Most people in the United States know Billy Connolly's face and Scots-Irish brogue from the sitcom Head Of The Class and movies such as Mrs. Brown, The Last Samurai and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

But Billy Connolly has also been a welder, an oil rigger, a folk singer and -- most famously -- a comedian.

His stage show, Billy Connolly Live! opens in New York City on May 9. When performing in front of a crowd, Connolly says, "You're alone but not lonely. There's a great aloneness about it... It's a very exciting thing to do."

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