Sir Billy Connolly is turning 80 today (November 24), and is regarded as one of the most successful stand-up comedians, not only in Glasgow, but across the world.
The 'Big Yin' is loved the world over for his comedy, his many films and his charity work over the past several decades. He has acted in movies, taken on the music industry, and made millions of people laugh with his infectious personality and infamous one-liners.
Read on below to find out more about Billy Connolly, and the life he has led as Glasgow's most famous comedian.
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Back to the beginning
Sir Billy Connolly was born on November 24, 1942 in the Anderston area of Glasgow. He was born to Catholic parents, William Connolly and Mary McLean, who were both of partly Irish descent.
He actually got his Big Yin nickname due to him sharing a name with his father. Big Yin was used to differentiate between the pair.
He left school to work in the shipyards, becoming a welder, and joined the Territorial Army (in the parachute regiment) at around the same time. He developed an interest in folk music, eventually being an accomplished banjo player and a member of the band Humblebums with Gerry Rafferty - later of Baker Street fame.
When he was four, his mother left his father as he was serving as an engineer for the Royal Air Force in Burma. He was cared for by his two Aunties, Margaret and Mona - his father's sisters - in a tenement flat in Partick.
Speaking about his upbringing, Billy said: "My aunts constantly told me I was stupid, which still affects me today pretty badly. It’s just a belief that I’m not quite as good as anyone else. It gets worse as you get older.
"I’m a happy man now but I still have the scars of that."
Moving from music to comedy
During his time with the Humblebums, Billy's little jokes that he would tell in between songs gained more traction with the audience than the original performance - so he decided to try out comedy.
Working as a full time comedian was the move forward for Billy, and brought him many successes in life. Already a big star in Scotland, he became a household name in the UK after appearing on Parkinson in the early seventies.
He went on to have a regular slot on the show, and decided to try his hand at another aspect of the arts and entertainment industry.
Star-studded lights
Sir Billy took on acting as a job alongside releasing many recordings and videos of his concert performances over the years. In the 90s, he made two documentary series for the BBC, about Scotland and Australia respectively, and in 1997 he starred in the award winning film Mrs. Brown.
Since then, Billy has featured in movies like The Boondock Saints, Brave, The Last Samurai, The Hobbit and Quartet. He also starred in the US sitcom Head of the Class, and had his own spinoff Billy, as well as appearing in episodes of House, Columbo, 3rd Rock from the Sun and Minder.
Finding love Down Under
Billy has been married to his second wife, Dr Pamela Stephenson, since 1989. She is also a comedian and a psychologist, and was born in New Zealand - but her nationality is Austrialian.
She rose to fame after starring in 1980s sketch show Not the Nine O'Clock News. She also wrote a biography about her husband, titled Billy.
Speaking about his marriage to Pamela, Billy said: "Marriage to Pam didn't change me; it saved me. I was going to die. I was on a downwards spiral and enjoying every second of it.
"Not only was I dying, but I was looking forward to it."
Before this, in 1968 aged 26, Connolly married interior designer Iris Pressagh. In 1985, they divorced after 16 years, having separated four years earlier, and he was awarded custody of their children.
Hanging up the live performance shoes
In September 2013, Billy Connolly underwent minor surgery for early-stage prostate cancer. He also announced at this time that he was being treated for the early signs of Parkinson's disease.
In August 2018, his old friend Michael Parkinson said that Billy was struggling to remember who his friends were, and this "wonderful brain had dulled". The Glaswegian legend revealed in March 2020 that he was quitting live performance, due to his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease.
He explained that his brain now "works differently", making live comedy difficult. Billy said: "I’m finished with stand-up – it was lovely and it was lovely being good at it. It was the first thing I was ever good at.
"I get upset because certain things go wrong with you, your brain goes adrift, and it affects your body. So you walk differently, you walk like a drunk man sometimes, and you’re frightened you’ll be judged on it."
Despite retiring from live performance, Billy is regarded still as one of the greatest comedians to have ever lived, and is loved the world over - but especially adored in his hometown of Glasgow.
Down in the east end of the city, minutes away from Glasgow's Barrowlands, stands a massive mural dedicated to the Big Yin.
We wish Billy all the best on his birthday, and hope to celebrate the great man's life for years to come alongside him.
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