Eric Idle, born in South Shields, County Durham, England, on March 29, 1943, is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, and playwright best known as a member of the comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. He studied English at Pembroke College, Cambridge, joining the Cambridge University Footlights Club and serving as its president in 1965. He starred in the television comedy series Do Not Adjust Your Set before co-creating and starring in Monty Python's Flying Circus from 1969 to 1974. He composed and performed comic songs for Monty Python, including “Galaxy Song” and “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”, the latter reaching number 3 on the UK Singles Chart in October 1991. He created the sketch comedy television series Rutland Weekend Television from 1975 to 1976, leading to the creation of the Rutles alongside Neil Innes and their 1978 television film All You Need Is Cash and album The Rutland Weekend Songbook. He adapted Monty Python and the Holy Grail into the 2004 Broadway musical Spamalot, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005 and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2006. His film voice work includes Wreck-Gar in The Transformers: The Movie in 1986 and Merlin in Shrek the Third in 2007. An asteroid, (9620) Ericidle, was named in his honor.
