What is Michael Palin's Net Worth?
Sir Michael Palin is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television travel show presenter who has a net worth of $20 million. Michael Palin is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, and Terry Gilliam. Beyond Python, he acted in such films as "Jabberwocky," "Time Bandits," "The Missionary," "Brazil," "A Fish Called Wanda," and "The Death of Stalin." Palin has also made several television travel documentaries in places around the world.
Early Life and Education
Michael Palin was born on May 5, 1943 in Sheffield, England as the second child of Mary and Edward. His sister was Angela. For his formal education, Palin went to Birkdale School and Shrewsbury School. He then attended the University of Oxford's Brasenose College, where he studied modern history. Palin became a celebrated actor at Oxford as part of the Brightside and Carbrook Cooperative Society Players. He also performed in, and wrote for, the Oxford Revue with fellow student Terry Jones.
Career Beginnings
After graduating from Oxford in 1965, Palin became a presenter on the comedy television show "Now!" Over the subsequent years, he co-wrote an array of BBC programs with Terry Jones, including "The Ken Dodd Show" and "The Illustrated Weekly Hudd." The pair also wrote lyrics for an album by Barry Booth, and worked as part of the team of writers for the satirical television show "The Frost Report." Palin and Jones went on to work as both actors and writers on the shows "Twice a Fortnight" and "Do Not Adjust Your Set." They also created and wrote the comedy sketch show "The Complete and Utter History of Britain."
Monty Python
In 1969, Palin formed the surrealist comedy troupe Monty Python with Terry Jones, Eric Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, and Terry Gilliam. The group subsequently debuted the sketch comedy television series "Monty Python's Flying Circus," which ran through 1974. The show became a phenomenon, going on to spawn stage shows, films, books, and albums. Palin acted in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "Argument Clinic," "The Lumberjack Song," and "The Spanish Inquisition," and often co-wrote sketches with Jones. In 1975, Monty Python released the feature film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," a medieval farce that is widely considered to be among the funniest movies ever made. The group followed it with 1979's "Monty Python's Life of Brian" and 1983's "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life."
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Film Career
Beyond the three main Python movies, Palin wrote and acted in a number of other films over the years. In 1971, he co-wrote the comedy "Percy," based on the Raymond Hitchcock novel. Later in the decade, Palin starred in the fantasy comedy film "Jabberwocky," directed by Monty Python's Terry Gilliam. He reunited with Gilliam for 1981's "Time Bandits," which he both co-wrote and acted in. The following year, Palin wrote "The Missionary," in which he also starred alongside Maggie Smith. In 1984, the pair starred together again in "A Private Function." Palin subsequently appeared in Terry Gilliam's 1985 science-fiction black comedy "Brazil" and Charles Crichton's 1988 black comedy heist farce "A Fish Called Wanda." His next role was as Rev. Francis Ashby in the 1991 drama "American Friends," which he co-wrote with the director Tristram Powell. Five years after that, Palin lent his voice to the adventure comedy film "The Wind in the Willows." He subsequently starred alongside his "A Fish Called Wanda" cast mates in the 1997 comedy "Fierce Creatures," a spiritual successor to the earlier film.
After "Fierce Creatures," Palin didn't appear in another feature film for 14 years. He returned to the big screen in 2011 with a voice role in the animated film "Arthur Christmas." Four years after that, he voiced an alien in Terry Jones's science-fantasy comedy "Absolutely Anything." Palin returned to live-action film acting in 2017 when he portrayed Soviet politician Vyacheslav Molotov in Armando Iannucci's political satire "The Death of Stalin."
Later Television Career
Following the end of "Monty Python's Flying Circus," Palin starred in the BBC television film "Three Men in a Boat." He next created the adventure comedy anthology series "Ripping Yarns" with Terry Jones, and also starred in it. The show ran from 1976 to 1979. After that, Palin began making travel documentaries, with his first being a 1980 episode of the BBC series "Great Railway Journeys of the World." Between 1989 and 2012, he presented numerous travel series for the BBC, including "Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin," "Pole to Pole with Michael Palin," "Sahara with Michael Palin," and "Michael Palin's New Europe." Later, for Channel 5, he presented "Michael Palin in North Korea" and "Michael Palin: Into Iraq." Palin has also presented some documentary programs about art and history. Elsewhere, in fiction series, he starred in the 2014 BBC serial "Remember Me" and appeared in the 2018 ITV miniseries adaptation of "Vanity Fair."
Books
For each of his travel documentaries, Palin wrote a complementary book. He has also penned a number of children's books, such as "Small Harry and the Toothache Pills" and "Cyril and the Dinner Party," as well as books about Royal Navy history.
Personal Life
In 1966, Palin wed Helen Gibbins. They had three children named Thomas, William, and Rachel, and remained married until Gibbins's passing in 2023.
In 1993, Palin helped establish the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering in London. This was due to the stammering of his father, as well as the stammering character he played in "A Fish Called Wanda."
