Eric Idle was born in South Shields, County Durham, on 29th March 1943. This lost him the 'Youngest Python' title to Michael Palin who was born only five weeks later. Eric's father died in a car accident at Christmas 1945, leaving his mother to raise Eric and his siblings alone.
Eric was educated at the Royal School in Wolverhampton, a 'semi-orphanage' previously attended by poet and novelist Philip Oakes. Despite fraternising with the ladies, Eric was intelligent and decided to try and enroll at Cambridge.
Eric auditioned for, and was accepted into, the Cambridge footlights where he remembers seeing and meeting John Cleese.
Eric worked with Jones, Palin and Gilliam on "Do Not Adjust Your Set" and knew Chapman through Cleese (whom he had originally met at University). It was Eric who suggested the use of Terry Gilliam when the idea of Monty Python's Flying Circus was raised.
Both Idle and Gilliam were the loners of the group, Eric preffering to write alone - a master of one-liners.
Since Python, Eric has appeared in the films "Nuns On The Run" with Robbie Coltrane, "Casper", "Splitting Heirs" and produced brit-flick "Leon The Pig Farmer". He has also acted and exercised his vocal chords as Ko-Ko in Jonathon Miller's production of "The Mikado"
He married actress Lyn Ashley in 1969, divorcing in 1975, and marrying his present wife Tania, in 1977. He has two children, a son Carey with Lyn, born in 1973, and a daughter Lily, with Tania, born in 1990. He currently divides his time between London and California.
Born: 29th March 1943
