John Oliver
Born 1977 · Age 48
British-American comedian, writer, actor and television host; senior British correspondent on The Daily Show (2006–2013) and host/creator of HBO's Last Week Tonight (2014– ). Known for long-form investigative comedy segments and the 'John Oliver effect.'
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Erdington (Birmingham), England
John William Oliver was born in the Erdington suburb of Birmingham to Carole (music teacher) and Jim Oliver (headmaster/social worker).
First on-screen role in Bleak House
Played Felix Pardiggle, a minor role in the BBC drama Bleak House — his first on-camera appearance.
Vice President of Cambridge Footlights
Became vice president of the Cambridge Footlights; worked with contemporaries including Richard Ayoade and David Mitchell.
Footlights touring show: Emotional Baggage
Performed in the 1997 Cambridge Footlights touring show 'Emotional Baggage' (directed by Matthew Holness).
Footlights touring show: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Wrote and performed in the 1998 Footlights touring show 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place' (directed by Cal McCrystal).
Graduated from Christ's College, Cambridge (BA English)
Completed a degree in English from Christ's College, University of Cambridge.
Edinburgh Fringe — The Comedy Zone
First major stand-up appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the late-night showcase The Comedy Zone.
Acting: People Like Us (bank manager)
Appeared as a bank manager in series two of the BBC comedy 'People Like Us.'
Debut solo Edinburgh Fringe show
Debuted his first solo stand-up show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; returned in 2003.
Worked on BBC Three's The State We're In
Wrote/appeared on BBC Three comedy series 'The State We're In' (2002–2003).
Election-night 'results desk' on Gash
Manned the results desk on Armando Iannucci's Channel 4 satire 'Gash' during an election-night episode.
Wrote/performed on BBC Radio 4's The Department
Co-wrote and performed in the satirical radio programme 'The Department' with Andy Zaltzman and Chris Addison.
Political Animal radio and double act with Andy Zaltzman
Performed as a double act and co-hosted the political radio show 'Political Animal' (2004–2005).
Began appearing on Mock the Week
Started making appearances as a panellist on the satirical TV show 'Mock the Week' (from June 2005).
Joined The Daily Show as Senior British Correspondent
Moved to New York and joined 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' in July 2006 on Ricky Gervais' recommendation.
BBC America closed-caption campaign
Wrote and presented a BBC America campaign encouraging viewers to use closed captions; material reused in stand-up.
Co‑hosted The Bugle podcast (launch)
Launched/co-hosted the weekly comedy podcast 'The Bugle' with Andy Zaltzman (Oct 2007); produced by The Times initially.
Stand-up special: John Oliver: Terrifying Times
Premiered his first Comedy Central stand-up special 'John Oliver: Terrifying Times'.
Film role: The Love Guru
Appeared in his first film role as 'Dick Pants' in 'The Love Guru.'
Met future wife Kate Norley at 2008 RNC
Met Iraq War veteran Kate Norley while reporting for The Daily Show at the Republican National Convention.
Primetime Emmy Award (writing) – The Daily Show
Won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series for work on The Daily Show (award year 2009).
Announced US green card approval
Revealed on The Bugle (released 2 Nov 2009) that his US green card application had been approved.
John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show (premiere)
Began hosting the Comedy Central stand-up series 'John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show' (2010–2013).
Co‑author: Earth (The Book) published
Published Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race (Grand Central Publishing).
Primetime Emmy Award (writing) – The Daily Show
Won an Emmy in 2011 for writing for The Daily Show.
Voice role: The Smurfs
Voiced Vanity Smurf in the animated feature film 'The Smurfs' (2011).
Married Kate Norley
Married Kate Norley (Iraq War veteran) in October 2011; the couple later settled in New York City.
Primetime Emmy Award (writing) – The Daily Show
Won another Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 2012 for The Daily Show.
USO tour to Afghanistan
Traveled to Afghanistan in 2013 on a USO tour to perform for US troops.
Guest-hosted The Daily Show (8 weeks)
Guest-hosted 'The Daily Show' for eight weeks (June 2013) while Jon Stewart directed Rosewater; high critical praise led to HBO interest.
HBO orders new show for John Oliver
HBO announced (Deadline article mid-November 2013) it was giving Oliver his own weekly late-night show following his Daily Show guest-hosting success.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver premiered on HBO
Premiered his weekly HBO news satire series 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver', featuring long-form investigative comedy segments.
Net neutrality deep-dive segment (fifth episode) — 'John Oliver effect'
Fifth episode advocated viewers submit comments to the FCC on net neutrality; FCC site crashed; 45,000 comments next day and 3.7 million total — credited with shifting the debate.
Peabody Award — Last Week Tonight (Entertainment)
Last Week Tonight was honored with a Peabody Award in the Entertainment category for blending satire and journalistic-style reporting.
Named one of Time 100 Most Influential People
Included in Time magazine's 2015 Time 100 list as an influential person for his work on Last Week Tonight.
Contract extension for Last Week Tonight (through 2017)
Initial two-year HBO contract for Last Week Tonight was extended through 2017 (extension announced 2015).
The Bugle co-hosting ended (May 2015)
Co-hosted the weekly comedy podcast The Bugle from Oct 2007 until May 2015 (became independent in 2012).
Founded Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption (televangelist segment)
Created and legally incorporated a mock church to expose televangelists; received donations including about $70,000 in cash/cheques; pledged to donate proceeds to Doctors Without Borders on dissolution.
Viral Donald Trump segment (Feb 2016)
A Feb 2016 Last Week Tonight segment on Donald Trump received ~62 million Facebook views and ~23 million YouTube views within a month; reported as top-viewed HBO content at the time.
Forgave medical debt for over 9,000 people
Purchased over $15 million of medical debt and forgave it on-air; bought the debt portfolio for $60,000 and relieved over 9,000 people.
Peabody Award (second for Last Week Tonight)
Last Week Tonight received a second Peabody Award in 2017 for its investigative satire.
Contract extension for Last Week Tonight (to 2020)
Extended HBO contract for Last Week Tonight in September 2017 through 2020.
Executive producer — Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas
Served as executive producer for 'Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas' (2018–2019) for 20 episodes.
Russell Crowe funds 'John Oliver Koala Chlamydia Ward' (~$80k)
Actor Russell Crowe donated approx. $80,000 to Australia Zoo to create a koala chlamydia ward named after John Oliver; Crowe's donation came after Oliver bought Crowe props at auction.
Voiced Zazu in Disney's The Lion King remake and Steve in Wonder Park
Voiced hornbill Zazu in Disney's 2019 remake of 'The Lion King' and porcupine Steve in 'Wonder Park'.
Naturalized as a United States citizen
Officially became a U.S. citizen on 13 December 2019.
Danbury mayor proposes renaming sewage plant after Oliver
In August 2020 Danbury's mayor announced intention to rename the Danbury Water Pollution Control Plant the 'John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant' in response to Oliver's segment about jury rolls.
Contract extension for Last Week Tonight (to 2023)
Extended HBO contract for Last Week Tonight in September 2020 through 2023.
Unveiling of John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant (attended)
Attended the renaming/unveiling ceremony on 8 October 2020 in person after pledging $55,000 to Danbury charities; wore a hazmat suit for the visit.
Great Immigrants Award — Carnegie Corporation
Received the Great Immigrants Award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York in 2021.
Launched Strike Force Five podcast (WGA strike fundraiser)
Began hosting the comedy podcast 'Strike Force Five' with Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers to support staff affected by the 2023 WGA strike.
Contract extension for Last Week Tonight (to 2026)
Signed a further extension for Last Week Tonight in December 2023; HBO deal now runs through 2026.
Emmy wins (two trophies in 2024 noted)
Won two Emmys in 2024 (caption noted he took his 15th and 16th for the program in a 2024 photo); ongoing accumulation of Emmys for Last Week Tonight.
Miss America investigation segment (YouTube reach)
A Last Week Tonight investigation found Miss America/charity scholarship payouts much lower than claimed; official YouTube segment had amassed over 24 million views by Oct 2024.
Britannica updates and continued recognition (article updated Aug 13, 2025)
Encyclopaedia Britannica updated John Oliver's biography (last update cited 13 Aug 2025); continued high-profile status in entertainment and commentary.
Key Achievement Ages
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