Matthew Holness, a multifaceted English comedian, actor, writer, and director, was born in Whitstable, Kent in 1975. He is particularly renowned for his creative portrayal of Garth Marenghi, a fictional horror novelist. Holness pursued a degree in English at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he served as the vice-president of the esteemed Cambridge Footlights. Notable contemporaries during his time at Footlights included president David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Olivia Colman, and co-writer Richard Ayoade.
Holness initially made his television debut as a cast member of the 2000 BBC Choice series Bruiser, alongside Mitchell, Webb, Colman, and Martin Freeman. The same year, he received the prestigious Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe for Garty Marenghi's Fright Night, which was later adapted into the 2004 Channel 4 horror comedy Garth Marenghi's Darkplace.
Throughout his career, Holness has accumulated a diverse range of credits, including the 2006 production Man to Man with Dean Learner, as well as collaborations with Ricky Gervais on The Office, Life's Too Short, and Cemetery Junction. In 2017, he starred alongside Mitchell and Webb in the Channel 4 sitcom Back. In 2018, Holness made his feature-length directorial debut with the film Possum, having previously directed short films such as The Snipist and A Gun For George.
