Philip Mark Quast was born in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia, to a family of three children, raised on a farm by his parents. As an actor and singer, he is best known for his work in theatre, which began after graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1979.
Quast's early career included working for the State Theatre Company of South Australia, appearing in various stage productions such as "As You Like It", "Pygmalion", and "The Threepenny Opera". In 1981, he made his first appearance on the children's show "Play School", a program he would return to throughout the years.
A breakthrough role came in 1987 when Quast auditioned for the original Australian production of "Les Misérables", initially hoping to join the chorus but instead being cast as Inspector Javert. This role led to his appearance in the London production in 1989 and later in the filmed concert version, "Les Misérables in Concert", in 1995.
Throughout the 1990s, Quast played a variety of theatre roles, including Shakespearean plays such as "Coriolanus", "Love's Labour's Lost", "Troilus and Cressida", and "Mackbeth", as well as musicals like "Into the Woods", "A Christmas Carol", and "The Secret Garden". In 1991, he won the Laurence Olivier Award for his role in the original London production of "Sunday in the Park with George".
In the late 1990s, Quast continued to excel in his craft, winning his second Laurence Olivier Award in 1998 for his role in "The Fix" and appearing in "Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh", a concert honoring theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh.
In the 2000s, Quast focused primarily on musical theatre, winning his third Laurence Olivier Award in 2002 for "South Pacific". He went on to appear in musicals such as "Evita", "Sweeney Todd", and "La Cage aux Folles", and returned to the role of Javert.
In addition to his theatre work, Quast has also appeared in several movies and TV series. His most notable film performance came in 2011 when he played Saddam Hussein in "The Devil's Double". Quast has been married to Carol Quast since 1981 and has three sons, Harry, Toby, and Edwin. He is also a teacher at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.
