Philip Quast

Philip Mark Quast (born 30 July 1957) is an Australian actor and bass-baritone singer. He has won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical three times, making him the first actor to have three wins in that category. He is perhaps best known for his role as Inspector Javert in the stage musical Les Misérables and in the Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert.

He is also well-known for numerous other theatre roles, notable ones being Georges Seurat/George in Sunday in the Park with George (which won him a Laurence Olivier Award), Archibald Craven and Dr. Neville Craven in The Secret Garden, Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, George Banks in Mary Poppins, Georges in La Cage aux Folles, Juan Peron in Evita, Fred Anderson in A Christmas Carol, and The Wolf and Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods. He returned to Les Misérables as The Bishop of Digne at Radio City Music Hall in July and August 2026.

He is also known for appearances in film and for his roles in television shows such as Ultraviolet, Brides of Christ, and Play School.

Early life and education Quast, one of three children, was born in 1957 in Tamworth, New South Wales. His family lived and worked on a mixed, but predominantly turkey, farm. He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1979.

Acting career

1980s Theatre After graduating from NIDA in 1979 Quast began his career in the resident acting company of the State Theatre Company of South Australia. In the early 1980s he appeared in plays such as The Mystery Plays of Wakefield, Three Sisters, On the Wallaby, Pericles, A Month in the Country, As You Like It, Pygmalion, A Hard God, No End of Blame, The Threepenny Opera, Shark Infested Waters, Candide with Nimrod Theatre Company, and a musical adaption of Carmen which he debuted with the Melbourne Theatre Company.

Les Misérables Quast shot to prominence in 1987 as Javert in the original Australian production of Les Misérables, winning him a Sydney Critic Award and a Mo Award. In 1989, he traveled to London to reprise the role on the West End stage. Quast never expected to gain such a prominent role, going to the auditions hoping simply for a place in the chorus. Unable to sight-read music, he walked off the stage at the audition but was called back by Claude-Michel Schönberg and eventually given the part as Javert.

In 1993 he returned to Australia to play in Sydney Theatre Company productions of William Shakespeare's Coriolanus and Sondheim's Into the Woods, in which he played The Wolf/Cinderella's Prince. He then played Dunois in Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan in the West End and on a UK tour in 1994. In 1994–96 he spent two seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company, performing as Fred/Chorus in A Christmas Carol, and King of Navarre in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, as well as Lodovico in The White Devil, Banquo in Macbeth, and Achilles in Troilus and Cressida. Before returning for a second season with the RSC, he spent some time back in Australia, performing in the national tour of The Secret Garden as Dr. Neville Craven – along with Anthony Warlow and Marina Prior.

Film and television Quast continued to appear in both Australian and British television roles throughout the 1990s. In 1995 he starred in the miniseries The Damnation of Harvey McHugh as The Minister, Michael Muldoon for 13 episodes. From 1995 to 1996 he appeared as Simon Lennox in British drama series The Governor for 4 episodes, and in 1998 he played Father Pearse J. Harman in 6 episodes of Ultraviolet. In 1999 he played Cornelius in a 1999 miniseries adaptation of Cleopatra. He also had guest roles in Police Rescue, the miniseries Brides of Christ, Crime Story and Inspector Morse.

He had a sole film role in the 1990s, playing Bradley in 1999 thriller The Fall.

2000s Musical theatre Quast played the part of Javert on the Les Misérables Complete Symphonic Recording, and in Hey, Mr. Producer, a concert in honour of Sir Cameron Mackintosh.

Though mainly a baritone, Quast has played some roles written for tenors, namely George (see above), Candide, and Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden. Although he is known for his serious roles, he has also performed comedic parts, such as his 2004 appearance as the pompous Miles Gloriosus in a limited run revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Royal National Theatre.

Quast more recently played the supporting role of Juan Peron in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2006 production of Evita at the Adelphi Theatre in London. He was nominated for an Olivier award for this role. In July 2007, Quast performed the role of Judge Turpin in a concert version of Sweeney Todd at London's Royal Festival Hall.

He was most recently in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles as Georges. Quast rejoined the cast of La Cage on 4 May 2009 with Roger Allam. Coincidentally, both actors have performed in the role of Javert in Les Misérables. From July 2010, he played Mr. Banks in the Australian premiere production of Mary Poppins at Melbourne's Her Majesty’s Theatre, a part Cameron Mackintosh offered to him in the bathroom of The Ivy in London. He won the 2010 Victorian Green Room Award (Melbourne's top theatre awards) for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance. He also won the 2011 Helpmann Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Mary Poppins.

In March 2014, New York audiences were treated to a special limited engagement of Sweeney Todd at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. Quast, in his New York stage debut, performed as Judge Turpin, with Bryn Terfel as Sweeney Todd and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Lovett. The show was scheduled to be broadcast as part of Live at Lincoln Center's television special in September 2014.

In July and August 2026, Quast joined the world concert tour of Les Misérables as The Bishop of Digne which included performing at Radio City Music Hall. In July 2026, he performed in an encore performance of the song "Stars" along fellow past and current Javert actors Jordan Donica, Bradley Jaden, and Jeremy Secomb after a performance of Les Misérables.

Theatre In 2003, Quast appeared as Antonio in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, directed by Gale Edwards and as Trigorin in Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by Steven Pimlott, both at the Chichester Festival Theatre. In 2012, he played the role of Sir Humphrey Appleby in an Australian production of Yes, Prime Minister. In August/September 2012, he performed the role of Walter Burns in Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of His Girl Friday. In November 2013 he joined Hugo Weaving and Richard Roxburgh in Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot. In May/June 2014, Quast played the role of Pastor Manders in Henrik Ibsen’s play Ghosts at the Melbourne Theatre Company directed by Gale Edwards.

Film and television Quast has appeared in numerous television roles throughout the 2000s. In 2001 he played Michael Fielding MP in Australian satirical comedy series Corridors of Power and Tim Price in 7 episodes of Australian comedy/drama series Bed of Roses in 2010. In 2016 he played the role of Senior Constable Gordon in superhero parody series The Justice Lease as well as Lincoln Priest in legal series Janet King. In 2018 Quast appeared as Arthur Appleyard in the miniseries reimagining of the 1975 Australian Peter Weir classic Picnic at Hanging Rock. In 2020, he had two further television roles – as Professor Quentin Ratchett in comedy/drama series Operation Buffalo and as Phillip Walford in Between Two Worlds. Since 2024 he has been playing Dr Sandy Green in Australian-Indian romance/drama series Four Years Later.

He also guested in several British series including medical drama Holby City, murder mystery series Midsomer Murders, and crime drama series Silent Witness. He also had a guest role in Australian TV drama Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.

Quast appeared in several 2000s film roles. He played Richard (opposite Caroline Goodall) in British film Me & Mrs Jones (2002). He appeared as Carl alongside Wendy Hughes and Susie Porter in The Caterpillar Wish (2006), and the following year played Ronnie opposite Rebecca Gibney in Clubland. He portrayed Saddam Hussein in 2011 internationally released film The Devil's Double (alongside Dominic Cooper). Quast was in the 2015 political newsroom drama Truth playing real life politician Ben Barnes, alongside an all-star cast including Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford. He also had a part in the 2016 Mel Gibson-directed war biopic Hacksaw Ridge as Judge, which also starred Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving and Rachel Griffiths. In 2022 he played Tanner Blue in Dark Noise.

While Quast has expressed a desire to continue working in TV and film, and teach acting, he no longer intends to act in plays or musicals, because of the heavy schedule involved.

Personal life Quast and his wife Carol have three sons (Edwin, Harry and Toby). He also teaches at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, Australia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Quast continued teaching through Zoom calls.

Quast married Carol in 1981 and they were married for almost ten years before having the first of their three sons. He has been noted for his humble nature, stating he doesn't seek after fame and is concerned that success is measured by notoriety instead of the respect of one's peers. He doesn't keep any of his awards, instead sending them to his parents' home in Australia.

Quast was named as one of the 25 Most Beautiful People for 1996 in Who Weekly magazine. In an article for the magazine he said, "The problem with this business is that you have to supposedly look as good as you can all the time. And I hate that. My idea of doing my hair is sticking it out of the window of a car when it's wet."

A bass-baritone, Quast has been universally applauded by critics for his singing voice, which has been described as "warm", and "glorious." He was named by British newspaper The Stage as "one of the most notable singing actors to come along in years".

Quast has a strong passion for fishing, and he spent his time during the COVID-19 pandemic fishing, cooking, pickling and preserving.

1993

Musical cast recordings Year Title Notes 1989 Les Misérables: The Complete Symphonic Recording 1990 Paris Studio Cast Recording 1995 The Secret Garden Original Australian Cast Recording 1995 Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert 1997 The Fix Original London Cast Recording 2001 South Pacific Royal National Theatre Production – London Cast 2001 The Secret Garden Original London Cast Recording 2002 Live at the Donmar Philip Quast 2006 Evita London Cast Recording 2011 Mary Poppins Original Australian Cast Recording

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Type 1985 Emoh Ruo Les Tunkley Feature film 1986 Army Wives Peter TV movie 1987 Around the World in Eighty Ways Wally Davis Feature film 1987 To Market To Market Edward Feature film 1988 The First Kangaroos Alex 'Bluey' Burdon Feature film 1995 Napoleon Birdo (voice) Feature film 1999 The Fall Bradley Feature film 2002 Me & Mrs Jones Richard Bowden TV movie 2006 The Caterpillar Wish Carl Roberts Feature film 2007 Clubland Ronnie Stubbs Feature film 2011 The Devil's Double Saddam Hussein / Faoaz Feature film 2015 Truth Ben Barnes Feature film 2016 Hacksaw Ridge Judge Feature film 2017 National Theatre Live: Follies Benjamin Stone TV movie 2022 Dark Noise Tanner Blue Feature film

Television Year Title Role Type 1981–96 Play School Presenter TV series, 2164 episodes 1982–83 The Young Doctors Dr Rod Hawkins TV series, 20 episodes 1983 Patrol Boat Smith TV series, season 2, episode 2: "Tango Victor" 1984 A Country Practice Billy Webb TV series, season 4, 2 episodes 1984 Special Squad Jaeger TV series, episode 8: "The Würzburg Link" 1984–85 Sons and Daughters Bob 'Mitch' Mitchell TV series, 30 episodes 1985 Colour in the Creek Barney Miniseries, 8 episodes 1987 Flight into Hell Chris Gordon Miniseries 1987 Fields of Fire Albie Miniseries, 2 episodes 1989 Cassidy Sam East Miniseries, 2 episodes 1991 Police Rescue Bob Harrison TV series, season 1, episode 1: "Mates" 1991 Brides of Christ Ian McGregor Miniseries, episode 3: "Ambrose" 1992 Crime Story Terry Clark TV series, episode 1: "All Good Friends - The Case of the Handless Corpse" 1995 The Damnation of Harvey McHugh The Minister, Michael Muldoon Miniseries, 13 episodes 1995 Great Performances Javert TV series, season 24, episode 10: "Les Misérables in Concert" 1995–96 The Governor Simon Lennox TV series, seasons 1–2, 4 episodes 1998 Ultraviolet Father Pearse J. Harman TV series, season 1, 6 episodes 1998 Inspector Morse Mr Benfield TV series, season 8, episode 4: "The Wench is Dead" 1999 Cleopatra Cornelius Miniseries, 2 episodes 2001 Corridors of Power Michael Fielding MP TV series, 6 episodes 2004 Midsomer Murders Ross Villiers TV series, season 7, episode 7: "Ghosts of Christmas Past" 2006 Holby City Clayton Jones TV series, season 8, episode 13: "Pride Before a Fall" 2008 Silent Witness Leonid Polyak TV series, season 12, 2 episodes 2010 Bed of Roses Tim Price TV series, season 2, 7 episodes 2014 Live from Lincoln Center Judge Turpin TV series, season 40, episode 1: "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - In Concert with the New York Philharmonic" 2015 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Dr. Hayden Samuels TV series, season 3, episode 5: "Death & Hysteria" 2016 The Justice Lease Senior Constable Gordon TV series, season 2, 4 episodes 2016 Janet King Lincoln Priest TV series, season 2, 5 episodes 2018 Picnic at Hanging Rock Arthur Appleyard Miniseries, 6 episodes 2020 Operation Buffalo Professor Quentin Ratchett TV series, season 1, 4 episodes 2020 Between Two Worlds Phillip Walford TV series, season 1, 10 episodes 2024– Four Years Later Dr Sandy Green TV series, season 1, 3 episodes

Stage

The Seagull NIDA Theatre, Sydney The Beggar's Opera NIDA Theatre, Sydney, Playhouse, Canberra The Ballad of the Sad Café Circus Style Performer NIDA Theatre, Sydney

The Ship's Whistle Hank / Governor's Aide / Lt Armstrong / Professor Kemp / Francis Jeffrey Dickens Playhouse, Adelaide with Magpie Theatre Company The Mystery Plays of Wakefield

The Three Sisters A Maid / Officers / Soldiers / Servants / Villagers / Wandering musicians On the Wallaby Jim / Boxcar Harry Pericles, Prince of Tyre Theatre 62, Adelaide with STCSA A Month in the Country Aleksei Belyayev / Matvei

A Hard God Jack Buckley's! Cop Pygmalion Freddie Eynsford-Hill As You Like It Charles / Jacques de Boys / Orlando / Sir Oliver Martext / Hymen Theatre 62, Adelaide with STCSA The Revenger’s Tragedy Hippolito Playhouse, Adelaide with STCSA 1982 Candide Candide Seymour Centre, Sydney, Melbourne with Nimrod Theatre Company 1983 Song of the Seals Jonah Fyshe Playhouse, Adelaide with Magpie Theatre Company 1984 Carmen - Another Perspective Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne with MTC 1985; 1987; 1989 Les Misérables Inspector Javert Theatre Royal, Sydney, Palace Theatre, West End

The Marriage

Hamlet 1988 A Stephen Sondheim Evening Actor / Singer Theatre Royal Sydney with Cameron Mackintosh

Sunday in the Park with George Georges Seurat / George Royal National Theatre, West End Love Letters Andrew Makepeace III Sydney Opera House The Hunting of the Snark The Bellman The Hills Centre, Sydney with Jackson-Mayo Productions 1991; 1992 Les Misérables Inspector Javert Festival Theatre, Adelaide, Aotea Centre, Auckland, Palace Theatre, Manchester, U.K. tour

Coriolanus Aufidus

Into the Woods The Wolf / Cinderella's Prince 1994 Saint Joan Dunois West End / U.K. tour 1994; 1995; 1996 data-sort-value="Christmas Carol, A" | A Christmas Carol Fred Anderson Royal Shakespeare Company

The Secret Garden Dr. Neville Craven Lyric Theatre, Brisbane, State Theatre, Sydney, State Theatre, Melbourne Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert Inspector Javert Royal Albert Hall, 10th Anniversary concert Love's Labour's Lost King of Navarre Japan tour with Royal Shakespeare Company

Macbeth Banquo Royal Shakespeare Company The White Devil Lododvico Swan Theatre Troilus and Cressida Achilles Royal Shakespeare Company Lift Off Live Sydney Opera House with Australian Children's Television Foundation for Sydney Festival 1997 The Fix Grahame Chandler Donmar Warehouse, West End 1998 Hey, Mr. Producer! Lyceum Theatre, London – Royal Gala Performance 2001 The Secret Garden Lord Archibald Craven Olivier Theatre, West End with RSC, West End 2002 South Pacific Emile de Becque Royal National Theatre, West End 2003 The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Martin Gray Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC 2004 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Miles Gloriosus Royal National Theatre, West End

The Cherry Orchard Lopakhin Wharf Theatre with STC & Australian tour Democracy Willy Brandt Sydney Theatre 2006 Evita Juan Peron Adelphi Theatre, West End 2007 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Judge Turpin Royal Festival Hall 2007–2008; 2009 La Cage aux Folles Georges Menier Chocolate Factory, Off West End, Playhouse Theatre, West End 2010 Hats Off! National Theatre, Melbourne 2010; 2011 Mary Poppins George Banks Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, Capitol Theatre, Sydney

Yes, Prime Minister Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Canberra Theatre, Sydney Theatre, Gold Coast Arts Centre, Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Playhouse, Brisbane with YPM International His Girl Friday Walter Burns Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC 2013 Waiting for Godot Pozzo STC 2014

Concert at Lincoln Center (New York debut) 2015 Concert at English National Opera 2014–2015 Ghosts Pastor Manders Southbank Theatre with MTC 2016; 2017–18 Follies Benjamin Stone Concert at Melbourne Recital Centre, Royal National Theatre, West End 2019 Philip Quast Uncut Himself Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide 2021 Philip Quast: Is This All Then? Himself Seymour Centre, Sydney 2021 Death of a Salesman Ben Roslyn Packer Theatre with STC 2022 Moments in the Woods: Songs & Stories of Sondheim The Famous Spiegeltent at Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2023 Do Not Go Gentle... Robert Scott Roslyn Packer Theatre with STC 2024 Cost of Living Eddie Bille Brown Theatre with Queensland Theatre, Wharf Theatre with STC