Oli Higginson

Oli Higginson (born 26 April 1994) is an English actor, writer and musician. He is best known internationally for his recurring role as Footman John on the Netflix period drama Bridgerton (2020–). His theatre work has included the role of Jamie in the West End production of The Last Five Years which earned him a Stage Debut Award nomination, and Cassio in Othello at Shakespeare's Globe for which he was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award. He writes and records music under the alter-ego Modern Oli.

Higginson grew up in London, where he participated in school plays and sang in rock-bands as a teenager.

He studied at Charterhouse School before reading theology at the University of Bristol, and then attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he graduated in 2019.^[1]

Soon after graduating from Guildhall, Higginson appeared in the World Premiere of The Haystack at Hampstead Theatre directed by then Artistic Director Roxana Silbert,^[2] and performed a small role on the Netflix show Cursed.^[3] He also played in a critically acclaimed production of The Last Five Years, a two-person-play, together with Molly Lynch performing 2020 in the Southwark Playhouse^[4] and 2021 in the Garrick Theatre, making his West End debut.^[5] He was nominated for a Stage Debut Award^[6] and an Offie Award^[7] for his performance, and the production received numerous four and five star reviews.^[8] WhatsOnStage described this iteration of the piece as the "definitive production" with The New York Times remarking on an "excellent" Oli Higginson,^[9] The Daily Telegraph praising the show's "bravura performances", and The Stage commending the production's "superlative, visceral performances capturing the excitement of new love and the agony of divorce".^[10] The Independent wrote that "Higginson and Lynch are armed with a veritable boatload of talent and charisma – the megawatt, star-making kind that hits like a tidal wave."^[11] The production was filmed live and became available through BroadwayHD.^[12]

During this time, Higginson also played the role of Colin in Emily Mortimer's BBC Mini-Series The Pursuit of Love, appearing opposite Lily James.^[13] He then went on to star at The Old Vic alongside Stephen Mangan as Scrooge's Nephew Fred in Matthew Warchus' hit production of A Christmas Carol, written by Jack Thorne. WhatsOnStage wrote that "Oli Higginson radiates warmth and kindness as his jovial nephew"^[14] and London Theatre praised his performance for "deftly shifting gears after his hefty assignment as the male half of The Last Five Years".^[15]

In early 2022, Oli appeared in the London Premiere of James Fritz' four-hander play LAVA at Soho Theatre alongside Bethany Antonia and Kacey Ainsworth.^[16] LAVA then toured to Sheffield Crucible, Theatre Royal Bath, Birmingham Rep, Nottingham Playhouse, and Theatr Clwyd.^[17] Later that year he was seen playing Saul in the Sky Atlantic TV mini-series This England, a COVID-19 docudrama written and directed by Michael Winterbottom, which starred Kenneth Branagh as Boris Johnson.^[18]

In 2023, he returned to the Southwark Playhouse, doing the two-person-play Smoke together with his real-life partner Meaghan Martin.^[1] Smoke is a modern adaption of August Strindberg's Miss Julie set at a BDSM party in New York City, and was co-directed by Polina Kalinina and Júlia Levai. The play is described as a "piercingly witty and sometimes painful exploration of gender, sexuality and desire". The play received numerous four and five star reviews, with The Arts Desk praising the "exhilarating and dazzling Strindberg update" in their five-star review,^[19] and WhatsOnStage writing: "Meaghan Martin and Oli Higginson are astonishing. Tender, brutal and utterly convincing, the measured sensuality of their movements contrasting intriguingly with line deliveries so naturalistic they sound like improvisation, this stunning pair mine Davies’s text for all its dark humour and ambiguity. They also achieve a combustible sexual chemistry . . . Higginson and Martin are delivering two of the most exciting performances on any current London stage".^[20]

Later on in 2023, Higginson was seen as Jack Felton in Season 2 of The Chelsea Detective, alongside Ella Bruccoleri and Adrian Scarborough.^[21] Higginson also appeared in the short film Treadmill, written and directed by Pierluigi Campa, and played Terry Sightworsens in the original concert production of I Wish You Well: The Gwyneth Paltrow Musical at the Turbine Theatre alongside Zizzi Strallen and Idriss Kargbo.^[22]

In 2024, he played Cassio in Ola Ince's modern-dress production of Othello,^[23] for which he was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award.^[24] Clive Davis in The Times writes "Of all, Higginson makes the strongest impression".^[25] Higginson was also seen in a guest star role on HBO's acclaimed television series Julia, playing Jacques Brel opposite Fiona Glasscot, in a cast including Sarah Lancashire, Isabella Rossellini, David Hyde Pierce, and Stockard Channing.^[26] His performance of Brel is the first ever portrayal of the renowned Belgian singer to be seen on screen since his death in 1978.^[27] Higginson also stepped into the role of 'Him' in the two-hander play After Sex, written by Siofra Dromgoole and directed by Izzy Parris at Arcola Theatre in Summer 2024.^[28] In March 2025, the short film Pipe Dream was released, in which Higginson stars as antagonist Danny alongside Louis Partridge, Anson Boon, and Liah O'Prey, directed by Misha Seresin.^[29]

Since 2020, Higginson has been seen in all three seasons of the hit Netflix series Bridgerton in the recurring role of John, a footman working for the eponymous family. He was recently featured in Netflix's 'first look photos' from the upcoming fourth season, which wrapped in May 2025.^[30]

In summer 2025, Higginson was cast as Claudio in the Shakespeare play Measure for Measure at the Royal Shakespeare Company in a cast including Adam James, Isis Hainsworth, Douggie McMeekin and Tom Mothersdale.^[31] Directed by Emily Burns, the production opened in September 2025 to rave reviews, including five stars in The Guardian and four stars in The Times, The Stage, The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph who called it a 'benchmark production'.^[32] The Guardian praised the 'superbly performed' production,^[33] Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph commended 'Oli Higginson's condemned Claudio's stirring despair at impending mortality',^[34] and Stage Talk Magazine calls his performance 'Outstanding . . . a major stage presence . . . we get a forceful sense of his terror of death as he deliver's some of the play's greatest lines'.^[35] WhatsOnStage applauded Higginson's 'desperate Claudio'^[36] and North West End complimented his 'standout performance [in which] he takes an often sympathetically presented role and mires it in a deeply repugnant ditch of expressivity'.^[37] Libby Purves - former chief Critic of The Times - writes 'Isis Hainsworth’s Isabella is superb too, and her scene with Claudio – in his initially desperate attack of timor-mortis – is properly moving, until with rapid subtle self-delusion he suddenly manages to convince himself that a girl's virtue is, face it, unimportant next to a man’s life. Oli Higginson does it with a horrid clarity'.^[38] The Daily Mail writes: 'the play runs like a thriller, driven by the fate of the doomed youth Claudio, played with escalating desperation by Bridgerton's Footman John, Oli Higginson'.

In December 2025, Higginson began rehearsals for American Psycho at the Almeida Theatre in London, in which he plays Timothy Price.^[39] Higginson joined the leading cast in Rupert Goold's final production as Artistic Director of the Almeida, alongside actors Arty Froushan, Emily Barber, and Tanisha Spring.^[40] The production opened in January 2026 to positive reviews including four stars in The Guardian, Financial Times, Evening Standard, The i,Time Out, The Independent, and WhatsOnStage.^[41] The show also received two Olivier Award nominations, for Best Musical Revival and Lynne Page for Best Theatre Choreographer respectively.^[42]

Higginson releases music under the moniker Modern Oli.^[43] When asked by Nyota Magazine about his music, he said: "I see myself as an artist. I act. I write. I sing. I’m interested in exploring art and humanity through a multitude of mediums, and I want to grow in all areas of my work. I love being challenged, and the best way to do that is to keep trying new things, exploring new things. For as long as I live, I plan to do this as an actor, and I plan to do this as a musician, too."^[44]

In October 2025, he headlined The Grace, previously known as Above The Garage, in North London.^[45] The debut show sold out in 4 hours.^[46] The venue is widely regarded as an intimate right-of-passage on the London music scene. In December 2025, Modern Oli opened for Skinny Living at their major London show at Dingwalls.^[47] In late 2025, Oli shared via his Modern Oli Instagram that his debut release is due in early 2026. On 12th January 2026 he announced that his debut single, One of Those Faces, would be released on January 23rd, distributed by AWAL, a subsidiary of Sony Music.^[48] A week before its release, the song had its debut radio play on the Gaby Roslin show on BBC Radio London for over half a million listeners.^[49] The song received 60,000 streams in its opening few weeks, leading to Mollie King featuring the track on her BBC Radio 1 Future Pop show on February 25th.^[50] Modern Oli's second single, Transatlantic was released on February 20th.^[51] On February 22nd, he announced an intimate stripped-back headline 'secret show' to take place the St Pancras Clocktower on March 1st.^[52] Ticket links were distributed exclusively to his closest fans via Instagram DMs.^[53] The show sold-out in two hours.^[54] In the same week that his debut single One of Those Faces reached 100,000 streams, Oli announced he would headline the 400-capacity venue OSLO in Hackney, East London on September 18.^[55] His third single, Don't Let Me Love You is due to be released on March 20 as well as a music video starring Oli alongside fellow Bridgerton star Emma Naomi.

He has been married to American actress and musician Meaghan Martin since 2016.

• Oli Higginson at IMDb