Cirrus@Austlit

John Collee studied Medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland, and subsequently worked as a doctor in the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, the Solomon Islands and the former Soviet Union. From 1991 to 1996 he wrote a weekly column for The Observer (United Kingdom). While practising medicine, he wrote the medical thriller Kingsley's Touch (1984). His second novel, A Paper Mask (1987) was later adapted, by Collee, for the 1990 film of the same name. His third film, The Rig appeared in 1991.

After marrying an Australian and becoming a full time Australian resident, he has collaborated as a screen writer with Australian directors Scott Hicks, Phil Noyce, George Miller, and Peter Weir. His scripts include Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), Happy Feet (2006), Creation (2009), Tanna (215), The Patriarch (2016), and Hotel Mumbai (2017).