John Cleese, October 27, 1939 - John Cleese was born on October 27, 1939 in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, England to Reginald Cleese, and insurance salesman, and Muriel Cross. He attended Cambridge University beginning in 1960 and joined the Footlights Club in his second term. In 1963, a Footlights production called "A Clump of Plinths" became so popular that the production spawned Cambridge Circus and ran in London's West End. He eventually earned his law degree from Cambridge. In 1964, the show traveled first to New Zealand and then to America for 24 performances on Broadway. By the late 60's, Cleese was established as an actor and a writer. In 1969, the BBC, looking for a new show to fill… an empty time slot, coupled Cleese and pal Graham Chapman with three graduates from Oxford, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, as well as Terry Gilliam to create Monty Python's Flying Circus. The BBC produced 45 episodes which have been run and rerun over 30 years. Flying Circus became a cult classic and spawned yet another television show, "Fawlty Towers" as well as books and feature films such as "Monty Python's Life of Brian" and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Cleese then came down with a debilitating flu-like illness which his doctor suggested might be psychosomatic. After working with a therapist, Cleese returned with no signs of the illness and even joined the doctor in writing two books, "Families and How to Survive Them" and "Life and How to Survive It." He went on to create training films for corporations through his company called Video Arts. These videos enabled training to be fun as well as informative. Through all of this, Cleese has demonstrated his ability to perform in all walks of life and has made a name for himself doing what he loves best.
Terry Jones was born in Colwyn Bay, Wales on February 1, 1942. He was a writer for such BBC programs as The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set, before joining with Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin to form the Monty Python comedy troupe. Best remembered as the nude organist, Jones co-directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), and directed Life of Brian (1979) and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983). Along with many Python-related books, screenplays, and records, he has written several non-fiction works including Chaucer's Knight: The Portrait of a Medieval Mercenary, Who Murdered Chaucer?: A Medieval Mystery, and Terry Jones's War on the War on… Terror. He also wrote numerous children's books including The Saga of Erik the Viking, which won the Children's Book Award in 1984, Fantastic Stories, The Beast with a Thousand Teeth, The Curse of the Vampire Socks, and Bedtime Stories.