Having lived in England and South Africa (Cape Town) John arrived in New Zealand with his family at the age of 9. "They totally opposed apartheid, so we left." He started his career in Auckland at 19 performing live on Auckland's nightclub circuit. Within a few months he was appearing in local variety television shows and gaining a solid local following. Within two years he appeared in his first major stage show and shortly after began combining his club and television work with repertory theatre. He gained both popular and critical acclaim playing "Charlie Brown" in "You're a good man Charlie Brown". (오뜨랑에서 실시간으로 번역된 한글 프로필도 확인할 수 있어요) 2021년 Vegas에서 Lester Burton 역을 맡았다. 2015년 The Monster of Mangatiti에서 Malcolm 역을 맡았다. 2014년 The Brokenwood Mysteries에서 Chairman 역을 맡았다.