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Name: Graham Chapman
Date Of Birth: 08/01/1941
Date of Death: 04/10/1989
Date Of Birth: 08/01/1941
Date of Death: 04/10/1989
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By now you should know how Graham Chapman first met his fellow Pythons, it was, of course, through the Cambridge Footlights. Here he helped write and performed in Cambridge Circus and before too long went onto write for David Frost and Marty Feldman as well as contributing to programs such as The Illustrated Weekly Hudd, Cilla Black and This is Tom Jones. However it was At Last the 1948 Show where he really started to make his name.
Apparently during the writing process of Monty Python's Flying Circus Chapman would only contribute relatively little in his collaborations with John Cleese; Cleese would write the majority of the sketch while Chapman sat quietly, but then would occasionally come up with an idea that completely changed the sketch and made it work in a whole new way; the prime example of this would be that in a sketch about a man returning a broken toaster to a shop Chapman, wanting to make it less ordinary, suggested they use a parrot. Thus creating Python's most iconic sketch.
Apparently during the writing process of Monty Python's Flying Circus Chapman would only contribute relatively little in his collaborations with John Cleese; Cleese would write the majority of the sketch while Chapman sat quietly, but then would occasionally come up with an idea that completely changed the sketch and made it work in a whole new way; the prime example of this would be that in a sketch about a man returning a broken toaster to a shop Chapman, wanting to make it less ordinary, suggested they use a parrot. Thus creating Python's most iconic sketch.
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As a performer in the series Chapman was probably the strongest, he was very good at playing dialects and managed to pull off all kinds of straight laced people, pompous military types, rude and condescending authority figures, stupid loonies and hysterical women. It was no doubt this proficient level of performance skills that led to him taking on the leads in Holy Grail and Life of Brian. In these films he is truly brilliant, making King Arthur overly self important and stupid and filling Brian with a lot of likeability and sympathy that makes you actually care for his plight as well as laugh at the jokes around him.
Following Python he would make guest appearances on some American TV shows such as Hollywood Squares and The Big Show; he also worked on several projects as a writer including a pilot for a show called Out of the Trees which he wrote with Douglas Adams that never went to a full series. In 1978 Chapman co-wrote and starred in a feature film re-make of The Odd Job which had previously been an episode of Six Dates With Barker. In 1982 he got to put together his passion project Yellowbeard which co-starred John Cleese, Eric Idle, Spike Milligan, Marty Feldman and Cheech and Chong; the film however was very poorly received and is perhaps most famous for being the film where Marty Feldman died of a heart attack during filming...
Following Python he would make guest appearances on some American TV shows such as Hollywood Squares and The Big Show; he also worked on several projects as a writer including a pilot for a show called Out of the Trees which he wrote with Douglas Adams that never went to a full series. In 1978 Chapman co-wrote and starred in a feature film re-make of The Odd Job which had previously been an episode of Six Dates With Barker. In 1982 he got to put together his passion project Yellowbeard which co-starred John Cleese, Eric Idle, Spike Milligan, Marty Feldman and Cheech and Chong; the film however was very poorly received and is perhaps most famous for being the film where Marty Feldman died of a heart attack during filming...
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On October 4th 1989 Graham Chapman passed away from complications with Cancer of the tonsils and spine. This was the day before the Monty Python 20th anniversary and has been regarded as “the worst case of party-pooping in all history”. Reportedly Chapman's last words were “sorry for saying fuck” to a nurse that he had earlier sworn at for sticking him with a needle.
Though he died much too young it can't be denied that Chapman contributed a hell of a lot to the world of comedy just by being a Python and his legacy has remained in tact, despite a few hiccups along the way. He was a true loss, but if I could hope to achieve half of what he did before I die I'd consider myself lucky.
Though he died much too young it can't be denied that Chapman contributed a hell of a lot to the world of comedy just by being a Python and his legacy has remained in tact, despite a few hiccups along the way. He was a true loss, but if I could hope to achieve half of what he did before I die I'd consider myself lucky.