Matthew Holness
Born in Whitstable, Kent in 1975, Matthew Holness is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is best known for his comic creation, the fictional horror novelist Garth Marenghi. He read English at Trinity College, Cambridge and was vice-president of the Cambridge Footlights. His contemporaries included Footlights president, David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Olivia Colman and his Marenghi co-writer Richard Ayoade. Holness first appeared on television as a cast-member of the 2000 BBC Choice TV series Bruiser, which starred Mitchell, Webb, Colman and Martin Freeman. In that same year he won the Perrier at the Edinburgh Fringe for Garty Marenghi's Fright Night, which was transferred to UK television in the guise of the 2004 Channel 4 horror comedy Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. Other credits include 2006's Man to Man with Dean Learner, several productions with Ricky Gervais such as The Office, Life's Too Short and Cemetery Junction, and the 2017 Channel 4 sitcom Back which starred Mitchell and Webb. In 2018 he made his feature length directorial debut with the film Possum, having previously helmed short films The Snipist and A Gun For George.
Known For
Credits
- 2023 · Dodger Special: Bad Egg as Sir Denholm Havers
- 2022 · Toast of Tinseltown as Richard Chickentoss
- 2021 · Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel as Himself
- 2021 · We Are Lady Parts as Gameshow host
- 2020 · The Haunting of Bly Manor as Dominic Wingrave
- 2019 · Year of the Rabbit as Hector, Crown Prince of Bulgaria
- 2017 · The Russell Howard Hour as Garth Marenghi
- 2017 · Back as Laurie
- 2015 · Italia Violenta as
- 2013 · Toast of London as Max Gland
- 2011 · Life's Too Short as Ian
- 2011 · A Gun for George as Terry / George / The Reprisalizer
- 2011 · Friday Night Dinner as Chris Parker
- 2010 · Cemetery Junction as Band Leader
- 2009 · Free Agents as
- 2006 · Man to Man with Dean Learner as
- 2006 · Time Trumpet as
- 2005 · Festival as Roger - Lighting Man
- 2004 · The Mighty Boosh as Bob Fossil
- 2004 · Garth Marenghi's Darkplace as Garth Marenghi / Dr. Rick Dagless M.D.
- 2001 · The Office as Simon
- 2000 · Bruiser as
- 1997 · Backstage... at the Cambridge Footlights as Self