Billy Connolly

William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE (born November 24, 1942) is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname 'The Big Yin' ('The Big One'). His first trade, in the early 1960s, was as 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 the Humblebums and subsequently as a soloist. In the early 1970s, he made the transition from folk-singer with a comedic persona to full-fledged comedian. In 1972, Joseph produced Connolly's first solo album, “Billy Connolly Live!”, a mixture of comedic songs and short monologues that hinted at what was to follow. In 1974, a live double album entitled “Solo Concert” was released, which proved to be his big breakout comedic album. Paralleled with BBC television exposure, Connolly was able to become noticed outside of Scotland into other parts of the U.K. and into Canada, still remained nearly unknown as a comedian in America. This changed after appearing in the 1990 HBO special “Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Connolly in Performance”, which is considered to be what officially launched Connolly’s career in the States. The next year, Connolly moved to Los Angeles, California to expand his comedy and acting career. Connolly still remains active, and splits his time between homes in the U.S. and Scotland.