Biography
The "matinee idol" of the motley
Monty Python crew, Eric Idle attended Cambridge University, where he served as president of the Footlights Revue. Idle's fellow college troupers included future Pythonites
John Cleese and
Graham Chapman. After getting his start on such TV series as
Do Not Adjust Your Set and
The Frost Report, Idle served as performer and co-writer for the zany weekly series
Monty Python's Flying Circus. He remained a loyal Python throughout the group's many film, TV-special and book projects. On his own, Idle has co-starred in such films as
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989),
Nuns on the Run (1990),
Mom and Dad Save the World (1992), and
Casper (1995). One of his best screen showings was his sidesplitting bit as an accident-prone cyclist in
National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985). Among Idle's contributions to American television was his star turn as snobbish ghost Grant Pritchard in the 1989 comedy/fantasy series
Nearly Departed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide