Terry Jones

Welsh actor, comedian, director, historian, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.

Born in Colwyn Bay, Wales, he studied English at Oxford University, where he met Michael Palin and began performing and writing comedy.

In 1969, Jones helped create Monty Python’s Flying Circus, contributing as both a writer and performer. He became particularly well known for playing eccentric characters and middle-aged women. He also played an important role in shaping the programme’s surreal style. As a director, he co-directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) with Terry Gilliam and directed Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983).

Beyond comedy, Jones was a writer of children’s books and a respected scholar of medieval history. He presented documentaries such as Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives and wrote books that challenged traditional views of the Middle Ages. He also wrote screenplays, including an early version of Labyrinth.

Jones received a BAFTA Cymru Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. He died in London on 21 January 2020, aged 77, after living with frontotemporal dementia. His work with Monty Python and his contributions to comedy, film, literature, and popular history made him an influential figure in British culture.

On 21 January 2020, Jones died at his home in Highgate from complications of dementia just 11 days before his 78th birthday. His family and close friends remembered him with a humanist funeral ceremony at Golders Green Crematorium.