Sir Billy Connolly to receive lifetime achievement award
He retired from stand-up due to Parkinson's
Last updated 23rd Aug 2021
Sir Billy Connolly is to be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at Edinburgh TV Festival.
The 78-year-old will be awarded the honour for his contribution to the industry, since his first appearances on screen in the 1960s.
On receiving the prestigious award, 'The Big Yin' will be interviewed by his wife Dr Pamela Stephenson about his success, career and impressive body of work, including working as an actor, artist, comedian, musician and presenter.
The much-loved Scotsman announced his retirement from stand-up comedy in 2018 after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease five years earlier in September 2013.
One of the greatest stand-up comedians ever, he continued to tour and perform until 2017, before moving to Florida with his wife.
In 2019, the star revealed that the disease had caused him to walk unsteadily, develop hearing issues and drool.
In December 2020, he told The Mirror: "Since the Parkinson’s, I’m still the same in many ways, but I don’t think as sharply as I need to to be a stand-up.
"I’ve done 50 years and that’s plenty. Quitting is the right thing to do. I achieved everything I wanted, played everywhere I wanted to… I did it all."
Sir Billy Connolly began work as a welder, working in the Glasgow shipyards, before pursuing a career as a folk singer and finally following a career in comedy. He has also worked as an actor and appeared in huge films including Indecent Proposal, Pocahontas and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
The Edinburgh TV festival begins on Monday 23rd August until Thursday 26th August.
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