Terry Jones was born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, to Dilys Louisa Newnes, a homemaker, and Alick George Parry Jones, a bank clerk. His older brother is production designer Nigel Jones. Their grandparents were involved in the entertainment business, managing the local Amateur Operatic Society and staging Gilbert and Sullivan concerts.
Jones studied at St. Edmund Hall College, Oxford University, reading English but graduating with a degree in History. He was captain of boxing, captain of the Rugby Team, and School Captain. During his time at Oxford, he befriended Michael Palin and together they performed comedy as part of the Oxford Revue.
Jones and Palin went on to work together on The Late Show in 1965 and Do Not Adjust Your Set in 1967, where they worked as writer/actors alongside Eric Idle and David Jason. He also appeared in Complete and Utter History of Britain in 1969, a television show that poked fun at famous historical figures, with Jones playing Oliver Cromwell, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Henry VIII.
Jones is best known for being a founding member of the Monty Python's Flying Circus, along with Palin, Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Terry Gilliam. He wrote much of the comic input and portrayed many iconic characters, including Mr. Creosote, Detective Superintendent Harry "Snapper" Organs, and numerous shrill-voiced, slovenly 'rat-bag women'.
The Monty Pythons were known for their unconventional, controversial, and groundbreaking style, which often targeted British institutions, ruling hierarchies, and the class structure. Jones later said that he never thought Python was a success while it was happening, only realizing it later with hindsight.
In addition to writing and acting, Jones co-directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python's Life of Brian, and took solo directing credit for The Meaning of Life. He also co-wrote some episodes of Ripping Yarns with Palin and scripted Labyrinth from a story by Jim Henson and Dennis Lee.
Jones was a prolific writer and director, and his work extended beyond comedy to documentary series, such as Medieval Lives and Barbarians, and books, including Chaucer's Knight: The Portrait of a Medieval Mercenary and Who Murdered Chaucer?: A Medieval Mystery.
Terry Jones died on January 21, 2020, at the age of 77, due to complications from dementia, at his home in Highgate, North London.
