Sir William Connolly born 24 November is a Scottish actor, musician, television presenter, artist and retired stand-up comedian. Connolly's trade , in the early s, 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. He first sang in the folk rock band the Humblebums alongside Gerry Rafferty and Tam Harvey, with whom he stayed until , before beginning singing as a solo artist.
In the early s, Connolly made the transition from folk singer with a comedic persona to fully fledged comedian, for which he became best known. In , he made his theatrical debut, at the Cottage Theatre in Cumbernauld , with a revue called Connolly's Glasgow Flourish. Also in , Connolly's first solo album, Billy Connolly Live! In , he reached No. On his 75th birthday in , three portraits of Connolly were made by leading artists Jack Vettriano , John Byrne , and Rachel Maclean.
These were later turned into part of Glasgow's official mural trail. In October that year, he was knighted at Buckingham Palace by Prince William for services to entertainment and charity. Connolly announced his retirement from comedy in ; [ 9 ] in the years since, he has established himself as an artist. In , he unveiled the fifth release from his Born on a Rainy Day collection in London, [ 10 ] followed by another instalment later that year, and has subsequently issued another five collections.
Connolly was born on 24 November at 69 Dover Street, [ 12 ] "on the linoleum , three floors up", [ 12 ] [ 13 ] in Anderston , Glasgow. This section of Dover Street, between Breadalbane and Claremont streets, was demolished in the s. The flat had only two rooms: a kitchen-living room, with a recess where the children slept, and another room for their parents. The family bathed in the kitchen sink, and there was no hot water. My father was in Burma, fighting a bloody war.
The Germans were dropping all sorts of crap on the town. We lived at the docks, so that's where all the bombs were happening. She was a teenager with two kids in a slum. A guy comes along and says, 'I love you. Come with me.
