Michael Palin
Acting • Born 1943-05-05
Biography
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS (born 5 May 1943) is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries. Palin wrote most of his comedic material with Terry Jones. Before Monty Python, they had worked on other shows such as The Ken Dodd Show, The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin appeared in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "Argument Clinic", "Dead Parrot", "The Lumberjack Song", and "The Spanish Inquisition". Palin continued to work with Jones after Python, co-writing Ripping Yarns. He has also appeared in several films directed by fellow Python Terry Gilliam and made notable appearances in other films such as A Fish Called Wanda, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted the 30th favourite by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. After Python, he began a new career as a travel writer and travel documentarian. His journeys have taken him across the world, including the North and South Poles, the Sahara desert, the Himalayas and, most recently, Eastern Europe. In 2000 Palin was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to television.
Filmography
219 credits
Brazil
Movie • 1985
Jack Lint
Life of Brian
Movie • 1979
Wise Man #3 / Mr. Big Nose / Francis / Mrs. A / Ex-Leper / Announcer / Ben / Pontius Pilate / Boring Prophet / Eddie / Shoe Follower / Nisus Wettus
A Fish Called Wanda
Movie • 1988
Ken Pile
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Movie • 1975
First Swallow-Savvy Guard / Dennis / Peasant 2 / Right Head / Sir Galahad the Pure / Narrator / King of Swamp Castle / Brother Maynard's Brother / Leader of The Knights Who Say NI!
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Movie • 1983
Various Roles
Monty Python & the Holy Grail Location Report
Movie • 1974
Self
Jabberwocky
Movie • 1977
Dennis Cooper
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
Movie • 1982
Various Roles
Fierce Creatures
Movie • 1997
Adrian 'Bugsy' Malone
And Now for Something Completely Different
Movie • 1971
Gumby / Man with tape recorder / Phrasebook Author / Arthur Pewtey / Second self - defence student / Second Tenant / Lost His Wallet / Shrill Petrol Announcer / Milkman / Ernest Scribbler / Pet shop employee / Lumberjack / Headwaiter Gilberto / Herbert Anchovy / Blackmail Presenter / Gervais Brookhamster / Town Guild Lady
Life Of Brian Screenplay
Movie • 2008
Wise Man #3, Mr. Big Nose, Francis, Mrs. A, Ex-Leper
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Graham Chapman's Personal Best
Movie • 2006
Various Characters
Rik Mayall: Lord of Misrule
Movie • 2014
Self
Time Bandits
Movie • 1981
Vincent
Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?
Movie • 2004
Self
50 Films to See Before You Die
Movie • 2006
Self
The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash
Movie • 1978
Eric Manchester
Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)
Movie • 2010
Mrs. Betty Palin / Julius Caesar / Bevis
The Wind in the Willows
Movie • 1996
The Sun
Inside Shabby Road: The Music of 'The Rutles'
Movie • 2008
Self
Hitler: The Comedy Years
Movie • 2007
Heinrich Himmler (archive footage) (uncredited)
Get Up and Go: The Making of 'The Rutles'
Movie • 2008
Self
How to Irritate People
Movie • 1969
Various
Arthur Christmas
Movie • 2011
Ernie Clicker (voice)
Around the World in 20 Years
Movie • 2008
Self
Is This a Record?
Movie • 1973
Various
The Missionary
Movie • 1982
The Reverend Charles Fortescue
American Friends
Movie • 1991
Rev. Francis Ashby
A Private Function
Movie • 1984
Gilbert Chilvers
The Secret Policeman's Ball
Movie • 1979
Various Roles
Pleasure at Her Majesty's
Movie • 1976
Self
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
Movie • 1982
Self - Various Roles
The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball
Movie • 1989
Self
Three Men in a Boat
Movie • 1975
Harris
Absolutely Anything
Movie • 2015
Kindly Alien (voice)
The Pythons: Somewhere in Tunisia, Circa A.D. 1979
Movie • 1979
Self
The Wind in the Willows
Movie • 1995
Rat
The Willows in Winter
Movie • 1996
Rat
Close-Up Toothpaste Relaunch
Movie
salesman
Ending It All
Movie • 1970
A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman
Movie • 2012
Various (voice)
Palin on Redpath
Movie • 1997
Self - Presenter
Frost on Sketch Shows
Movie • 2013
Self
Anatomy of a Liar
Movie • 2012
Self
The Wipers Times
Movie • 2013
General Mitford
The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations
Movie • 2001
Self
The Seventh Python
Movie • 2008
Self
Life of Python
Movie • 1990
Self / Various Roles
The Box
Movie • 1981
(voice)
The Secret Policeman's Ball
Movie • 2012
Self
Parrot Sketch Not Included: Twenty Years of Monty Python
Movie • 1989
Self / Various Characters
The Movie Life of George
Movie • 1989
Self
Monty Python Live (Mostly)
Movie • 2014
Self, others
The Crimson Permanent Assurance
Movie • 1983
Workman
The Fringe, Fame and Me
Movie • 2022
Self
50 Years of BBC Two Comedy
Movie • 2014
Self
Euroshow '71: May Day Special
Movie • 1971
Various (as Montypython Flyingcircus)
Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened
Movie • 2009
Self
Monty Python: The Meaning of Live
Movie • 2014
Self
Fawlty Towers: 50 Years of Laughs
Movie • 2023
Self
Attenborough at 90
Movie • 2016
Self
The Meaning of Making 'The Meaning of Life'
Movie • 2003
Self
Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace
Movie • 2014
Self
Marty Feldman: Six Degrees of Separation
Movie • 2008
Self
Generation '66
Movie • 2016
Spike Milligan I told you I was ill... A live tribute
Movie • 2002
Self
Tracey Ullman: A Class Act
Movie • 1993
Various
Michael Palin & the Mystery of Hammershøi
Movie • 2005
Host
The Grand Knockout Tournament
Movie • 1987
Self
The Magic Faraway Tree
Movie • 2026
Michael Palin and the Ladies Who Loved Matisse
Movie • 2003
Narrator
The Death of Stalin
Movie • 2017
Vyacheslav Molotov
Timewatch: The Last Day of World War One
Movie • 2008
Presenter
Monty Python in Aberystwyth
Movie • 2009
Self
Not The Messiah: The Road To Albert Hall
Movie • 2010
The New Incomplete And Utter History Of Everything
Movie • 2014
Tomkinson's Schooldays
Movie • 1976
Tomkinson / Headmaster / TV Introducer / Mr Craffitt
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
Movie • 1977
Eric Olthwaite / Bank Manager
Comic Roots: Michael Palin
Movie • 1983
Making Qi
Movie • 2011
Self
Murder at Moorstones Manor
Movie • 1977
Charles Chiddingford
Across the Andes by Frog
Movie • 1977
Captain Walter Snetterton
Escape from Stalag Luft 112B
Movie • 1977
Major Errol Phipps
The Curse of the Claw
Movie • 1977
Kevin Orr / Uncle Jack
Whinfrey's Last Case
Movie • 1979
Gerald Whinfrey
Roger of the Raj
Movie • 1979
Roger
Golden Gordon
Movie • 1979
Gordon Ottershaw
Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World
Movie • 1966
Jazz Band Undertaker (uncredited)
The Art Of Travel With Michael Palin
Movie • 1989
Self
Alexander Armstrong's Real Ripping Yarns
Movie • 2014
Self
The Broken Bottle
Movie • 1977
Comedians Do It On Stage
Movie • 1986
Self
The Roots of Monty Python
Movie • 2005
Self (archive footage)
Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind
Movie • 2007
Gariiiiiii (voice)
Monty Python In The Netherlands
Movie • 1973
Michael Palin's Quest for Artemisia
Movie • 2015
Self
What the Pythons Did Next...
Movie • 2007
Self (archive footage)
Henry Cleans Up
Movie • 1974
Henry
Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and 'Dr. Strangelove'
Movie • 2004
Self
The Best of Monty Python's Flying Circus Volume 2
Movie • 2004
Self (archive footage)
The Best of Monty Python's Flying Circus Volume 1
Movie • 2004
Self (archive footage)
The Best of Monty Python's Flying Circus Volume 3
Movie • 2004
Self (archive footage)
The Meaning of Monty Python
Movie • 2013
Self
Monty Python: 30th Anniversary Sketches
Movie • 1999
Self
Monty Python: Pythonland
Movie • 1999
The Monty Python Story
Movie • 1999
Self
Monty Python: From Spam to Sperm
Movie • 1999
Self
Michael Palin: A Life on Screen
Movie • 2018
Monty Python: Before the Flying Circus
Movie • 2008
Self
What Is Brazil?
Movie • 2008
Self
Monty Python Conquers America
Movie • 2008
Self
Michael Palin In Wyeth's World
Movie • 2013
Self
Life on Air: David Attenborough's 50 Years in Television
Movie • 2002
Self - Presenter
Monty Python: And Now for Something Rather Similar
Movie • 2014
Self
The Unknown Peter Sellers
Movie • 2000
Self
Viz: The Documentary
Movie • 1990
Self
An Accidental Studio
Movie • 2019
Self
Final Ascent: The Legend of Hamish MacInnes
Movie • 2019
Self
John Cleese's First Farewell Performance
Movie • 1988
Self
Python at 50: Silly Talks and Holy Grails
Movie • 2019
Self (archive footage)
The Dress
Movie • 1984
Howard
The Secret Life of Brian
Movie • 2007
Self
Peter Sellers: A State of Comic Ecstasy
Movie • 2020
Self
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Michael Palin's Personal Best
Movie • 2006
Monty Python: Who's There?
Movie • 1970
Ken
Produced by George Martin
Movie • 2012
Self
The Great Birds Eye Peas Relaunch 1971
Movie • 1971
Sir David Attenborough and Sir Michael Palin in Conversation
Movie • 2020
Self
John Peel's Record Box
Movie • 2005
Self
Monty Python: Live at Aspen
Movie • 1998
Self
Jeepers Creepers
Movie • 2020
Newscaster (voice)
Monty Python's Best Bits Celebrated
Movie • 2021
Self (archive footage)(uncredited)
Concert for George
Movie • 2003
Self
How To Make It In Comedy
Movie • 2024
Rabbit Ears - Jack and the Beanstalk
Movie • 1991
Narrator (voice)
Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut) - Theatrical Release
Movie • 2010
Self
The Phoenix: A Century of Cinema
Movie • 2011
Self
The Academy of Armando
Movie • 2025
Self
The Witches
Movie • 1990
Witch at Meeting (uncredited)
When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain
Movie • 2025
Self
Dame Maggie Smith - A Celebration
Movie • 2024
Self
Monty Python's Flying Circus—John Cleese's Personal Best
Movie • 2006
Various Characters
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Eric Idle's Personal Best
Movie • 2006
Various Characters
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Terry Gilliam's Personal Best
Movie • 2006
Various Characters
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Terry Jones' Personal Best
Movie • 2006
Various Characters
Monty Python's Flying Circus—Graham Chapman's Personal Best
Movie • 2006
Various Characters
New Tales from Around the World in 80 Days
Movie • 2014
Self
Meridian: The First Ten Minutes
Movie • 1993
Self
The First Night of Meridian
Movie • 1993
Self - Host
The Philosophers' Football Match
Movie
Nietzsche
Innes Lloyd: The Producer
Movie • 2025
Self
Joke
Movie • 2026
Ripping Yarns
TV • 1976
Full Circle with Michael Palin
TV • 1997
Self
Sahara with Michael Palin
TV • 2002
Self - Presenter
Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure
TV • 1999
Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days
TV • 1989
Self
Pole to Pole
TV • 1992
Self
Himalaya with Michael Palin
TV • 2004
Self - Presenter
Monty Python's Flying Circus
TV • 1969
Various / "It's" man
G.B.H.
TV • 1991
Jim Nelson
The Complete and Utter History of Britain
TV • 1969
Pebble Mill at One
TV • 1972
The One Show
TV • 2006
Self - Guest
Going Live!
TV • 1987
Self
Monty Python's Personal Best
TV • 2006
Self / Various Characters
Do Not Adjust Your Set
TV • 1967
Various Characters
Staged
TV • 2020
Michael
The Secret Policeman's Ball
TV • 1976
Self
Twice a Fortnight
TV • 1967
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
TV • 1993
Self - Guest
Michael Palin's New Europe
TV • 2007
Self
Omnibus Presents Comic Relief
TV • 1986
Movie Connections
TV • 2007
Self
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
TV • 2007
Self
Clive Anderson All Talk
TV • 1996
Self
The Frank Skinner Show
TV • 1995
Self
Daytime Live
TV • 1987
Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)
TV • 2009
Self
Brazil with Michael Palin
TV • 2012
Self (Presenter)
Fantasy World Cup
TV • 1998
Self
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Co-Host
Michael Palin: The Art of Travel
TV • 1989
Remember Me
TV • 2014
Tom Parfitt
Travels with Palin
TV • 1980
Self
Clangers
TV • 1969
Narrator (voice)
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus
TV • 1972
Various Characters
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Special Guest
Artsnight
TV • 2015
Self
Wogan
TV • 1982
Self
Vanity Fair
TV • 2018
William Makepeace Thackeray
Michael Palin in North Korea
TV • 2018
Self - Host
Great Railway Journeys
TV • 1980
Self - Presenter
A Life on Screen
TV • 2014
Self
Michael Palin: Into Iraq
TV • 2022
Michael Palin in Nigeria
TV • 2024
Self
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
TV • 1975
Self
The Jonathan Ross Show
TV • 2011
Self
Legends
TV • 2006
Self
The Graham Norton Show
TV • 2007
Self
Worzel Gummidge
TV • 2019
The Green Man
Ripping Yarns
TV • 1976
Gerald Whinfrey
Ripping Yarns
TV • 1976
Roger
Ripping Yarns
TV • 1976
Kevin Orr / Uncle Jack
ZULU Comedy Galla
TV • 2010
Michael Palin
Monty Python's Best Bits (Mostly)
TV • 2014
Self (archive footage)
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Springfield History Museum curator (voice)
Michael Palin: Travels of a Lifetime
TV • 2020
Self - Host
Parkinson
TV • 1998
Self
Full House
TV • 1972
Various
A Series of Bird's
TV • 1967
The Secret Life of Trees
TV • 2025
Self - Narrator
Perspectives
TV • 2011
Self
Michael Palin in Venezuela
TV • 2025
Self - Host
Friday People
TV • 1985
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Dick Savage (uncredited)
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Host
Frost on Sunday
TV • 1968
Self / Various Characters
Remembers…
TV • 2022