John Oliver
Biography
John Oliver is a British-born stand-up comedian, actor, and writer who was born on April 23, 1977, in Erdington, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. He is best known for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where he won an Emmy in 2009, and for playing the recurring character Professor Ian Duncan on the show Community. He has worked extensively with Andy Zaltzman, collaborating on several stand-up acts as well as hundreds of hours of satirical podcasts and radio broadcasts, including series such as Political Animal, The Department, and The Bugle. A permanent resident of the United States, John Oliver lives in New York City. His professional credits include 57 known acting credits on the Movie Database platform.
Career overview
John Oliver is a British-born stand-up comedian, actor, and writer who was born on April 23, 1977, in Erdington, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. He is best known for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, earning an Emmy for the program in 2009. Additionally, he is recognized for playing the recurring character Professor Ian Duncan on the television show Community.
Throughout his career, he has worked extensively with Andy Zaltzman. Their professional collaboration includes several collaborative stand-up acts as well as hundreds of hours of satirical podcasts and radio broadcasts. Among their notable series are Political Animal, The Department, and The Bugle.
In addition to his television and comedy career, he holds the status of a permanent resident of the United States and resides in New York City.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
71 titles- Untold: The Fall of Favre (2025) as Self - Host, Last Week Tonight (archive footage)
- Last Squeak Tonight with John Oliver (2023) as Self
- The Horne Section TV Show (2022) as John Oliver
- LuLaRich (2021) as Self
- Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days (2021) as Self
- The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo (2020) as Self
- Love, Death & Robots (2019) as Thumb Bringer (voice)
- The Lion King (2019) as Zazu (voice)
- Wonder Park (2019) as Steve (voice)
- Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas (2018) Executive Producer
- Big Mouth (2017) as Harry (voice)
- The Russell Howard Hour (2017) as Self
- Cross Wars (2017) as Narrator (voice)
- Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism Programs (2017) as Self
- Oh, Hello: Nick Kroll and John Mulaney as Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland (2017) as Self
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self - Guest
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Paul McCartney
- Hot Ones (2015) as Self - Guest
- Danger Mouse (2015) as Augustus P. Crumhorn IV (voice)
- The True Cost (2015) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self - Guest
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self - Guest
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) as Self - Host
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) Executive Producer
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) Writer
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) Creator
- The Men in Blazers Show (2014) as Self
- Harmontown (2014) as Self
- Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn (2014) Thanks
- The Concert for Valor (2014) as Self
- Rick and Morty (2013) as Dr. Xenon Bloom (voice)
- The Smurfs 2 (2013) as Vanity Smurf (voice)
- The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow (2013) as Vanity Smurf (voice)
- Gravity Falls (2012) as Wax Sherlock Holmes (voice)
- Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja (2012) as Coach Green (voice)
- Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (2012) as Self
- The Secret Policeman's Ball (2012) as Self
- Bob's Burgers (2011) as Ian (voice)
- Billy on the Street (2011) as Self
- The Smurfs (2011) as Vanity Smurf (voice)
- John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show (2010) as Self - Host
- John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show (2010) Executive Producer
- The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear (2010) as Self - Correspondent
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (2009) as Self - Guest
- Community (2009) as Professor Ian Duncan
- Community (2009) as Xim-Xam / Mix-Max (voice)
- Important Things with Demetri Martin (2009) as The King / The Prince / William Shakespeare
- The Love Guru (2008) as Dick Pants
- Water and Power (2008) as The Daily Show's John Oliver
- John Oliver: Terrifying Times (2008) as Self
- John Oliver: Terrifying Times (2008) Writer
- John Oliver: Terrifying Times (2008) Executive Producer
- The Colbert Report (2005) as Self
- Robot Chicken (2005) as Serpentor/British gentleman
- Mock the Week (2005) as Self
- The Soup (2004) as Self
- Green Wing (2004) as Car Salesman
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self - Guest
- My Hero (2000) as Man from the BBC
- People Like Us (1999)
- Backstage... at the Cambridge Footlights (1997) as Self
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self - Senior Policy Analyst
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self - Correspondent
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self - Host
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self - Corrrespondent
- The Daily Show (1996) Writer
- The Simpsons (1989) as Booth Wilkes-John (voice)
- 60 Minutes (1968) as Self
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is John Oliver best known for?
John Oliver is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Love, Death & Robots (2019), The Lion King (2019), Wonder Park (2019), Big Mouth (2017).
When and where was John Oliver born?
John Oliver was born on April 23, 1977 in Erdington, Birmingham, England, UK.
How many credits does John Oliver have?
John Oliver has accumulated over 71 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1968 to 2025.
What is John Oliver's background in cinema and television?
John Oliver is a British-born stand-up comedian, actor, and writer who was born on April 23, 1977, in Erdington, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. He is best known for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where he won an Emmy in 2009, and for playing the recurring character Professor Ian Duncan on the show C...