Sir William Connolly rose to prominence as a banjo player, a comedian, and as an actor known for Brave, The Last Samurai and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, and, perhaps best in Mrs. Brown. In 1965 Connolly co-founded Humblebums, a Scottish folk rock band with Tam Harvey in 1965, where Connolly sang, played banjo and guitar, and entertained the audience with his humorous introductions to the songs.