John Oliver

John Oliver

John William Oliver is a British comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He came to wider attention for his work in the US on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as its senior British correspondent from 2006 to 2013. Since 2014, Oliver has been the host of the HBO series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He has won thirteen Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards.

About John Oliver in brief

Summary John OliverJohn William Oliver is a British comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He came to wider attention for his work in the US on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as its senior British correspondent from 2006 to 2013. Since 2014, Oliver has been the host of the HBO series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He has also acted on television, most notably in a recurring role as Dr Ian Duncan on the NBC sitcom Community, and in films, notably voice-over work in The Smurfs 2 and the 2019 remake of The Lion King. In 2019 he became a naturalized US citizen. Oliver was born on 23 April 1977 in Erdington, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, to Carole and Jim Oliver. His father was both a school headmaster and social worker, and his mother was a music teacher. In 1998, Oliver graduated from Christ’s College with a degree in English. Since childhood, he has been a fan of Liverpool FC, noting in interviews that \”my mum’s family are from Knotty Ash and my dad’s family is from the Wirral, so supporting Liverpool was very much not a choice\”. In 2013, he went to Afghanistan on a USO tour to perform stand-up for the troops there. According to Edward Helmore in The Guardian, Oliver’s style leans toward the kind that Americans like best: full of odd accents and mannerisms, in the vein of Monty Python. Oliver has used his own accent as a primary subject of his jokes. He says his own British accent is a “relie of Brummie, Scouse, and Scouseie” He says he was interviewed for the show for the recommendation of the BBC’s Mock the Week.

He was included in the 2015 Time 100, being described as a “comedic agent of change… powerful because he isn’t afraid to tackle important issues thoughtfully, without fear or apology” He has won thirteen Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards. Oliver frequently worked with other members of the Chocolate Milk Gang, a group of comedians who often collaborated and performed with one another, including Daniel Kitson, Russell Howard, David O’Doherty, and Alun Cochrane. He performed his debut solo show at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and returned in 2003. In 2004 and 2005, he collaborated with Andy Zaltzman on a double act and co-hosting Political Animal, with various acts performing political material. Oliver first appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2001 as part of The Comedy Zone, a late-night showcase of newer acts, where he played the character of an \”oleaginous journalist\”. He played the role of an  journalist in the show. He also appeared in seven out of seven episodes of the first series in 2005 and 2006, appearing in seven episodes out out out of eleven episodes out of 11. In 2006, he was a frequent panellist on the satirical news quiz Mock The Week. Since 2010, Oliver has hosted four seasons of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show.