John Bird (born 22 November 1936) is an English satirist, actor and comedian. Born in Nottingham, England, and educated at Cambridge University he became well-known during the television satire boom of the 1960s, appearing in That Was The Week That Was. Bird was in fact intended by Ned Sherrin for Frost's role in the series, but was committed elsewhere. He has also acted straight and comic roles in several television series and in films such as Dick Turpin, Help!, Jabberwocky, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution and Yellow Pages.
During the 1970s, when Idi Amin was at the height of his infamy, Bird starred on a popular recording (The Colleckerted Broadcasts of Idi Amin) based on Alan Coren's anti-Idi Punch columns.
He played the Director of the British National Theatre in an episode of the BBC situation comedy Yes, Prime Minister broadcast in 1988.
He is best known in the UK for his work with John Fortune and Rory Bremner. In their famous series of sketches, The Long Johns, one of the Johns interviews the other in the guise of a senior figure such as a politician or businessman. Their appearances together in series such as Bremner, Bird and Fortune have won several awards.
From 1990 to 1992, Bird Starred in eighteen episodes of the television detective series, El C.I.D., set in Spain. The series was serious rather than comedy-based, and co-starred Alfred Molina in the first two series and Amanda Redman in the third. The series was created by Clapperboard presenter Chris Kelly.
Bird starred as John Fuller-Carp, a barrister, in the BBC radio and television sitcom, Chambers. He also stars in the BBC Radio 4 and BBC Two series Absolute Power with Stephen Fry.
