Monty Python was a British comedy troupe that emerged in the late 1960s with its own television (see entry under 1940s— TV and Radio in volume 3) show, Monty Python's Flying Circus. The show developed a huge cult following in the 1970s and beyond. The members of Monty Python also made a number of films which, along with their TV show, brought them great success in Britain and in the United States and had a lasting impact on late twentieth-century comedy.

The members of the group consisted of John Cleese (1939–), Eric Idle (1943–), Graham Chapman (1941–1989), Michael Palin (1943–), Terry Gilliam (1940–), and Terry Jones (1942–). They began their individual careers performing in various comedy troupes in Great Britain where they met and often worked with each other. In 1969, they formed Monty Python, a comedy group who wrote and performed satirical sketches, or skits...