Tim Minchin

Tim Minchin (born Timothy David Minchin, 7 October 1975) is a British-Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician, poet, composer and songwriter. He has released six CDs, five DVDs, and live comedy shows that he has performed internationally. His show Darkside launched him into the public eye, achieving critical success at the 2005 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He is the composer and lyricist of the Olivier Award-winning, Tony Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated show Matilda the Musical, and the Olivier Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated show Groundhog Day The Musical.

Minchin was born in Northampton, England, the son of Australian parents, and holds both Australian and British citizenship. He returned to Australia with his parents and was raised in Perth alongside his elder brother and two younger sisters. He started learning to play the piano at the age of eight. He was educated at Christ Church Grammar School, graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1996 with a BA in English and theatre, and from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 1998 with an Advanced Diploma in contemporary music.

Minchin describes his act as a "funny cabaret show" and sees himself primarily as a musician and songwriter, saying his songs "just happen to be funny." In his performances, he typically goes barefoot with wild hair and heavy eye makeup, juxtaposed with a crisp suit and tails and a grand piano. In 2013, he played rock star Atticus Fetch on Californication, and he co-wrote and starred as Lucky Flynn in the TV series Upright (2019-2022). The University of Western Australia awarded him an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 2013, and he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Honours for significant service to the performing arts and to the community.