Trivia

Billy's Parkinson's Disease was initially diagnosed under informal circumstances in that he was approached by a doctor in his L.A. hotel lobby after an appearance on Conan O'Brien's show in 2012. After the doctor introduced himself as a fan, he then remarked that Billy's shuffling gait resembled that of someone with the possible early onset of the disease and advised him to get a medical checkup.

Diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer and Parkinson's Disease [September 16, 2013].

In September 2005, he announced that he is returning to live in his native Scotland, after residing in the United States for some years.

In an article with The Guardian newspaper on 23 September 2001, Connolly revealed his childhood trauma of being sexually abused by his father and physically abused by his aunt. His mother abandoned the family when he was 3 years old and the family lived in poverty with Connolly sharing a sofa bed with his father. This led to him drinking and doing drugs which he would overcome with the help of his psychologist wife.

He is a former reserve soldier in Britain's elite parachute regiment, serving with 15 Para (now a disbanded battalion).

He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Entertainment.

American audiences are generally unfamiliar with Connolly's musical accomplishments, since he all but eliminated the songs from his act before he became popular in North America. An exception to this were his guest appearances on Pearl (1996) in which he sang one of his old songs, "I Wish I Was in Glasgow", in a duet with Malcolm McDowell.

He was awarded the Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Entertainment and Charity in East Sussex, England.

To date (2016), Billy holds the record for the most guest appearances on the popular British TV talk show Parkinson (1971), with a reported 15 spots.

Married Pamela Stephenson in Fiji on 20 December 1989.

Known for his long, messy hair, goatee, and lots of bad language in his stand-up show.

Received the Outstanding Contribution to Television and Film Award at the 2012 British Academy Scotland Awards.

July 2001: Received an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow.

Connolly became a teetotaler December 30, 1985, after a dire bender experience during the location shoot of Water (1985) on the Caribbean island of St Lucia where he almost caused a bus accident in which he and co-star Michael Caine were traveling.

Three daughters with Pamela Stephenson: Daisy (born 31 December 1983), Amy (born 7 July 1986) and Scarlett (born 28 July 1988). Two children with his previous wife, Iris Pressagh: son Jamie (born 1969) and daughter Cara (born 1973).

He is a long time supporter of Glasgow Celtic Football Club.

Lifelong friend of rocker Rod Stewart.

Director Nicholas Roeg was contracted by BBC Scotland to film Billy in 'Dallas Through the Looking Glass' but Billy pulled out. Nicholas went ahead and shot his own impromptu feature in 1980.

Connolly's trade, in the early 1960s, was that of a welder (specifically a boilermaker) in the Glasgow shipyards, but he gave it up towards the end of the decade to pursue a career as a folk singer.

In October 2004, during an 18-night stint at London's Hammersmith Apollo, Connolly was criticised for making jokes about the hostage Kenneth Bigley. Shortly after Connolly joked about the future killing of the hostage and touched on the subject of Bigley's young Thai wife, Bigley was beheaded in Iraq. Connolly claims he was misquoted. He has declined to clarify what he actually said, claiming that the context was as important as the precise words used.

Is the son of Mary (McLean) and William Connolly. He has both Scottish and Irish ancestry.

He was orphaned at age 4.

He attended New York City, New York's Central Park premiere of Pocahontas (1995) two months after filming his scenes for Muppet Treasure Island (1996) in London, England. The Walt Disney Company distributed both of these films.

He formed the group The Humblebums in 1965 with guitarist Tam Harvey, which later included Gerry Rafferty from 1969 to the breakup of the group in the early 70s. After Harvey's departure in 1969, Connolly and Rafferty released 2 albums with the group as a duo, "The New Humblebums" in 1969 and "Open Up the Door" in 1970. Rafferty would eventually become a successful recording artist, first with the group Steelers Wheel with their hit "Stuck in the Middle With You" in 1973, and later as a solo artist with his hit album "City to City" in 1978, which included the international hit "Baker Street" as well as his follow up hit "Right Down the Line".

He and his wife moved to Key West, Florida in 2018.

Born at 4:30 AM (GDT).

Fulham, London, England (May 2009)