Nigel Planer was born in the iconic city of London and had the privilege of receiving an education at the prestigious Westminster School. He then went on to attend the esteemed Sussex University, where he studied African and Asian Studies for a year before making the bold decision to pursue his passion for theatre. His next step was to train as an actor at the renowned London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Planer's early career was marked by his performances at The Comedy Store, where he formed a double-act with the talented Peter Richardson. This led to him becoming a household name as Neil in the groundbreaking television series The Young Ones (1982),a lovable but dim hippie with a fondness for Hawkwind, Marillion, and Steve Hillage. The immense popularity of the character even led to Planer releasing a cover of Traffic's 1967 single "Hole In My Shoe" in character as Neil. The cover, which was released in July 1984, reached number two on the UK singles chart and earned him appearances on Top of the Pops (1964) and Australia's Countdown (1974). Additionally, Planer recorded an album called "Neil's Heavy Concept Album", although it failed to chart. In November 1984, he even made a memorable appearance as Neil at the recording of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?", where he performed an impromptu acoustic version of "Rocking All Over The World" with Rick Parfitt and addressed Phil Collins as "Joan", which was captured on camera for a behind-the-scenes documentary.
Since the 1980s, Planer has solidified his position as one of Britain's most sought-after comedy and character actors. His impressive filmography includes appearances in Terry Gilliam's acclaimed science-fiction film Brazil (1985) and roles in Shine on Harvey Moon (1982),various episodes of The Comic Strip Presents (1982),Filthy Rich & Catflap (1987),Blackadder the Third (1987),and the starring role of Nicholas Craig, the Naked Actor (1990). Planer has also had a successful career in theatre, earning nominations for Olivier, Theatrical Management Association, What's On Stage, and BAFTA awards.
