The lone holdout preventing the Monthy Python reunion movie.
His complete insistence on remaining dead is cocking the whole thing up.
Cheers for the quotation robwicks
Graham Chapman was born in Leicester, on the 8th January 1941, to policeman Walter Chapman, and his wife Edith. Educated at Melton Mowbray Grammar School, Graham following in the footsteps of elder brother John, won a place to read medicine at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He was fortunate enough to win a place in the Cambridge Footlights dramatic society in his first year, quite a feat in itself as there were only ever 25 members at a time. This collection of students was the premiere stomping ground for a generation of talented actors, writers and comedians, and also where Graham met a young John Cleese, who helped him write the 1962 comedy revue Double Take.
In 1963 Graham took a sabbatical and decided to continue training as a doctor at St. Bart's Hospital. Shortly afterward he joined the revue of that year, Cambridge Circus, helping out when one of the other actors dropped out. Despite of this, he was still working as a practising doctor by day.
In October 1964, Chapman had been asked to tour New Zealand with the now highly successful Cambridge Circus crew, but this would've meant him giving up the medical profession. By an odd coincidence, Chapman was due to have tea with the Queen Mother as part of a far larger group of doctors. Chapman mentioned the possibility of touring with the show to New Zealand to the Queen Mother, to which she replied, "Beautiful place. You must go." Chapman's parents took this as in effect, a royal command to go to New Zealand, so he went.
On his return Graham bounced around from show to show writing for BBC Radio and TV writing for such diverse shows as The Frost Report and No, That's Me Over Here!, until in 1969 he and John formed up with Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Eric Idle, along with animator Terry Gilliam, to form Monty Python's Flying Circus. The show became a worldwide hit, and all 45 episodes are still played all over the world to this day. Arguably, Graham's most famous work was as Brian in the Life of Brian, when he played a halfwit who happens to have been born in the manger next to Jesus, and is consequently mistaken for the Messiah.
In 1981 he started lecturing to American audiences in "An Audience with Graham Chapman". This continued for some years around the U.S. and Australia, and included such sketches such as "Irving C. Saltzberg" and "Salad Days." He also performed the "Medical Love Song" and "Bomber Harris". He used to start off these talks by asking the audience to hurl abuse at him for two minutes, a practice which he took with him to the Nelson Mandela Concert in 1988. In June of that year Graham became ill, and was diagnosed with throat cancer. He spent the next year in and out of hospital. Discharging himself in September 1989, he filmed the 20th Anniversary Special with the Pythons, but on October 1, he was re-admitted. On October 4, 1989, Graham Chapman died, just before the show was aired, leading to Terry Jones saying the act "was the worst case of party-pooping I have ever come across." There was a small funeral service, and a memorial service held in London in December 1989, and in Los Angeles in January 1990.
Graham was often described as a quiet madman, with his pipe at a jaunty angle in his mouth, and pint in one hand, but he was openly gay long before it was socially acceptable. He was open about his long-term relationship with writer David Sherlock, who lived with Graham for 24 years along with their adopted son, John Tomiczek who unfortunately died in 1992.
Graham's credo: "After all who of us in our lives hasn't set fire to some great public building or other..."
Below is a (relatively) complete list of Graham's work.
Writer
Yellowbeard (1983)
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982)
Life of Brian (1979)
The Odd Job (1978)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus (1972) (TV)
Rentadick (1972) (uncredited)
Doctor at Large (1971) TV Series
Now Look Here (1971) TV Series
The Two Ronnies (1971) TV Series
And Now for Something Completely Different (1971)
Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins, The (1971) (screenplay) (segments "Gluttony" and "Wrath")
Ronnie Barker Yearbook, The (1971) (TV)
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970)
Doctor in the House"(1969) TV Series
It's Marty (1969) (TV)
Magic Christian, The (1969) (additional material)
Broaden Your Mind (1968) TV Series
How to Irritate People (1968) (TV)
Marty (1968) TV Series
At Last the 1948 Show (1967) TV Series
No, That's Me Over Here! (1967) TV Series
The Frost Report (1966) TV Series
Filmography
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1997) (VG) .... Various
Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail (1996) (VG) ....
King Arthur, et. al.
Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time (1994) (VG) .... Various
Parrot Sketch Not Included (1989) (TV) .... Various
Still Crazy Like a Fox (1987) (TV) .... Detective Inspector Palmer
The Secret Policeman's Private Parts (1984) .... Himself
Group Madness (1983) .... Himself
Yellowbeard (1983) .... Captain Yellowbeard
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) .... Various
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (1982) .... Various
Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982) .... Various
The Big Show (1980) TV Series .... Regular Performer
Life of Brian (1979) .... Wise Man #2/
Brian/
Biggus Dickus
The Odd Job (1978) .... Arthur Harris
Monty Python Meets Beyond the Fringe (1977) .... Various
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) .... Various
Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus (1972) (TV) .... Various
And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) .... Various
The Statue, (1971) .... News reader
Doctor in Trouble (1970) .... Roddy
Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer, The (1970) .... Fromage
Magic Christian, The (1969) (uncredited) .... Oxford Crew
Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969) TV Series .... Various
How to Irritate People (1968) (TV) .... Various
At Last the 1948 Show (1967) TV Series .... Writer-performer
Producer
Love Potion (1987) (executive)
The Odd Job (1978)
Composer
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) (songs)
Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969) TV Series< /p>
Notable TV guest appearances
The Uncle Floyd Show (1974) playing "Guest"
Broaden Your Mind (1968)
listing taken from www.imdb.com