John Oliver

About

Biography

Filmography

Biography

British-born entertainer John Oliver was a permanent resident of the United States, but beginning in 2001 he used his status as a national outsider to his advantage, poking fun at American political culture, government and myriad social issues, most notably on the stand-up comedy circuit and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (Comedy Central, 1999-2015) where he proved himself to be one of the most adept political satirists of his generation. He parlayed that into his own comedy news series, "Last Week Tonight" (HBO 2014- ) after successfully replacing Stewart during the latter's sabbatical to direct a film. During the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, many critics and fans considered Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" the worthy heir to Stewart's brand of sharply satirical political comedy, with the added bonus of additional swearing thanks to the show's pay-cable home.

Oliver was born in the Birmingham section of England's West Midlands. Educated at Christ's College Cambridge, he studied English while honing his skill as an actor and comedian with the Cambridge Footlights, a famous amateur theatrical club founded in 1883. Oliver, along with fellow British comedian Richard Ayoade, was featured in the club's revue "Between a Rock and a Hard Place." Oliver graduated from Cambridge in 1998, and in 2001 appeared at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of a late-night comedy showcase of up-and-coming comedians known as "The Comedy Zone." In 2002 he performed his debut solo show there, and in 2004, he and another British comic named Andy Zaltzman joined forces to co-host "Political Animal," a radio show that began at Edinburgh but soon transferred to BBC Radio 4. The show offered the opportunity for various guest comedians to perform their own political material on-air, and was the perfect venue for Oliver to display his own talent for insightful, dry political satire.

In the mid-2000s, no less a comedic giant than Ricky Gervais mentioned Oliver's name to Jon Stewart, host of the irreverent and wildly popular "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Oliver joined the cast as the show's "Senior British Correspondent" in 2006. The years following the reelection of George W. Bush were marked by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the "War on Terror" and the economic aftermath of 9/11, leaving Oliver and his co-writers with many opportunities for clever jabs at the American political system. Having relocated to New York for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," Oliver performed his stand-up routine at a number of small clubs in the New York City area. His successes at small venues and visibility on television gave him the opportunity to headline at larger, more prestigious clubs and eventually led to Oliver's televised stand-up special, "John Oliver: Terrifying Times" (Comedy Central, 2008), which was later released on DVD.

In addition to his stand-up career and his work as a political satirist, Oliver took on a number of roles as an actor, beginning in 2008 when he was cast as Dick Pants in the panned Mike Myers vehicle "The Love Guru" (2008). He also played several parts in "Important Things with Demetri Martin" (Comedy Central, 2009-10), a variety-sketch show hosted by oddball comedian Demetri Martin. Oliver's first role on a major network sitcom came with his addition to the "Community" (NBC/Yahoo, 2009-2015) ensemble as recurring character Dr. Ian Duncan, professor of psychology -- although he never officially joined the cast: "it's such a strange situation that I have over there, so I have no idea what's going on." (A.V. Club, July 2012). Beginning in 2010, Oliver hosted a standup showcase entitled "John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show" (Comedy Central, 2010-13), featuring appearances from some of his favorite comedians. He also lent his voice to the character of Vanity Smurf in the critically despised film adaptation of "The Smurfs" (2011) and its sequel "The Smurfs 2" (2013). But Oliver's career reached a new peak when he landed the coveted gig of replacing Jon Stewart as the host of "The Daily Show" for the 2013 summer season. Oliver received overwhelmingly positive reviews for his summer-long hosting stint, with many industry-insiders wondering how long he would stay on as a correspondent after Stewart's return. In the fall of 2013, Oliver put the speculation to rest by announcing that he was leaving "The Daily Show" to host his own weekly comedy series on HBO. "Last Week Tonight" (HBO 2014- ) premiered to critical acclaim in April 2014; during the long run-up to the 2016 presidential election, "Last Week Tonight" became a showcase for Oliver's outsider take on the American political system.