Sir William "Billy" Connolly, CBE, born on 24th November 1942, on the 3rd floor of 69 Dover Street, Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland, UK is a retired stand-up comedian, musician, presenter, actor, and artist. Billy's Scots nickname is The Big Yin (The Big One). Known for his idiosyncratic, often off-the-cuff observational comedy, often using profanities, Connolly is widely considered to be one of the greatest, most influential stand-up comedians of all time, having topped multiple UK polls. Billy's 1st trade, during the early '60s, was as a welder, being a boilermaker in the Glasgow shipyards until late in the decade, when he began a career as a folk singer. Connolly first sang in the folk rock group The Humblebums, alongside friends Gerry Rafferty and Tam Harvey, with whom he stayed until 1974, before going solo. Billy switched from folk singer with a comedic persona to fully-fledged comedian during the mid. '70s, for which he's now best known. He made his theatrical debut, at the Cottage Theatre in Cumbernauld in 1972, with a revue titled Connolly's Glasgow Flourish, having also played at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. His first solo album, Billy Connolly Live!, was produced that year, with a mixture of comedic songs and short monologues. Billy has appeared as an actor in movies including Indecent Proposal (1993), Pocahontas (1995), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Mrs Brown (1997), for which he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, The Boondock Saints (1999), The Last Samurai (2003), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008), Brave (2012), and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). On his 75th birthday, 24th November, 2017, three portraits of Connolly were revealed, painted by leading artists Jack Vettriano, John Byrne, and Rachel Maclean, which were later turned into part of Glasgow's official mural trail. Billy was knighted at Buckingham Palace by Prince William during October of that year, for services to entertainment and charity. Connolly announced his retirement from comedy in 2018, having established himself as an artist over recent years. He stated during 2020 "My art is about revealing myself" as he unveiled the 5th issue of his Born on a Rainy Day collection in London.
