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Quantcast [______________________] [ Search Schools (Local/Online) ] * Stateu_super_nav_bg * Online Degree * K-12 Schools * Careers * Job Board * Financial Aid * Study Guides Dt * Education * Jobs * Encyclopedia * Health * Abstracts * Forums * Blog _____________________ [ Search ] Cambridge Encyclopedia :: Cambridge Encyclopedia Vol. 73 Terry Gilliam - Early life, "Gilliamations" (Gilliam's Animations), Directing, Film Festival, Trivia Search All U.S. Universities _____________________ [ Search ] Artist and film director, born in Minneapolis, Michigan, USA. Originally known for his fantasy animations in the television series `Monty Python's Flying Circus' (1969-74), he went on to work in film, directing such imaginative adventures as Jabberwocky (1977), The Time Bandits (1980), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), The Fisher King (1991), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), and The Brothers Grimm (2005). Portions of the summary below have been contributed by Wikipedia. Terrence Vance Gilliam (born November 22, 1940) is an American-born British filmmaker and animator, and member of the comedy group Monty Python. Early life Gilliam was born in Medicine Lake, Minnesota. The family moved to California because of his sister's asthma, and Terry Gilliam enrolled into Birmingham High School. When Gilliam graduated from high school, he attended Occidental College, at first studying physics, then switching to fine arts before finally majoring in political science. Gilliam contributed to the college magazine, Fang, becoming the editor during his junior year and turning it into a tribute to Kurtzman, to whom Terry later sent copies. While in college Gilliam was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After finishing college, Gilliam worked briefly for an advertising agency before Kurtzman offered him a job at Help! "Gilliamations" (Gilliam's Animations) Terry Gilliam started his career as an animator and strip cartoonist; Gilliam then participated in Monty Python's Flying Circus from its formation, at first being credited as an animator (his name was listed separately after the other five in the closing credits), later as a full member. He also appeared in several sketches, and played side parts in the films but was definitely always the least visible python. Gilliam's animations for Monty Python have a distinctive style. The style has been mimicked repeatedly throughout the years: in the children's television cartoon Angela Anaconda, a series of television commercials for Guinness stout, the "Children's Television Sausage Factory" openings that inspired opening animator Barry Blair of Nickelodeon series You Can't Do That On Television!, John Muto's animation in Forbidden Zone, the political cartoons that feature on the website JibJab, the Rathergood.com animations by Joel Veitch, a bizarre set of Internet cartoons called Animutations made by Neil Cicierega, the television history series Terry Jones' Medieval Lives, recent episodes of the Alton Brown's Food Network television show Good Eats, and, to a degree, South Park. University of Phoenix Directing Gilliam went on to become a motion picture writer and director. His films are usually highly imaginative fantasies. Most of Gilliam's movies include plotlines that seem to occur partly or completely in the characters' imaginations, raising questions about the definition of identity and sanity. His films have a distinctive look, often recognizable from just a short clip; Gilliam has acquired the unfortunate reputation of making extremely expensive movies beset with production problems. After the lengthy quarrelling with Universal Studios over Brazil, Gilliam's next picture, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, cost around US$46 million, and then earned only about US$8 million in US ticket sales. A decade later, Gilliam attempted to film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, budgeted at US$32.1 million, among the highest-budgeted films to use only European financing; (Gilliam's reputation in this regard has been sufficient for the satirical newspaper The Onion to run a news article entitled "Terry Gilliam Barbecue Plagued By Production Delays".) Although the film was cancelled, the story behind the whole production was filmed by a second crew hired by Gilliam to document the process. (This was as sort of an insurance for Gilliam, learned from previously cancelled productions.) This production story was made into a documentary named Lost in La Mancha. Despite this, Gilliam has also helmed some unqualified successes. Films directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) (co-directed with Terry Jones) Jabberwocky (1977) Time Bandits (1981) The Crimson Permanent Assurance (1983) (a short supporting feature that accompanied Monty Python's The Meaning of Life) Brazil (1985) The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) The Fisher King (1991) Twelve Monkeys (1995) (inspired by Chris Marker's La Jetee). Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) The Brothers Grimm (2005) Tideland (2005) Gilliam has several projects in various states of development, including an adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's comic fantasy novel Good Omens; Gilliam is also still keen on directing The Defective Detective, written by The Fisher King script-writer Richard LeGravanese. In the mid-1990s, Gilliam and Charles McKeown developed a script for Time Bandits 2; Gilliam's unsuccessful efforts (in 1999 and 2000) to film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, based on Miguel Cervantes' Don Quixote, were the subject of the documentary Lost In La Mancha (2002). In the near future, Gilliam may direct - or at least help and work with - the animated band Gorillaz' movie, due out in 2007 or 2008. Gilliam and Harry Potter J. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series of books, is a fan of Gilliam's work. Consequently, Gilliam was Rowling's first choice for the director of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2000. Warner Brothers refused to consider Gilliam as director, instead selecting Chris Columbus for the job. Recently, Gilliam stated in relation to this episode, 'I was the perfect guy to do Harry Potter. Pedestrian.' Gilliam, though rumoured for a day or so to direct Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, as per IMDb, has stated that he will never direct any Potter film. The Secret Tournament In 2002, Gilliam directed a series of Television Advertisements called The Secret Tournament. Slava's Diabolo In 2006, Gilliam directed the stage show Slava's Diabolo, created and staged by Russian clown artist Slava Polunin. The show combines Polunin's clown style, characterized by deep non-verbal expression and interaction with the audience, with Gilliam's rich visuals and surrealistic imagery. Film Festival Although Gilliam is now a British citizen, he also maintains a residence in Italy near the Umbria-Tuscany border. Trivia Gilliam famously appeared in a sketch on Trigger Happy TV, where he was interviewed by Dom Joly. Come on then!' Gilliam was astonished and vaguely terrified, mouthing 'Oh, fuck!' to the cameraman. Terry was also the chairman and CEO of his own studio Terry Gilliam Pictures Co. Gilliam had dual American and British citizenship for 38 years, but gave up his American citizenship in 2006. Gilliam's mother was seemingly kidnapped by Trey Parker and Matt Stone on the BBC's Monty Python Night. In their segment of "Monty Python Night," in addition to the animation, they "kidnapped" Gilliam's mother, in order to force him to come and work for them, and create more animations. 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