Jonathan Miller was born in England in 1934. He graduated from St John鈥檚 College, Cambridge, in 1956, and received a degree in medicine at the University College School of Medicine of London University in 1959. During his studies Miller became involved in the arts and performed in various dramatic revues.
Miller made his professional stage debut at the Edinburgh Festival in 1961 as both actor and co-author in the satirical review titled "Beyond the Fringe". He was appointed the associate director of the National Theatre in 1973 but resigned two years later. In 1984, he studied neuropsychology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, before becoming a neuropsychology research fellow at the University of Sussex the following year.
From the 1980s to 2000s, Miller produced and wrote and directed numerous operas, plays and television series including The Body in Question, a 13-part series on the history of medicine and of attitudes toward the human body for the BBC,聽 as well as the popular TV documentary series Madness. In 1983, Miller was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was knighted in 2002.
Miller delivered the Beatty Lecture on October 12, 2000, titled 鈥淟aughing Matters: Humour and Comedy鈥�.
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