Graham chapman
Graham Arthur Chapman (Leicester, England, January 8, 1941 – Maidstone, England, October 4, 1989) was a British comedian and actor, member of the comedy group Monty Python.
He was born in Leicester, the son of a policeman. He studied medicine at the University of Cambridge and graduated as a doctor of medicine from Queen Mary's University of London, but never got to practice as a doctor, opting for comedy.
Known for starring authoritative characters, such as the famous colonel who interrupted skits, he also played the roles of a doctor several times, for which his training will have contributed a lot, among many other roles. He played leading roles in Life of Brian , starring as Brian, and Knights of the Square Table , as Arthur. Over time, alcoholism affected his performance as an actor.
Early years and education
Chapman was born at Stoneygate Nursing Home, in Stoneygate, Leicester. He was educated at Melton Mowbray Grammar School, studied medicine at Emmanuel College (University of Cambridge) and later at St Bartholomew's Medical College, Queen Mary University, University of London. He was an avid fan of comedy on radio from an early age, he was especially drawn to The Goon Show. In the introduction to his posthumous biography (2005/2006), Jim Yoakum notes that radio shows did not necessarily make him laugh. Only a few got a laugh out of Chapman, including Frankie Howerd, the team at Jimmy Jewel and Ben Warriss, It's That Man Again, Educating Archie, Take It From Here and Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh. “I especially liked Robert Moreton, even though no one else seemed to like him very much. He would do things like tell bad jokes on purpose and change the order of sentences. He was obviously a good comedian ahead of his time. The apparent incompetence he displayed was wonderful. He was one of my heroes." But the show that really surprised Graham, and would become a major influence on his career, was The Goon Show (p.xvii). Chapman said that “from the age of seven or eight he used to be an avid listener of The Goon Show. In fact, at that time he wished to & # 34;be & # 34; a "goon". (p. 23).
Personal life
Among Chapman's closest friends were The Who's Keith Moon, singer Harry Nilsson, and beatle Ringo Starr. Chapman was an alcoholic in the 1970s, and kept his homosexuality a secret until the middle of that decade (although his colleagues at Monty Python already knew of his sexual orientation), when he confessed it on a talk show hosted by jazz musician George Melly., thus becoming one of the first celebrities to do so. A few days later he revealed his orientation to a group of friends at a party held at his Belsize Park home, where he officially introduced them to his partner David Sherlock. Chapman would later become an advocate for gay rights.
She lived for twenty years with David Sherlock, with whom she adopted a son, John Tomiczeck (who died in 1991), a runaway teenager whom Graham found on a London street.
The Birth of Monty Python's Flying Circus
In 1969 Chapman and Cleese joined forces with Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and American artist Terry Gilliam to create Monty Python's Flying Circus. One of Chapman's best-remembered characters was "The Colonel," a stuffy British officer who would suddenly appear in the middle of performances to order the skit to end, for being too stupid.
After Cleese left the series in 1973, Chapman continued to write the fourth and final season of the series solo, as well as in collaboration with Neil Innes and Douglas Adams. Later he developed several projects for film and television, among them: Out of the Trees, The Odd Job and Yellowbeard, in which he was starring alongside Cleese, Peter Cook, Cheech and Chong and Marty Feldman (who died in the final days of shooting).
The funeral for his death
Graham Chapman, a former heavy smoker, died on October 4, 1989 of cancer. His remains were cremated at Vinters Park on October 13. As part of his funeral elegy, Eric Idle sang a fragment of & # 34; Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life & # 34;, a song composed by himself, with which The life of Brian. The message of said song is very appropriate given the optimism, great sense of humor and generosity of Graham Chapman.
John Cleese delivered the keynote address at the funeral, including the following:
«Graham Chapman, co-author of the Sketch of “The Dead Lore”, already does NOT exist.He has ceased to be, he has gone to better life, rests in peace, he has slapped it, gone to the beyond, biting the dust, he has dashed it, exhaled his last breath, he has gone to meet the Great Chief of Light Entertainment in the heavens.
And I guess all of us here think how sad it is that a man of such talent, such ability and kindness, of such intelligence, has suddenly vanished so suddenly at the age of just forty-eight years, before he could reach many of the things he was capable of, and before he had fun enough.Well, I think I should say, "You stupid things. Have a good trip, the bastard took advantage of this. I hope it gets cold.”
I had it all but good taste dumb. I was able to hear him yesterday evening, while he wrote these words, whispering in my ear: “Well, Cleese, you are very proud to be the first person who said “morse” on British television. Good. If this act you really prepare is for me, to begin with, I want you to be the first person at a British funeral to say “JODER!”»
And the reason I think I should say this is that he would never forgive me if I didn't, if I let this wonderful opportunity pass on to you in your honor.
When he died, the band was preparing to celebrate their 20th anniversary, so Terry Jones said, "He's the biggest killjoy I've ever met. Now seriously, we miss him so much, we loved him so much".
Curiosities
- One of his latest appearances was in a video clip of the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, specifically the video of the song "Can I Play with Madness", from his album Seventh Son of a Seventh Sonpublished in 1988, one year before Graham died.
- His last appearance along with the Python was in a compilation of the best MPFC sketches presented by Steve Martin in 1989, entitled "Not the Parrot Sketch included". At the end of the program, Martin opens the door of a closet where the Monty Python are located next to Chapman in a wheelchair.