He born in the UK and completed his school education in Invercargill after his family moved to New Zealand.

His first foray into TV was alongside long-time collaborator David McPhail on A Week of It! The pair then developed the hit comedy McPhail and Gadsby. He went on to perform, write and produce television comedy for more than 30 years.

He was also a noted author, writing and co-writing 45 children's books.

It always Waynes on Monday

The Listener, 19/11/1977

Known affectionately to his cobbers on the set as the "Little Gadfly" or alternatively "The Great Gadsby Jon Gadsby of A WEEK OF IT (who doesn't even have the common decency to put an "h" in his name) is one of the all-rounders in New Zealand tele vision today. Standing at roughly five feet seven inches. lying down sideways, he has also been called the "Little Lance-Corporal" or the Jon Wayne of Gloucester Street, Christchurch

Up till lately he has been an advertising copywriter at 4XO, Radio Otago, but had to give it up when his bicycle kept on going through two sets of tyres a week commuting between Dunedin and Christchurch to make episodes of A WEEK OF IT. That'll be Jon cycling round Hagley Park every morning trying to get his calf muscles in trim for a strenuous serial proposed for this series called "I was the Governor's Exorcist"

Quiet and unassuming. Jon was well-known in Dunedin university review and charity concerts before he became well-know in Cathedral Square. Christchurch as the Wizards exorcist