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MPgalahad

Michael Palin in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"

Michael Palin (1943 - )

Film Deaths

  • And Now for Something Completely Different (1971) (1) [Gumby Neighbor]: Killed in an explosion when the "How Not to Be Seen" film crew blow him up. (2) [Arthur Pewtey]: Crushed to death by a 16-ton weight after he dejectedly walks out of Eric Idle's office. (3) [Ernest Scribbler]: Laughs himsel to death after writing the world's funniest joke. (4) [Head Waiter Gilberto]: Dies when his old head wound acts up as he tries to restrain John Cleese in a restaurant. (5) [Gervaise Brooke-Hamster]: Commits suicide by shooting himself in the head at the end of the Upper-Class Twit of the Year competition.
  • Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) (1) [Narrator]: Supposedly killed by an unseen assailant when he digresses about swallows rather than getting on with the story; we only hear him cry out during his narration (It's debatable if this counts since his narrations continue throughout the film regardless). (2) [Knight of Ni]: Possibly weakened to death from hearing the word "it" too many times. (3) [Sir Galahad]: Thrown into the Gorge of Eternal Peril by supernatural forces when he answers Terry Gilliam's question incorrectly.
  • Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) (1) [Boring Prophet]: Possibly killed when Graham Chapman falls on him and knocks him into a large urn; it's uncertain whether this is fatal, but I thought I'd list it just in case. (2) [Mr. Big Nose]: Executed by crucifixion; the movie ends with all of the crucified prisoners singing as they await death.
  • The Secret Policeman's Ball (1981) [Mr. Wensleydale]: Shot in the chest by John Cleese after Michael admits that there's no cheese in his shop.
  • Time Bandits (1981) [Vincent]: Possibly drowned (off-screen) in the sinking of the Titanic; we last see him on board the ship with Shelley Duvall before it sinks, so it's not specified whether or not he survived.
  • Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983): (1) [Spadger]: Shot to death by German soldiers while Michael is yelling at Terry Jones in the trench. (2) [Debbie Katzenberg]: Dies when the Grim Reaper (John Cleese) collects the souls of all the party guests; her ghost realizes that she didn't eat the spoiled salmon mousse like the others, but she's still dead anyway. (3) [Mr. Marvin Hendy]: Dies (off-screen), along with his wife (Eric Idle), under unspecified circumstances; they are shown at Heaven's reception area when the guests from the previous scene arrive.
  • Brazil (1985) [Jack Lint]: Shot in the head by Robert De Niro's men while Michael is torturing Jonathan Pryce; it's later revealed that the entire "rescue" and everything afterwards is only in Jonathan's mind as he's being tortured.
  • Absolutely Anything (2015) [Kindly Alien]: Providing the voice of alien, Michael is blown up, along with the rest of the Galactic Council (voiced by Terry GilliamJohn Cleese and Terry Jones), when Dennis the Dog (voiced by Robin Williams) uses his powers to wish the source of that power be destroyed, causing the alien laser heading towards Earth to curve back into their spaceship. (Played for comic effect.)

TV Deaths

  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 1, Whither Canada? (1969) [Ernest Scribbler]: Laughs himself to death in his study after writing the world's funniest joke. (Note: The Pythons played multiple roles in each episode; Only the specific characters that die in the various episodes are listed.)
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 3, How to Recognize Different Types of Trees from Quite a Long Way Away (1969) [Head Waiter]: Dies when his old head wound acts up as he tries to restrain John Cleese in a restaurant.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 4, Owl Stretching Time (1969) [Fourth Self-Defense Student]: Eaten by a tiger (along with Eric Idle) when John Cleese releases the tiger, as Michael and Eric stalk John with raspberries in a self-defense class. We only see the tiger move across the screen as Michael and Eric scream.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 6, The BBC Entry for the Zinc Stoat of Budapest (1969) [House Manager]: Shot in the chest and back with arrows by Eric Idle and Eric's off-screen tribesmen, after Michael announces that Cicely Courtnidge will not be appearing in the play.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 11, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Goes to the Bathroom (1969): (1) [Constable]: Shot in the chest by Terry Jones during a re-enactment of the murders of John Cleese and Eric Idle. (2) [Undertaker]: Dies of exhaustion while carrying a heavy coffin with three other undertakers; the remaining undertakers open the coffin, and Terry Gilliam gets out and switches places with him. (3) [Another Undertaker]: Again dies of exhaustion while carrying a heavy coffin with John Cleese and Terry Jones; they put his body in the coffin and continue carrying it.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 12, The Naked Ant (1970): (1) [Gervaise Brooke-Hampster]: Commits suicide by shooting himself in the head at the end of the Upper-Class Twit of the Year competition. (2) [Spectrum Presenter]: Crushed to death by a 16-ton weight.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 14, Face the Press (1970) [The 'It's' Man]: Dies (off-screen), presumably of starvation, while locked in a zoo cage; he is shown in the cage at the beginning of the show, and his skeleton is shown in the cage at the end.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 16, Deja Vu (1970) [Complaining Viewer]: Crushed to death by a 16-ton weight.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 17, The Buzz Aldrin Show (1970) [Vicar]: Hanged when Graham Chapman pulls the bell-rope in a belfry, just before Terry Jones arrives too late to warn him.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 18, Live from the Grill-o-Mat (1970) [Policeman]: Dies of a heart attack while arresting Eric Idle.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 21, Archaeology Today (1970) [Interviewer]: Fatally injured (along with Terry Jones) in a fight with John Cleese and Carol Cleveland at an archeological dig site (while Terry is sitting on Michael's shoulders). Michael dies after delivering his closing remarks to the camera after the fight.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 23, Scott of the Antarctic (1970): (1) [Man in Film]: Hit on the head with a mace by John Cleese in an art-film montage sequence. (2) [Presenter]: Crushed to death by a 16-ton weight.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 24, How Not to Be Seen (1970) [Gumby Neighbor]: Killed in an explosion when the "How Not to Be Seen" film crew blow him up.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 28, Mr. and Mrs. Brian Norris' Ford Popular (1972) [Mrs. N*gg*rbaiter]: Spontaneously explodes in Terry Jones' living room; we hear the explosion after Michael walks off-camera, then see the smoking pile of clothes when Terry and John Cleese turn to see what's happened.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 33, Salad Days (1972): (1) [Algy]: Shot in the chest by Graham Chapman after Michael cheerfully admits to being gay. (2) [Mr. Wensleydale]: Shot in the chest by John Cleese after Michael admits that there's no cheese at all in his cheese shop. (3) [Lionel]: Hit on the head with a tennis ball when Graham Chapman throws it at him, causing an absurd fountain of blood to gush from Michael's head.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 37, Dennis Moore (1973): [Camp Highwayman]: Shot in the chest by John Cleese.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 40, The Golden Age of Ballooning (1974) [Von Bulow]: Thrown out of a zeppelin by Graham Chapman.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 42, The Light Entertainment War (1974) [Tramp]: Run over (off-camera), along with Terry Jones, by Graham Chapman, when the scene segues from their light sitcom to Graham's spy thriller. Their legs are shown sticking out from under the car afterwards.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus: Episode 44, Mr. Neutron (1974): (1) [Commander]: Killed in an explosion after he orders the bombing of his own office. (2) [Post Office Official]: Killed in an explosion when the Gobi Desert is bombed just as Michael finishes dedicating a new box.
  • Ripping Yarns: Escape from Stalag Luft 112B (1977) [Major Errol Phipps]: Dies (off-screen) of unspecified natural causes, compounded by his depression over the war ending before he could carry out any of his elaborate escape plans from the POW camp; his death is mentioned in the narration, which goes on to explain that his body was later found outside the cemetary (having finally pulled off his greatest escape).
  • Ripping Yarns: Murder at Moorstones Manor (1977) [Charles Chiddingfold/Hugo Chiddingfold]: Played a dual role as brothers, "Hugo" is shot to death (off-screen) by either "Charles," Iain Cuthbertson,Candace Glendenning, Harold Innocent, or all four of them. (All four later confess to the murders.) "Charles" is shot to death in a shoot-out with Iain, Candace, and Harold, after they all try to take credit for the murders.
  • Ripping Yarns: Across the Andes by Frog (1977) [Captain Walter Snetterton]: Dies (off-screen) under unspecified circumstances (presumably exposure or starvation), while attempting to cross the Andes alone with his frogs after the rest of the expedition quits; the narration informs us that he disappeared without a trace (though the frogs made it across).
  • Ripping Yarns: The Curse of the Claw (1977) [Kevin Orr/Uncle Jack Orr]: Playing a dual role as uncle and nephew, "Uncle Jack" dies due to the power of the cursed vulture-claw (on top of all the assorted diseases he'd picked up during his lifetime), with his nephew "Kevin" by his bedside. "Jack" later comes back to life after the curse is broken and time starts turning back.
  • Remember Me (2014; TV Mini-series) [Tom Parfitt]: Drowns when he goes down in a lake with the ghostly Mayuri Boonham in order to lay her spirit to rest.
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