Oliver Skeete
Encyclopedia
Oliver Skeete is a British
showjumper turned reality show contestant and actor
.
, West London, and attended local schools to the age of fifteen. On leaving school Skeete qualified as a motor mechanic 3 years later. He worked for a time as a door supervisor at the 'Haven Stables' on Spring Bridge Road in Ealing. His main sporting interest at this time was football and he played for a local youth team.
Skeete was first introduced to the world of horses by a chance meeting with a Spanish Countess in a night-club. However, this was not a successful introduction as Skeete was left bruised and embarrassed after being thrown in Hyde Park
. After marriage to another lady and two daughters to entertain, Skeete enrolled them at a local riding school. He found that his enthusiasm grew with theirs and decided to chance his luck once more.
Skeete sold the family car to purchase his first horse, and started show jumping in 1992, aged 36. He has competed at most levels except the very top. Skeete intended to represent Barbados at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, show jumping under the Barbadian flag, but he did not gain the required number of points for qualification.
black competitor in the overwhelmingly white, comfortably middle class world of British showjumping, and he used this novelty factor to generate media interest. He has maintained his minor celebrity status since leaving showjumping, appearing in TV shows such as ITV's Celebrity Wrestling
and The Mint, Sky One's Brainiac: Science Abuse
and Five's The All Star Talent Show
and Diet Doctors. He also had a minor role in the Bond movie Die Another Day
, where he delivered Pierce Brosnan
a key to the London Underground "offices" of MI6.
He also had worked on a British film "Clubbing to Death" with Nick Moran, Huey Morgan & Dave Courtney, that was due for release in 2007.
Skeete's autobiography
is called "Jumping the Odds: Memoirs of a Rastafarian Showjumper".
As of Mid July 2010 Skeete now works within the haulage industry as a lorry driver for a firm located in Kent.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
showjumper turned reality show contestant and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Biography
One of a family of 10 (4 brothers and 5 sisters), Skeete travelled to England in September 1964 to join his parents who had settled in ActonActon, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
, West London, and attended local schools to the age of fifteen. On leaving school Skeete qualified as a motor mechanic 3 years later. He worked for a time as a door supervisor at the 'Haven Stables' on Spring Bridge Road in Ealing. His main sporting interest at this time was football and he played for a local youth team.
Skeete was first introduced to the world of horses by a chance meeting with a Spanish Countess in a night-club. However, this was not a successful introduction as Skeete was left bruised and embarrassed after being thrown in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
. After marriage to another lady and two daughters to entertain, Skeete enrolled them at a local riding school. He found that his enthusiasm grew with theirs and decided to chance his luck once more.
Skeete sold the family car to purchase his first horse, and started show jumping in 1992, aged 36. He has competed at most levels except the very top. Skeete intended to represent Barbados at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, show jumping under the Barbadian flag, but he did not gain the required number of points for qualification.
After Show Jumping
It is fair to state that Skeete attained a level of fame which was out of proportion to his quite modest achievements as a showjumper. This was partly due to his status as a dreadlockedDreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...
black competitor in the overwhelmingly white, comfortably middle class world of British showjumping, and he used this novelty factor to generate media interest. He has maintained his minor celebrity status since leaving showjumping, appearing in TV shows such as ITV's Celebrity Wrestling
Celebrity Wrestling
Celebrity Wrestling is a British television programme, broadcast on ITV in 2005. It involved two teams of celebrities, competing against each other in wrestling style events. The series was presented by Kate Thornton and Rowdy Roddy Piper...
and The Mint, Sky One's Brainiac: Science Abuse
Brainiac: Science Abuse
Brainiac: Science Abuse is a British entertainment TV show with a science motif. Numerous experiments are carried out in each show, often to verify whether common conceptions are true or simply to create impressive explosions...
and Five's The All Star Talent Show
The All Star Talent Show
The All Star Talent Show is a 2006, television programme which aires on Five. It is presented by Andi Peters and Myleene Klass, with Julian Clary making up the judging panel alongside 2 guest judges. Each 6 celebrities perform with the winner at the end of each episode going into the final at the...
and Diet Doctors. He also had a minor role in the Bond movie Die Another Day
Die Another Day
Die Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
, where he delivered Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
a key to the London Underground "offices" of MI6.
He also had worked on a British film "Clubbing to Death" with Nick Moran, Huey Morgan & Dave Courtney, that was due for release in 2007.
Skeete's autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
is called "Jumping the Odds: Memoirs of a Rastafarian Showjumper".
As of Mid July 2010 Skeete now works within the haulage industry as a lorry driver for a firm located in Kent.