Jonathan Lynn

Jonathan Lynn (born 3 April 1943, Bath, England) is an actor, comedy writer, and director. He is best known for being the co-writer of Yes Minister.

Career

Personal life

Lynn was educated at Kingswood School, Bath (1954–1961) after which he studied Law at Pembroke College, Cambridge (where his uncle, Israeli statesman Abba Eban studied also), where he participated in the Cambridge University Footlights Club revue Cambridge Circus (appearing with the revue on Broadway and on The Ed Sullivan Show, in 1964).

Career

In 1967 he played Motel the tailor in the original West End production of Fiddler on the Roof (production recorded by CBS Records).

From the late 1960s, Jonathan Lynn was appearing in and writing television sitcoms, including the television comedy series Twice a Fortnight with Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Tony Buffery.

He also played the Irish medical student Danny Hooley in the second series of the television comedy Doctor in the House in 1970 (Jonathan Lynn returned as Danny Hooley, for one episode of Doctor in Charge, "Should Auld Acquaintance be Forgot?", after Hooley had been working as a doctor). He also wrote some episodes for Doctor at Large, Doctor in Charge, Doctor at Sea and Doctor on the Go.

As an actor, his most memorable role was as Beryl's boyfriend Robert in early series of The Liver Birds.

As a writer

As a writer, in addition to episodes in the Doctor TV series, he worked on On the Buses and wrote for Harry Worth before eventually hitting the big time, in partnership with Antony Jay, as writer of the Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister series.

• Clue
• Nuns on the Run (as co-writer)

As a director

He has directed films including:

• Clue
• Nuns on the Run
• My Cousin Vinny
• The Distinguished Gentleman
• Greedy
• Sgt. Bilko
• Trail and Error
• The Fighting Temptations
• The Whole Nine Yards.

In 2008, it was announced that Lynn was to direct the 2009 comedy film Wild Target. It was set to star Bill Nighy, Helena Bonham Carter and Rupert Grint in title roles, but after Bonham Carter dropped out because of filming conflicts, Emily Blunt took over her role. Since then new cast members such as Eileen Atkins and Rupert Everett have joined the all star cast, and the film is now due to be released in March 2009.

Further reading

• Wilmut, Roger (1980). From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy. Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-413-50770-9. 
• Hewison, Robert (1983). Footlights!: A hundred years of Cambridge comedy. Methuen London. ISBN 978-0-413-51150-8. 

External links

• Official website
• Jonathan Lynn at the Internet Movie Database
• Jonathan Lynn at the Internet Broadway Database