Glenn Maxwell Robbins (born 30 December 1957) is an Australian comedian, writer, actor, television and radio presenter. He is best known for ''
The Comedy Company'', portraying
Kel Knight in ''
Kath & Kim
''Kath & Kim'' (also written as ''Kath and Kim'') is an Australian sitcom originally airing in the prime-time slot on ABC Television from 2002 to 2005 and subsequently on the Seven Network in 2007 and 2022. The show was produced by Riley and T ...
'' and adventurer Russell Coight in ''
All Aussie Adventures''. Robbins has appeared on ''
The Panel'', ''
Thank God You're Here'' and ''
Have You Been Paying Attention?''.
Early life
Robbins attended
Strathmore High School and graduated in 1975. He later studied drama and media at the
Melbourne State College and graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree in 1979. He first moved into performing in 1981.
Career
Television
Robbins began his acting career in 1984, appearing in two episodes of ''
Prisoner
A prisoner, also known as an inmate or detainee, is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...
'' and one episode of ''
Special Squad''. In 1985 he appeared on the sketch show ''The Eleventh Hour''. He shot to fame in 1988 when he starred in another sketch show, ''The Comedy Company'', in which one of his characters, "Uncle Arthur", became very popular. In 1991 he joined the team of ''
Fast Forward'' for two seasons. Other sketch shows in which he has appeared include ''
Full Frontal'' (1993), ''
Jimeoin'' (1994–95) and ''
Something Stupid'' (1998).
In 1998, Robbins became a panellist on the weekly television show ''The Panel''. This aired on
Network Ten
Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...
. The show lasted eight seasons, going into hiatus in 2005.
Robbins played Australian adventurer Russell Coight in ''
All Aussie Adventures'' from 2001 until 2002 and again in 2018 on Network Ten, as well as the 2004 telemovie.
From 2002, he played the role of Kel Knight in the television comedy series ''
Kath & Kim
''Kath & Kim'' (also written as ''Kath and Kim'') is an Australian sitcom originally airing in the prime-time slot on ABC Television from 2002 to 2005 and subsequently on the Seven Network in 2007 and 2022. The show was produced by Riley and T ...
''. He also appeared in the ''
Da Kath & Kim Code
''Da Kath & Kim Code'' is a 2005 Australian comedy telemovie of the television series '' Kath & Kim''.
After three seasons of ''Kath & Kim'' (2002–2004), Gina Riley and Jane Turner initially planned to take 2005 off from television. But in ...
'' telemovie in 2005. The series ended in 2007. In 2022, Robbins reprised the role of Kel for a special celebrating the series, it aired on channel 7 with new skits and unseen footage.
In 2006, Robbins appeared in two episodes of Network Ten's ''
Thank God You're Here''. He is executive producer of the Network 10 sketch comedy show ''
The Ronnie Johns Half Hour''. In 2008, he launched a new game show on the Seven Network entitled ''
Out of the Question''. In 2011 he was the guest on the fourth episode of the comedy program ''
The Joy of Sets'' on the Nine Network.
From 2013, Robbins has appeared in the
ABC comedy series ''
Upper Middle Bogan'' as Wayne Wheeler, and has a semi-regular guest spot on ''
Have You Been Paying Attention?''.
Film
In 2001, Robbins played the role of Pete O'May in the award-winning Australian film ''
Lantana
''Lantana'' () is a genus of about 150 species of perennial plant, perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropics, tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in num ...
''. In 2006 he co-starred with
Mick Molloy in the comedy feature ''
BoyTown'' as an '80s pop-star called "Benny G.". In 2011 he appeared in the comedy ''
Scumbus''. In 2012 he reprised his role of
Kel Knight in the movie ''
Kath & Kimderella''.
Radio
Robbins has a weekly one-hour radio segment on Melbourne radio station
3AW as part of ''The Weekend Break with Grubby and Dee Dee'' Sunday edition.
Awards
Robbins has been nominated at the
Logies several times. He was nominated for Most Popular Actor in 2003 and 2004 for his role in ''
Kath & Kim
''Kath & Kim'' (also written as ''Kath and Kim'') is an Australian sitcom originally airing in the prime-time slot on ABC Television from 2002 to 2005 and subsequently on the Seven Network in 2007 and 2022. The show was produced by Riley and T ...
'' and again nominated in 2005 for his role in the telemovie ''
Da Kath & Kim Code
''Da Kath & Kim Code'' is a 2005 Australian comedy telemovie of the television series '' Kath & Kim''.
After three seasons of ''Kath & Kim'' (2002–2004), Gina Riley and Jane Turner initially planned to take 2005 off from television. But in ...
''.
Personal life
The third son of Arthur and Gwen, Robbins is married to Selina, who is a nurse, and currently lives in Melbourne.
Filmography
Film
Television
Bibliography
Contributor
*
References
External links
*
Working Dog television and film production company website
Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge satirical site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Glenn
1956 births
Living people
Australian male comedians
Australian male film actors
Australian male television actors
Comedians from Melbourne
Australian television talk show hosts
20th-century Australian male actors
21st-century Australian male actors
Male actors from Melbourne