Biography
Billy Connolly is a Scottish actor, comedian and musician. Born William Connolly on 24 November 1942 in Anderston, Glasgow, he trained as a boilermaker in the shipyards before turning to music in the 1960s as a member of the Humblebums and later as a solo performer. He moved into stand-up comedy in the early 1970s and subsequently into acting.
Connolly is known for film roles including Dain Ironfoot in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), Fergus in Brave (2012), Zebulon Gant in The Last Samurai (2003) and Dr Montgomery Montgomery in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004). He received a BAFTA nomination for his performance in Mrs Brown (1997). He was appointed CBE in 2003 and knighted in 2017.
