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.
Early life and education Jonathan Martin Biggins 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."
Career Film Biggins' film appearances include Thank God He Met Lizzie, Gettin' Square and A Few Best Men.
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).
Jonathan has been seen on TV as a recurring guest panellist on Spicks and Specks.
Hosting Biggins has hosted the afternoon radio shift for Sydney's 702.
He presented the art panel programme Critical Mass. 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).
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.
Stage Biggins' has performed in numerous stage productions, as actor, singer, comedian and MC.
Theatre credits include The Importance of Being Earnest (as John Worthing, replacing Geoffrey Rush), 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. He has appeared on stage consistently over the years with the Wharf Revue.
He also performed in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas Ruddigore and The Mikado.Jonathan Biggins on AusStage
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".
He has written for the Sydney Morning Herald weekly magazine Good Weekend, Australian Wine Selector and is the author of four books, including The 700 Habits of Highly Ineffective People.
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 Jonathan Biggins acting résumé (2022). Lisa Mann Creative Management Pty. Ltd.
Theatre