Jonathan Biggins

Jonathan Martin Biggins is an Australian actor, singer, writer, director, and comedian. He has appeared on film, stage and television as well as in satirical sketch comedy television programmes.

Jonathan Biggins OAM
Born	Jonathan Martin Biggins Newcastle, Australia
Education	Newcastle Boys High School
Alma mater	University of Newcastle
Occupations	Actor writer singer director comedian
Spouse	Kathleen Kerr 1989-1996 Elaine Smith
Children	2

Early life and education

Jonathan Martin Biggins^{[citation needed]} was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, and attended Newcastle Boys' High School in the mid-1970s. He said that it was "a fairly intimidating place to be if you weren't great at sports or maths. However once [I] joined the debating team, and went on to win the state finals, things started looking up."^[1]

Career

Film

Biggins' film appearances include Thank God He Met Lizzie, Gettin' Square and A Few Best Men.^{[citation needed]}

Television

His television appearances include The Dingo Principle and Three Men and a Baby Grand, satirical sketch television comedy programmes (for which he was a writer/performer with Phillip Scott and Drew Forsythe).^{[citation needed]}

Jonathan has been seen on TV as a recurring guest panellist on Spicks and Specks.^[2]

Hosting

Biggins has hosted the afternoon radio shift for Sydney's 702.^{[citation needed]}

He presented the art panel programme Critical Mass.^[when?] He hosted the New Year's Eve Gala Concert in 2010 at the Sydney Opera House, and An Audience with Stephen Sondheim (nominated for a 2008 Helpmann Award for Best Special event).^[3]

He has hosted the AFI Awards, APRA Awards, Helpmann Awards, Parramatta Riverside's 20th Anniversary Gala, national and international conferences for AMP. He has also made appearances for KPMG, ICI, Commonwealth Bank, ABN-AMRO and the Art Gallery of NSW.^[2]

Stage

Biggins' has performed in numerous stage productions, as actor, singer, comedian and MC.^{[citation needed]}

Theatre credits include The Importance of Being Earnest (as John Worthing, replacing Geoffrey Rush),^[4] A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Orpheus in the Underworld. He starred as Peter Sellers in Ying Tong, a play about Spike Milligan and The Goons, which was an Australian-wide hit.^[5] He has appeared on stage consistently over the years with the Wharf Revue.^[6]

He also performed in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas Ruddigore and The Mikado.^[7]

Writing/directing

Biggins has directed the Wharf Revue since 2000. In 2004 Jonathan co-wrote and directed The Republic of Myopia for Sydney Theatre Company. He directed the Australian production of Avenue Q (2009–10). He also co-wrote, with Phillip Scott, some of the dialogue for The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular, a stage musical based on the poem "The Man from Snowy River".^{[citation needed]}

He has written for the Sydney Morning Herald weekly magazine Good Weekend,^[7] Australian Wine Selector and is the author of four books, including The 700 Habits of Highly Ineffective People.^[2]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Type
1987	Those Dear Departed	Sergeant Steve	Feature film
1987	I've Come About the Suicide	Bell-hop	TV movie
1988	The Clean Machine	Bank Clerk	TV movie
1991	The Private War of Lucinda Smith	Private Murry	TV movie
1992	The Importance of Being Earnest	John Worthing	TV movie
1996	The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas	Spooky Onlooker #2	TV movie
1997	Thank God He Met Lizzie	Darren	Feature film
2003	Gettin' Square	Richard Dent QC	Feature film
2010	Odd Socks	Narrator	Short film
2011	The White Guard	The Hetman	Feature film
2011	A Few Best Men	Jim Ramme	Feature film
2015	Manny Lewis	Ray McKee	Feature film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Type
1985	Green Hill		TV children's series
1986	The Lancaster Miller Affair	Hardcastle	TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1986-87	A Country Practice	Graham Biggs	TV series, 8 episodes
1987	The Mike Walsh Show		TV variety series
1987	Pigs Will Fly
1987	Rafferty's Rules	Angus MacLean	TV series, 1 episode
1987	The Dingo Principle	Various characters	TV sketch series (also writer)
1989	Swap Shop		TV children's series
1989	Bangkok Hilton	O'Keefe	TV miniseries, 1 episode
1989-90	The Monkey or the Gun
1990	The Party Machine	Various characters	TV series, 3 episodes (also writer)
1993	Review	Reporter / Presenter	TV series
1993-95	World Series Debating	Self	TV series, 2 episodes
1990–92; 1995	The Investigators		TV series
1994	Three Men and a Baby Grand	Various characters	TV sketch series, 10 episodes (also writer)
1996-97	Good News Week	Guest	TV series, 2 episodes
1997	Fallen Angels	Barrister	TV episode
1999	Noah's Ark	First Priest	TV miniseries
1999-2000	AFI Awards	Host	TV special
2001	Flat Chat	Duncan	TV series, 1 episode
2003-04	Critical Mass	Host	TV series
2005-08	Spicks and Specks	Guest panellist	TV series, 4 episodes
2007	City Homicide	James Bradwell	TV series, 1 episode
2009	My Place	Race Caller	TV series
2010	Rake	Martin	TV series, season 1, episode 6
2010	New Year's Eve Gala Concert at the Sydney Opera House	Host	TV special
2011	The Jesters	Rupert Baxter	TV series, season 2, 1 episode
2011	At Home with Julia	Paul Keating / Tony Jones	TV series, 3 episodes
2012	Randling	Self	TV series, 5 episodes
2017	Drop Dead Weird	Harry Styles	TV series, 1 episode
2020	Back to the Rafters	Charles Whiteman	TV series
2023	The Messenger	Father Terence O'Reilly	TV miniseries, 5 episodes

^[8]

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Company / Venue
1969	Twelfth Night		Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1974	Quality Street		Young Peoples' Theatre, Hamilton
1974	The Beggar's Opera		Newcastle
1976	Equus		Griffith Duncan Theatre for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1979	Flexitime		Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1980	A Toast to Melba		University of Newcastle
1980	The Star Show: Tonite Heroes, Tomorrow Forgotten		Civic Playhouse, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1980	The Threepenny Opera		Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1981	Treasure Island		Fort Scratchley, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1981	A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum		Newcastle Civic Theatre for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1981	No Names ... No Pack Drill		Playhouse, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1981	Hay Fever		Playhouse, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1981	The Playboy of the Western World		Playhouse, Newcastle & Seymour Centre for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1981	Habeas Corpus		Playhouse, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1981	Essington Lewis: I Am Work		Civic Playhouse, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1981	Hamlet on Ice		Fanny's Theatre Restaurant, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1982	Tom Sawyer		Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1982	West Side Story		Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1982	Big River		Singleton & Playhouse, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1982	Macbeth		Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1982	Forget-Me-Not Lane		Playhouse, Newcastle
1982	The Man from Mukinupin		Playhouse, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1982	Rookery Nook		Playhouse, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1982	The Venetian Twins		Playhouse Theatre Co, Newcastle
1983	In the Field Where They Buried Peter Pan		Playhouse Theatre Co, Newcastle
1983	Monstersplash	Captain	Inner City Theatre Co
1983	It's My Party!	Neil	Inner City Theatre Co
1984	Oz Duz NZ! - Bert and Maisy	Tom	Stables Theatre
1985	A Bed of Roses		Stables Theatre
1985	Private Lives	Victor	Playhouse, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1985	Tommy	Various characters	Newcastle Panthers for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1985	Blithe Spirit		Civic Playhouse, Newcastle
1985-86	Essington Lewis: I Am Work	Various characters	Stables Theatre & Playhouse, Adelaide for STCSA
1986	Pearls Before Swine	Cubby Maisonette	Belvoir St Theatre, Seymour Centre & Universal Theatre
1986	The Last Wake at She-Oak Creek	Youmg Chookie Greene / Jack	Stables Theatre for Griffin Theatre Company
1986	Tarantara	Various characters	Q Theatre Co
1988	Manning Clark's History of Australia: The Musical	Various characters	Princess Theatre (Melbourne)
1988-89	Living in the Seventies		Seymour Centre & Studio Theatre, Melbourne
1989	Summer Rain	Clarrie	Sydney Opera House for Sydney Theatre Company
1990	The Venetian Twins	Lelio	Queensland Theatre Company, University of Sydney & Playhouse, Melbourne
1991	Three Men and a Baby Grand		Tilbury Hotel, Playhouse Newcastle, Fairfax Studio & Edinburgh Fringe Festival (also writer)
1992	The Importance of Being Earnest	John Worthing	Theatre Royal, Sydney & Melbourne Theatre Company
1992	The Barber of Seville	Figaro	Marian Street Theatre
1993	Three Men and a Baby Grand		Space Cabaret, Adelaide
1993	Three Men and a Baby Grand Too		Tilbury Hotel, Woolloomooloo
1993	Comedy Festival Debate: Television is Bad for You		Melbourne Athenaeum
1993	Abbie and Lou, Norman and Rose	Norman	Playhouse, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1994	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Bottom	Playhouse, Newcastle for Hunter Valley Theatre Co
1995	It's My Party (and I'll Die If I Want To)	Undertaker	Glen Street Theatre for Malcom Cooke & Associates
1995	How the Other Half Loves	William Featherstone	Marian Street Theatre
1995	Ruddigore	Robin Oakapple	Victorian State Opera at State Theatre, Melbourne
1996	Quartermaine's Terms	Derek Meadle	Marian Street Theatre
1996	Tilbury Hotel 10th Anniversary Gala		Tilbury Hotel
1997-98	Essington Lewis: I Am Work	Various characters	Newcastle Civic Theatre & Belvoir Street Theatre
1997-98	Abroad with Two Men		CDP Australian tour
1998-99	A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum	Hysterium	Essgee Productions Australian tour
1999	The Mikado	Koko	Festival Theatre, Adelaide
2000	The Unofficial Visitors Guide to Australia		Wharf Revue for Wharf 2 Theatre
2000	The End of the Wharf As We Know It		Wharf Revue for Sydney Theatre Company
2000	Sunday in Iraq with George: A Shock 'n' Awe-full Show		Wharf Revue at Wharf 2 Theatre
2001	The Best Bits of That Broad and Those Men		Glen Street Theatre
2001	Free Petrol!		Wharf Revue at Wharf 2 Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2001	Free Petrol Too!		Wharf Revue at Wharf 2 Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2002	Soulmates	Greg	Australian tour
2002	Much Revue About Nothing		Wharf Revue for Wharf 2 Theatre
2003	Sunday in Iraq with George		Wharf Revue for Sydney Theatre Company
2003	Orpheus in the Underworld	John Styx (Singer)	Opera Australia at State Theatre, Melbourne & Sydney Opera House
2004	The Mikado	Koko	State Opera of South Australia, Opera Queensland & Sydney Opera House
2004	Fast and Loose		Wharf Revue at Glen Street Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2005	Concert for Tax Relief		Wharf Revue at Wharf 2 Theatre
2005	Die Fledermaus	Frosch	Opera Australia
2005	Stuff All Happens		Wharf Revue Australian tour
2006	Best We Forget		Wharf Revue at Wharf 2 Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company[9]
2006	Revue Sans Frontieres	Paul Keating & various characters	The Wharf Revue at Lennox Theatre, Parramatta, Wharf 2 Theatre & Adelaide Cabaret Festival
2007	An Audience with Stephen Sondheim	Host/MC	Theatre Royal, Sydney
2007-08	Ying Tong: A Walk With the Goons	Peter Sellers	Sydney Theatre Company Australian tour
2008	Futures Summit		Bell Shakespeare Company
2007-08	Beware of the Dogma	Paul Keating	The Wharf Revue Australian tour[10]
2008	Waiting for Garnaut		Wharf Revue at Wharf 1 Theatre, Casula Powerhouse for Sydney Theatre Company
2009	Travesties	Henry Carr	Sydney Opera House
2009	Christmas at the House	Host/MC	Sydney Opera House for Opera Australia
2009-10	Pennies from Kevin	Paul Keating / Gough Whitlam / Pope Ratzinger	The Wharf Revue Australian tour[11]
2010	APRA Awards	Host	XYZ Networks
2010	Not Quite Out of the Woods	Tony Jones / Bob Brown	Wharf Revue Sydney Theatre Company Australian tour
2011	The White Guard	Herman / Cobbler	Sydney Theatre
2011	Debt Defying Acts	Lord Mayor Clover Moore & various characters	Wharf Revue Australian tour
2011–13, 2015-16	New Years' Eve Gala Concert	Host	Opera Australia
2013	Whoops!	Sir Petulant Pyne	Wharf Revue Australian tour
2014	The Happy Ending (Workshop)		Opera Australia
2014	Helpmann Awards	Co-host
2014	Open for Business	Paul Keating	Wharf Revue Australian tour
2015	Premier's Senior Week Gala Concert		Venables Creating Entertainment
2015	Celebrating 15 Years		Wharf Revue Australian tour
2016	Back to Bite You	Tony Abbott (Antonius Abbottus) / Donald Trump / Mathias Cormann	Wharf Revue at Wharf 1 Theatre for Sydney Theatre Company
2016-20	Great Opera Hits	Host	Opera Australia
2017	The Patriotic Rag	Donald Trump	Wharf Revue at The Playhouse, Canberra for Sydney Theatre Company
2018	The Wharf Revue 2018		Wharf Revue Australian tour
2019-20	No Cabaret for Old Men		Seymour Centre for Sydney International Cabaret Festival & Riverside Theatres Parramatta
2019	Krapp’s Last Tape	Krapp	Old Fitzroy Theatre for Red Line Productions[12]
2020	Celebrating 15 Years		Wharf Revue Online - Australia
2020	Good Night and Good Luck	Coronavirus	Wharf Revue for Sydney Theatre Company
2020-21	Keating: The Gospel According to Paul	Paul Keating	Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre, Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide, Majestic Cinemas, NSW & Riverside Theatres Parramatta for Soft Tread Enterprises[13]
2022	Can of Worms	Donald Trump / Mark Latham	Wharf Revue for Sydney Theatre Company Australian tour[14]
2022	Looking for Albanese	Jim Chalmers / The Grim Reaper / Clive Palmer / King Charles III / Paul Keating	Wharf Revue at Seymour Centre[15]
2023	Pride in Prejudice		Wharf Revue at Seymour Centre[16]

^[17][7][8]

Awards and nominations

Year	Nominated work	Award	Category	Result
2000	Jonathan Biggins	Mo Awards	Male Comedy Performer of the Year[18]	Won
2010	Avenue Q	Helpmann Award	Best Direction of a Musical	Won
2021	Jonathan Biggins	Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours	Service to the performing arts through theatre[19]	Won

Personal life

He is married to Australian actress Elaine Smith, best known as Daphne Clarke in the soap opera Neighbours. He and Smith have twin daughters born in February 2000.^[20]