…Graham Chapman (1941-1989)

You'll have to stop that now. It's getting altogether too silly

Graham Chapman was born on January 8, 1941 in Leicester, Midlands, England to parents Walter and Edith. His father was a policeman for the City of Leicester. Opinions on Chapman's creative talent, along with that of his colleagues in the comedy team known as Monty Python's Flying Circus, ranged from disdain at his irreverence, to the platitudes afforded a comic genius.

The devout international following that Monty Python drew paralleled the fanaticism usually reserved for rock stars. No rule in society was above being challenged by the group. And so it is only natural that Chapman should break the rule of silence that was, and still is, imposed upon gay people in the entertainment industry.

Graham Chapman the Doctor

Graham Chapman intended to follow in the footsteps of his older brother and become a doctor. He entered the Emmanuel College at Cambridge University in 1961. Although his studies were periodically interrupted by his performances in the Cambridge Circus (a college comedy troupe), he qualified as a doctor at St. Bartholomew's hospital in London.

His decision to put his medical career on hold was, by some accounts, a royal command. The Queen Mother had tea one day with a group of Cambridge students, including Chapman. When he mentioned that the Cambridge Circus was planning a tour of New Zealand, the Matriarch responded "beautiful place, you must go."

Chapman toured the world as a part of the Cambridge Circus, with appearances from New Zealand, to New York City. In 1964, while the show was running on Broadway, Chapman appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. His talents as a writer and a performer eventually led to a dramatic career change.

"A modest, soft-spoken loud mouth.... Graham's favourite colour is off-white
and his favourite heavy gas is Helium". ~ Monty Python Scrapbook

Graham Chapman and the Pythons

In 1969, an executive at the British Broadcasting Company brought together a group of comedy writers that included Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle. And "Monty Python's Flying Circus" was born.

From the outset, Chapman was honest about his sexual orientation. This would sometimes result in hostel responses from the public. One occasion that Chapman wrote about in his autobiography recalls a letter received from a woman complaining about Chapman's openness during a radio interview.

"Her handwriting became visibly angrier as she went on to say that persons like that should not be allowed to live. Eric Idle wrote back to the lady saying that we (the Pythons) had found out which one it was and killed him."

Chapman's gay flavored humor was as much a part of Monty Python as was the John Phillip Sousa "Liberty Bell March" that started each show. "The Mouse Problem", for instance, was a skit about adults who dress in mouse outfits and met friends for secret cheese eating parties - a clear metaphor for closeted homosexuals. The camp and drag skits were also Python staples, although Chapman most frequently played authority figures such as generals, kings, and religious leaders.

One of his most memorable roles was "Brian of Nazareth" in the cult movie classic "Life of Brian." In this film, Chapman is mistaken for a messiah and can't convince his flock to stop following him. This classic farce on religious history was protested by religious leaders, and memorized by just about everyone else.

"We don't deliberately set out to offend. Unless we feel it's justified.
And in the case of certain well-known religions, it was justified." ~ Graham Chapman

Chapman and Sherlock

Graham Chapman met his lover, David Sherlock, in 1966. Their enduring relationship is remembered fondly by some of the same people who were initially uncomfortable with the idea. In 1971, Chapman nursed John Tomiczek, a run away teenager from Liverpool, back to health. Sherlock and Chapman agreed to adopt Tomiczek on the condition that he finish school.

Their family endured the ups and downs of celebrity life, Chapman's battle with alcoholism, and painful cancer treatments. In the final days of his life, Chapman was confined to a wheelchair. Radiation treatments required lengthy commutes to London. Sherlock and Tomiczek were faithfully by his side through it all.

The Last Laugh

Chapman nearly drank himself to death before he finally gave up alcohol in the late 1970's. He later gave up smoking his trademark pipe. Despite these actions to preserve his health, he never displayed a fear of his own mortality.

"He always regarded death as highly overrated and
could never understand why anybody made such a fuss about it." ~ Michael Palin

In the film "The Meaning of Life", Chapman wrote and acted in a skit in which a man, condemned to die for the crime of making sexist jokes, is given the opportunity to choose his own form of execution. The character chooses to be chased off a cliff by a group of topless women wearing crash helmets.

Graham Chapman died of spinal cancer on October 4, 1989, the eve of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Monty Python.

"I thought it was in terribly bad taste for him to die when he did." ~ Terry Jones

Chapman's popularity continues to grow through the rebroadcast of Monty Python episodes on television, and the video rentals of Monty Python movies, as well as his individual ventures. He made the world a better place, by making it a bit sillier.

"I hope I will have achieved something lasting." ~ Graham Chapman

Learn more about Graham Chapman

Return to the Maximum Files.
Return to the Home of Tom and T.J.