," it added.

Filmography

Television

Title       Year       Credited as         Notes

Actor     Writer   Director                Other    Role

The Frost Report               1966–1967          No          Yes         No          No                         

A Series of Bird's               1967      No          Yes         No          No                          Additional material

Twice a Fortnight             1967      Yes         Yes         No          No          Various characters          

Do Not Adjust Your Set 1967–1969          Yes         Yes         No          No          Various characters          

Horne A'Plenty 1968      No          Yes         No          No                         

Broaden Your Mind         1968      Yes         Yes         No          No          Various characters           Additional material

The Complete and Utter History of Britain             1969      Yes         Yes         No          Yes         Various characters           Also co-creator

Marty    1969      Yes         Yes         No          Yes         Various characters          

Christmas Night with the Stars    1969, 1972          Yes         Yes         No          No          Various characters          

Monty Python's Flying Circus       1969–1974          Yes         Yes         No          Yes         Various characters           Also co-creator

Frost on Sunday                1970      No          Yes         No          No                         

Marty Amok       1970      No          Yes         No          No                          Television special

The Two Ronnies              1971–1976          No          Yes         No          No                          13 episodes

Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus             1972      Yes         Yes         No          No          Various characters          

Black and Blue   1973      No          Yes         No          No                          Episode: "Secrets"

Ripping Yarns     1976–1979          Yes         Yes         No          Yes         Mr. Ellis / Bear / Mr. Moodie / Director Also co-creator

The Mermaid Frolics       1977      Yes         Yes         Yes         No          Various characters           Television special

Saturday Night Live         1978      Yes         No          No          No          Orson Welles' director (voice)     Episode: "Michael Palin/Eugene Record"

Peter Cook & Co.              1980      Yes         No          No          No          Various characters           Television special

The Rupert Bear Story: A Tribute to Alfred Bestall              1982      No          Yes         Yes         Yes         Himself                 Television documentary

The Young Ones                1984      Yes         No          No          No          Drunk Vicar         Episode: "Nasty"

Bombardemagnus           1985      No          Yes         No          No                          2 episodes

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles         1992      Yes         No          Yes         No          Marcello              Episode: "Barcelona, May 1917"

Jackanory            1993      Yes         No          No          No          Reader 2 episodes

Crusades              1995      No          Yes         No          Yes         Presenter            4 episodes

Blazing Dragons                1996–1998          No          No          No          Yes                         Co-creator and executive producer

Ancient Inventions          1998      No          Yes         No          Yes         Presenter            3 episodes

Boy in Darkness                2000      Yes         No          No          No          Storyteller           Television short film

Gladiators: The Brutal Truth        2000      No          No          No          Yes         Presenter           

Comedy Lab       2001, 2010          Yes         No          No          No          Knife (voice) / Handyman              2 episodes

The Hidden History of Egypt        2002      No          Yes         No          Yes         Presenter           

The Hidden History of Rome        2002      No          Yes         No          Yes         Presenter           

Dinotopia            2002      Yes         No          No          No          Messenger Bird (voice)

The Surprising History of Sex and Love    2002      No          Yes         No          Yes         Presenter           

Terry Jones' Medieval Lives          2004      No          Yes         No          Yes         Presenter            8 episodes

The Story of 1    2005      No          No          No          Yes         Presenter            Documentary

Terry Jones' Barbarians 2006      No          Yes         No          Yes         Presenter            4 episodes

Kombat Opera Presents                2007      No          No          Yes         No                          Episode: "The South Bragg Show"

Terry Jones' Great Map Mystery 2008      No          No          No          Yes         Presenter            4 episodes

The Legend of Dick and Dom       2009–2011          Yes         No          No          No          Narrator              

Perspectives[citation needed]    2015      No          No          No          Yes         Presenter            Episode: "In Charlie Chaplin's Footsteps"

Film

Title       Year       Credited as         Notes

Actor     Writer   Director                Other    Role

And Now for Something Completely Different     1971      Yes         Yes         No          No          Various characters          

Monty Python and the Holy Grail              1975      Yes         Yes         Yes         No          Sir Bedevere the Wise / Various                

Jabberwocky      1977      Yes         No          No          No          Poacher               

Monty Python's Life of Brian       1979      Yes         Yes         Yes         No          Various characters          

The Box                1981      Yes         Yes         No          No          Harrington (voice)            Short film

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl            1982      Yes         Yes         No          No          Various characters                 Concert film

The Crimson Permanent Assurance          1983      Yes         No          No          No          Very Big Corporation of America Clerk                 Uncredited

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life        1983      Yes         Yes         Yes         No          Various characters          

Labyrinth             1986      No          Yes         No          No                         

Personal Services             1987      No          No          Yes         No                         

Erik the Viking   1989      Yes         Yes         Yes         No          King Arnulf         

L.A. Story             1991      Yes         No          No          No          Sara's Mother (voice)     Uncredited

The Wind in the Willows               1996      Yes         Yes         Yes         No          Mr. Toad             

Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar                1999      Yes         No          No          No          Obelix (voice)     English version

The Creator        1999      Yes         No          No          No          God       

Help! I'm a Fish 2000      Yes         No          No          No          Professor Mac Krill (voice)            English version

Locked Out[citation needed]      2006      Yes         No          No          No          Homeless person            

Anna and the Moods[citation needed]   2007      Yes         No          No          No          Narrator (voice)                Short film

King Guillaume[citation needed]               2009      Yes         No          No          No          Oxford Professor             

Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)          2010      Yes         No          No          No          Workingman / Mexican / Mountie              

A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman    2012      Yes         No          No          No                 Graham's mother / Various voices           

Monty Python Live (Mostly)        2014      Yes         Yes         No          No          Various characters          

Absolutely Anything        2015      Yes         Yes         Yes         No          Scientist Alien (voice) / Van Driver           

Boom Bust Boom             2015      No          Yes         Yes         Yes         Presenter            Documentary

Documentary series

    The Rupert Bear Story: A Tribute to Alfred Bestall (1982)

    Crusades (1995)

    Ancient Inventions – directed by Phil Grabsky and Daniel Percival (1998)

    Gladiators: The Brutal Truth (2000)

    The Surprising History of Egypt (USA, 2002) a.k.a. The Hidden History of Egypt (UK, 2003) – directed by Phil Grabsky

    The Surprising History of Rome (USA, 2002) a.k.a. The Hidden History of Rome (UK, 2003) – directed by Phil Grabsky

    The Surprising History of Sex and Love (2002) – directed by Alan Ereira and Phil Grabsky[57][58]

    Terry Jones' Medieval Lives (2004)

    The Story of 1 (2005)

    Terry Jones' Barbarians (2006)

    Terry Jones' Great Map Mystery (2008)

    In Charlie Chaplin's Footsteps with Terry Jones (2015)

    Boom Bust Boom (2015)