Colin Higgins

Born 28 July 1941
Nouméa, New Caledonia, France
Died 5 August 1988 (aged 47)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Education Stanford University
UCLA
Occupations Director, producer, actor, screenwriter
Years active 1971–1987

Colin Higgins (28 July 1941 – 5 August 1988) was an Australian-American screenwriter, actor, director, and producer, widely known for writing the screenplay for the 1971 film Harold and Maude, and for directing the films Foul Play (1978) and 9 to 5 (1980).

Higgins was born in Nouméa, New Caledonia, France, to an Australian mother, Joy (Kelly), and American father, John Edward Higgins, one of six sons. Higgins' father enlisted in the army following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and his mother returned to her home in Sydney with Colin and his elder brother. Apart from a brief stint in San Francisco in 1945, Higgins lived in Sydney until 1957, mostly in the suburb of Hunters Hill, attending school at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview.

After moving to Redwood City, California, Higgins attended Stanford University for a year, but then lost his scholarship because he became "obsessed" with theatre. He moved to New York and hung around the Actors Studio, but could not find work, so he became a page at the ABC television studios. He lost hope about becoming an actor, enlisted in the U.S. Army, and was sent to Germany, where he worked for Stars and Stripes newspaper.