# Who was the best actor of Monty Python? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 28, 2026, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106 "2026-01-28T00:55:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/21 "2026-01-28T18:25:47Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > A lot of votes for Palin, can I ask why of those that chose him? Very versatile and at ease in any part you throw at him. Look at him as a greasy beach resort MC in the _Donkey Rides_ sketch, for instance, or as a suave game show host in _Blackmail_, or as Loretta and Pilate in _Life of Brian,_ or as Luigi Vercotti. Also very, very likeable. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/22 "2026-01-28T18:37:44Z")
I voted for Palin on the strength of his performances in _Jabberwocky, A Fish Named Wanda, Brazil, and The Missionary_. More range than the others. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/23 "2026-01-28T18:58:44Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I voted for Terry Jones because appearing as the Nude Organist is peak theatrics to me. Between that and the Chaplinesque “Undressing in Public” sketch, Jones has my vote for best _silent_ actor. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/24 "2026-01-28T19:01:36Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > For me it came down to Cleese was the most entertaining beyond Python. This includes small things like his Emmy winning appearance on Cheers. Getting nominated again for his 3rd Rock from the Sun appearance. Of course Basil Fawlty. > > His filmography is fantastic. > Starting with the Python films & [A Fish Called Wanda](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095159/?ref_=nm_knf_t_1) & Fierce Creatures. But also movies like Clockwise (starring role), Silverado, Frankenstein, playing one of the Bond Qs, Robin Hood in Time Bandits, and Mostly Headless Nick in the Harry Potter movies. > > Bonus, he was very good as the Special Guest Star on s2e23 of The Muppet Show. My exact thoughts. Cleese has been good in every thing he does. Chapman did _Yellowbeard._ Advantage Cleese. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/25 "2026-01-28T19:05:41Z")
As an actor, Terry Gilliam is a great director. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/26 "2026-01-28T19:08:00Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > Very versatile and at ease in any part you throw at him. That was my reasoning as well. Cleese is very, very good at a specific type of character, but seldom plays outside that sort of roll. Palin is a good actor, who can take on a variety of different characters equally well. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/27 "2026-01-28T19:58:57Z")
I voted Jones, simply because I looked at the results first, and saw Palin had many more votes. I see Jones and Palin more as the versatile workmen, inhabiting diverse roles. Cleese, Chapman and to a lesser extent Idle, mostly played versions of themselves. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/28 "2026-01-28T20:01:26Z")
I don’t think Palin was a good sleazy mafia type – he was cartoonish. As the guy in Wanda, he was also pretty over-the-top. Idle was also really over-the-top in his roles in the show and movies. Gilliam was shockingly bad as an actor, even if he only had one line to deliver. Jones wasn’t great. Chapman came closest to being an actor, other than… Cleese was really the only actor in the group, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/29 "2026-01-29T03:03:49Z")
I was torn. I agree that Chapman (for the short duration of his career) seemed the best Actor with the widest range. I loved Palin in many other roles, and his range is certainly wider than Cleese, but Cleese was the most consistent about bringing the laughs to me (in large part because he was good at and largely stuck to his niche). And I **like** Yellowbeard dammit, I have it on BluRay. Not that it’s a _great_ movie, far from it, but it’s fun darn it! So I gave the nod to Chapman. I like all of them, don’t get me wrong, and I love Idle for his skill with Musical bits (I also own the CD Monty Python Sings!), but his skills as an actor seemed somewhat less than the three I mentioned by name. And I think I managed to leave out my questions about Cleese as a _person_ in terms of evaluating his skills. Though I _may_ have been overgenerous in trying to be fair. NO matter who is on top, it was an amazing, if relatively brief grouping of many talented individuals all of whom brought a great deal of talent to their performances. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/30 "2026-01-29T04:28:24Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I voted for Palin. Not sure if he was the _best_, but I think he was the most _versatile_ of the group. In Monty Python sketches and movies, the others often seem to be playing exaggerated versions of themselves. Palin could go from a sleazy mafioso to a nerdy accountant to a smarmy game show host to a no-nonsense police sergeant and play each one convincingly. He gets my vote as well, for the reasons you put better than I could have. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/31 "2026-01-29T04:31:38Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > I seem to recall the Pythons all thought Graham Chapman was perhaps the best actor of the group. Hence his playing King Arthur and Brian. His performance in Holy Grail is (especially) remarkable considering he was blind drunk throughout the shoot. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/32 "2026-01-29T18:53:31Z")
_Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/32))_ ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/33 "2026-01-29T19:26:39Z")
The poll is interesting. Funniest within the show or naturally funny as a person? In college I saw Graham Chapman give a talk at my school. He was quite funny as I recall. Not stand up comedy funny but a decent story teller. I saw John Cleese talk after a showing of Grail a few years ago. He was funny but definitely deep into his cranky old man phase. I give the advantage to Chapman who never got the chance to get cranky. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/34 "2026-01-29T19:33:18Z")
I chose Idle for the funniest. His timing is superb. I saw him perform with Cleese about 10 years ago and it was no contest. Granted, Cleese obviously wasn’t at his best and I think he was just there to cover his alimony payments. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/35 "2026-01-29T19:34:37Z")
I still LOL at Fawlty Towers, so Cleese for sure. He was also excellent in Wanda. If you want to restrict it to just when they were in Monty Python, I would have a hard time choosing between Cleese and Palin. Their Cheese Shop, Argument Clinic, and Dead Parrot sketches are certainly the most famous, Palin in Spanish Inquisition, Cleese and Palin in the Funny Walks. Maybe I would give Palin a slight edge for humor during the show, because he played more different roles. What else even comes close? Nudge nudge? Got annoying before the sketch was over. Flying lessons is a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/36 "2026-01-29T19:36:21Z")
For funniest, I chose Gilliam. The animations in Python are absolutely fantastic! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/37 "2026-01-29T19:42:16Z")
Jones for the range and gravitas (if that’s the right word). Chapman had as much or even more range, but he always seemed to be aware that he was being silly at some level. Jones had the ability to be serious both as the straight man, and as the protagonist in a clearly ridiculous position, which makes the absurdity even more funny. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/38 "2026-01-30T00:15:44Z")
_THE_ Funniest? I honestly can’t decide between Palin, Cleese, Idle. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/39 "2026-01-30T00:37:08Z")
^^^ What he said. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106/40 "2026-01-30T01:31:04Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > What else even comes close? Nudge nudge? Got annoying before the sketch was over. Flying lessons is a good one. While I agree that it went on just a smidge too long, “Nudge nudge” is why I voted for Idle in both polls. Say. No. More! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-best-actor-of-monty-python/1027106.md?page=3)