Terry Gilliam has directed 13 feature films including 1981 fantasy adventure Time Bandits with Sean Connery and John Cleese, 1995’s sci-fi thriller 12 Monkeys with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt and 2005 fantasy adventure The Brothers Grimm with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger. It all started, of course, with 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the first Monty Python film, which Gilliam co-wrote and starred in along with his fellow Pythons, as well as directing.
Although American-born, Gilliam renounced his American citizenship in 2006. He was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay for 1985 sci-fi dystopian dark comedy Brazil and a Golden Globe for best director for 1991 fantasy comedy-drama The Fisher King. In 1998, he won a Bafta for outstanding contribution to cinema and, in 2009, a Bafta fellowship for lifetime achievement.
This February, he will be receiving his first Aardman Slapstick visual comedy award at Bristol’s Slapstick festival. Instead of a boring old gold bald bloke clasping his hands (Oscar), golden globe (er, Golden Globe) or golden mask (Bafta), the physical award comes in the shape of a personalised Morph – the brown clay character from Take Hart and Hartbeat from the 70s, and Aardman’s first character – doing an impression of whomever the award is presented to.
Which begs the questions – which of Gilliam’s personality traits will his Morph award be based on? When Vic and Bob won in 2015, Morph (and Chas, Morph’s sidekick) were raising their handbags, Shooting Stars-style. In 2016, Michael Crawford’s Morph wore a Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em green coat and beret. For Gilliam, if it was us, we’d have Morph about to be squished by a giant Monty Python foot. But, what do we know, eh?
What we do know is that, to celebrate, Gilliam will be here to take your questions on his career as a whole, so please get them in below by 12pm GMT on Wednesday 24 January and we’ll print his answers in Film & Music on 2 February.
• Gilliam presents a screening of Brazil and also speaks at The Dark Comic Genius of Terry Gilliam, both on Sunday 18 February at Bristol’s Old Vic as part of this year’s Slapstick festival
