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Billy Connolly

Billy Connolly

Actor and writer · Born November 24, 1942 (83) · Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Billy Connolly (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 fully-fledged comedian, a role in which he continues. He also became an actor, and has appeared in such films as Indecent Proposal (1993); Mrs. Brown (1997), for which he was nominated for a BAFTA; The Boondock Saints (1999); The Man Who Sued God (2001); Water (1985);The Last Samurai (2003); Timeline (2003); Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004); Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006); and The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008). Connolly reprised his role as Noah "Il Duce" MacManus in Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day. Connolly appears as the King of Lilliput in the 2010 remake of Gulliver′s Travels.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 24, 1942 (83)
From
Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Works as
Actor and writer
Titles
45 on MovieCove · 108 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 21% in 30 days

What are Billy Connolly's films like?

Across their 43 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 91st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Animation5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
27%
Society
18%
Self
17%
Morality
14%
Ideas
11%
Power
8%
Survival
5%
Family bonds10 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 40 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 29 · Serious 5 · Dark 6

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 21 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 8

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 13 · Charged 19 · Intense 8

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 23 · Shifting 15 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 15 · Funny 15

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 23 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 29 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 37 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

21 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 6 of 21 analyzed roles.

Ally
6 of 21
Hero
3 of 21
Trickster
3 of 21
Mentor
3 of 21
Threshold guardian
2 of 21
Shadow
2 of 21
Shapeshifter
1 of 21
Herald
1 of 21
Show the 21 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
19
Warm
19
Tense
12
Absurd
12
Contemplative
9
Other
38

How their films linger

Feel-good24 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy22
  • Bittersweet14
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous1
  • Cyclical4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Billy Connolly's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 28 of their 45 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Billy Connolly's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

108 credits, 45 with a MovieCove page; 77 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Billy Connolly: High Horse Tour Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Producer · Writer · as Himself

  • Wild Oats(2016)

    as Chandler

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Billy Connolly's Tracks Across America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 3 episodes · as Hinself - Host

  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies(2014)

    as Dain Ironfoot

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • What We Did on Our Holiday(2014)

    as Gordie McLeod

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Billy Connolly's Big Send Off (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 2 episodes · Executive Producer · as Presenter

  • Great Bear Stakeout(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Quartet(2012)

    as Wilf Bond

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • What About Dick?(2012)

    as Inspector McGuffin

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Brave(2012)

    as Fergus (voice)

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Ballad of Nessie(2011)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Gulliver's Travels(2010)

    as King Theodore

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Billy Connolly: Live in London 2010 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Screenplay · as self

  • The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day(2009)

    as Poppa

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Wisdom(2008)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Open Season 2(2008)

    as McSquizzy (voice)

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The X Files: I Want to Believe(2008)

    as Joseph Crissman

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Ronnie Drew: September Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Actor

  • Billy Connolly: Was It Something I Said? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Writer · as Himself

  • Open Season(2006)

    as McSquizzy (voice)

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Fido(2006)

    as Fido

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties(2006)

    as Dargis

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Where My Dogs At? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Billy Connolly: Live in New York (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Writer · as Billy Connolly

  • A Series of Unfortunate Events(2004)

    as Dr. Montgomery Montgomery

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Billy Connolly's World Tour of New Zealand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 8 episodes · Creator · Actor

  • House(2004)

    Show 1 episode · as Thomas Bell

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Jimmy Johnstone: Lord of the Wing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Actor

  • The Last Samurai(2003)

    as Zebulon Gant

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Timeline(2003)

    as Professor E.A. Johnston

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Richard Thompson: Solitary Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • White Oleander(2002)

    as Barry Kolker

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Ultimate Fights from the Movies(2002)

    as Frankie (Crossing the Line) (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Billy Connolly's World Tour of England, Ireland and Wales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 8 episodes · Creator · Actor

  • Billy Connolly: Live in Dublin 2002 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Writer · as Billy Connolly

  • The Man Who Sued God(2001)

    as Steve Myers

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Who Is Cletis Tout?(2001)

    as Dr Savian

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Gabriel & Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Gabriel

  • Prince Charming(2001)

    as Hamish

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Gentlemen's Relish (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Kingdom Swann

  • An Everlasting Piece(2000)

    as Scalper

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Beautiful Joe(2000)

    as Joe

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Debt Collector (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Nickie Dryden

  • The Boondock Saints(1999)

    as Il Duce

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Billy Connolly: Erect for 30 Years(1999)

    Writer · as Billy Connolly

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Still Crazy(1998)

    as Hughie

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Impostors(1998)

    as Mr. Sparks, the Tennis Pro

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Heaven and Earth Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Middleton's Changeling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Actor

  • Retying the Knot: The Incredible String Band (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Actor

  • Paws (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as PC (voice)

  • Veronica's Closet(1997)

    Show 1 episode · as Campbell

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows

  • Mrs. Brown(1997)

    as John Brown

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Deacon Brodie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Deacon Brodie

  • Beverly Hills Ninja(1997)

    as Japanese Antique Shop Proprietor (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Billy Connolly's World Tour of Australia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 8 episodes · Creator · Actor

  • Dennis the Menace and Gnasher (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Captain Trout (voice)

  • Muppet Treasure Island(1996)

    as Billy Bones

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • 3rd Rock from the Sun(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Inspector Macaffery

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Billy Connolly: A Scot in the Arctic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Writer · as Self

  • Billy Connolly Live At Usher Hall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Writer · as Himself

  • Pocahontas(1995)

    as Ben (voice)

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • In the Best Possible Taste: A Tribute to Kenny Everett (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Sketch Performer (Archive Footage)

  • Two Bites of Billy Connolly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Writer · as Himself

  • Billy Connolly: Live at the Apollo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Writer · as Himself

  • World Tour of Scotland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Actor

  • Down Among the Big Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as JoJo Donnelly

  • Down Among the Big Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as JoJo

  • Indecent Proposal(1993)

    as Auction M.C.

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Billy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 13 episodes · Actor

  • Billy Connolly Live at the Odeon Hammersmith London(1991)

    Writer · as Himself

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Billy Connolly: Pale Blue Scottish Person (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Writer · Actor

  • Dreaming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Game Show Host/Busker

  • Crossing the Line(1990)

    as Frankie

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Screen One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as JoJo Donnelly

  • The Return of the Musketeers(1989)

    as Caddie

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Saturday Night Clive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Billy Connolly: Billy and Albert (Live at the Royal Albert Hall) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Billy Connolly

  • The Hunting of the Snark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as The Bellman

  • Head of the Class(1986)

    Show 22 episodes · as Billy MacGregor

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows

  • Omnibus Presents Comic Relief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Billy Connolly: An Audience with Billy Connolly(1985)

    Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Blue Money (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Des

  • Super Gran (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 26 episodes · Composer · as Angus McSporran

  • Water(1985)

    as Delgado Fitzhugh

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Screen Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Game Show Host

  • Androcles and the Lion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Androcles

  • Bullshot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Hawkeye McGillicuddy

  • Open Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Billy Connolly: Hand Picked by Billy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Writer · as Himself

  • Billy Connolly: The Pick of Billy Connolly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Billy Connolly

  • Billy Connolly Bites Yer Bum! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Writer · as Billy Connolly

  • A Cup O' Tea An' A Slice O' Cake - Worzel Gummidge Christmas Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Bogle McNeep

  • The Secret Policeman's Ball (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Writer · as Himself

  • Minder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · as Tick Tack

  • Worzel Gummidge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · as Bogle McNeep

  • The Kenny Everett Video Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Absolution(1978)

    as Blakey

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Billy Connolly: In Concert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Actor

  • Billy Connolly: Big Banana Feet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Writer · as Self

  • The Elephants' Graveyard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Jody

  • Just Another Saturday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Paddy

  • Clydescope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Songs · as Jefferson Jofferson

  • Columbo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as Findlay Crawford

  • Play for Today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 1 episode · as Jody

  • The BAFTA Awards (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Show 2 episodes · as Host

  • Billy & Albert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Laughs and Larrikins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 107 titles, 105 of them dated from 1949 to 2016; peak year 2007.

Biggest box office

Brave (2012)

$539M worldwide

Highest rated

Billy Connolly: An Audience with Billy Connolly (1985)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

The Last Samurai (2003)

Film career

19492016

Peak 2007 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 9 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1978Screen debut· Absolution
  • 1997First top-billed film· Paws
  • 2006Career best· Fido

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting96 of 107: 85 only acting, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stWriting15 of 107: 10 only writing, 5 with another roleProducing2 of 107: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleMusic1 of 107: 0 only music, 1 with another roleOther crew5 of 107: 0 only other crew, 5 with another role

107 titles, 12 with more than one role — acting and writing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1940s1 · acting1970s12 · 10 acting · 3 crew1980s19 · 17 acting · 4 crew1990s31 · 27 acting · 7 crew2000s29 · 28 acting · 5 crew2010s13 · 11 acting · 3 crew

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 15% of 33 roles
78980308

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Billy Connolly's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 40; across their 40 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 40

Approval · how many liked their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 40

Reach · how many have seen their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 40

Midcredits score across 45 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up18
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th15
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

22 of their 45 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser22
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

Ultimate Fights from the Movies (2002)

81st percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, writer

Billy Connolly: An Audience with Billy Connolly (1985)

Midcredits 98th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 31 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 49. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Billy Connolly's work okay for kids?

Across up to 17 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and alcohol & drugs run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore15 titles22–81 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity17 titles9–48 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity16 titles16–54 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs14 titles11–49 · median 22 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense14 titles27–64 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Billy Connolly work with?

People who share at least 2 of Billy Connolly's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Eddie Izzard shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles