Tom Oliver
Encyclopedia
Tom Oliver is an English
television, film and theatre actor best known today for playing the role of Lou Carpenter
in the Australian soap opera Neighbours
.
who was then planning to produce the film Ned Kelly in Australia in 1963. Finney gave him a letter of introduction to an agency in Sydney and Oliver emigrated in 1963, later becoming an Australian citizen.
Oliver became a busy theatre and television actor in Australia. He had many guest starring roles on Australian drama series, appearing frequently in the top-rated Crawford Productions
police dramas Homicide, Division 4
and Matlock Police
, and in Crawford's adventure series Hunter
(1967). Oliver was then cast in serial Bellbird, playing the role of Tom Grey from 1969 to 1971. After this he returned to television guest roles for Crawfords, and other companies. He also played two roles in the Gerry Anderson
series UFO – A doctor in the episode entitled "Confetti Check A-OK" as well as a SHADO technician in the episode entitled "The Sound of Silence".
In 1972 he joined the cast of fledgling soap opera Number 96
playing the role of Janie Somers' new beau Jack Sellars. Back-slapping rough diamond Jack was intended as a guest character to appear for a run of just three weeks, but the makers of the show were impressed with his performance and the character was made into an on-going lead regular in the serial.
Oliver became one of the Number 96s most popular cast members. During his run in the show he married fellow Number 96 actor Lynn Rainbow
, and opened a wine bar in Kensington
, Sydney cunningly named Jack's Cellar. In late 1973, along with much of the show's regular cast including Lynn Rainbow, he reprised his television role in a feature film spinoff of the serial. Oliver stayed in the role in the series for more than two years, finally electing to leave the series in mid 1974. After leaving the serial he quickly returned to television guest starring roles and roles of varying size in feature films. He briefly returned to Number 96 in the role of Jack Sellars in September 1975.
Oliver's film roles included ABBA: The Movie
. His primary role in the film is as ABBA
's gruff bodyguard; however, he additionally appears in the film as a barman and as a chatty moustached taxi driver shown mainly from behind. Through the late 1970s and the 1980s, Oliver appeared in guest and regular roles in many Australian drama series and serials, including Prisoner
, Holiday Island
and Sons and Daughters
.
He had a notable role in 1979 alongside character actor
David Brogan in the critically panned series The Man in the Brown Suede Jacket. He also appeared in the acclaimed miniseries The Dismissal portraying Reg Withers
. With actor Steven Grives he started a film production company which produced the film The Right Hand Man in 1987. Oliver has been nominated for the Australian Film and Television Awards for Best Supporting Actor
three times. Oliver also acted on the stage, appearing in such plays as The Knack, Cactus Flower, How the Other Half Loves and The Club
.
Today Oliver is most known for his long-running role of Lou Carpenter
in Neighbours. He first appeared for a handful of episodes as lovable rogue used-car salesman Lou, Madge Ramsay's former flame, in 1988. In early 1992 the character was reintroduced to the series and has been a key character ever since. In 1996, Oliver was written out of the show but producers relented after numerous petitions from fans and he was quickly reintroduced.
By 2009 he was the show's longest serving character, both in continuous and overall duration. From the 2009 season Oliver has reduced his role on the show to a part-time regular member of the cast.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
television, film and theatre actor best known today for playing the role of Lou Carpenter
Lou Carpenter
Louis "Lou" Carpenter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Tom Oliver. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 March 1988. Lou appeared for a brief time, before leaving and later returning in January 1992 as a regular cast member. He is the longest...
in the Australian soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
.
Career
Oliver started in amateur theatricals as an adolescent in England before pursuing a career as a jockey. However, he failed to gain an apprenticeship owing to his size. He joined the Merchant Navy at 16 and travelled the world, eventually settling in Sydney in 1956. In Australia he found work as a stockman, spending three years in this job, working his way around the country. He subsequently returned to England before beginning an overland trek across Asia to return to Australia. However, the journey was halted by illness and he was returned England where Oliver contacted Albert FinneyAlbert Finney
Albert Finney is an English actor. He achieved prominence in films in the early 1960s, and has maintained a successful career in theatre, film and television....
who was then planning to produce the film Ned Kelly in Australia in 1963. Finney gave him a letter of introduction to an agency in Sydney and Oliver emigrated in 1963, later becoming an Australian citizen.
Oliver became a busy theatre and television actor in Australia. He had many guest starring roles on Australian drama series, appearing frequently in the top-rated Crawford Productions
Crawford Productions
Crawford Productions is an Australian television production company founded by Hector Crawford; the present incarnation of the company, Crawfords Australia, is now a subsidiary of the WIN television corporation.-History:...
police dramas Homicide, Division 4
Division 4
Division 4 was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 300 episodes....
and Matlock Police
Matlock Police
Matlock Police was an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network between 1971 and 1975....
, and in Crawford's adventure series Hunter
Hunter (Australian Crawfords TV series)
Hunter was an Australian espionage adventure television series screened by the Nine Network from 5 July 1967 to 1969. The series was created by Ian Jones and produced by Crawford Productions....
(1967). Oliver was then cast in serial Bellbird, playing the role of Tom Grey from 1969 to 1971. After this he returned to television guest roles for Crawfords, and other companies. He also played two roles in the Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
series UFO – A doctor in the episode entitled "Confetti Check A-OK" as well as a SHADO technician in the episode entitled "The Sound of Silence".
In 1972 he joined the cast of fledgling soap opera Number 96
Number 96 (TV series)
Number 96 was a popular Australian soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon produced the series for Network Ten, which requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects...
playing the role of Janie Somers' new beau Jack Sellars. Back-slapping rough diamond Jack was intended as a guest character to appear for a run of just three weeks, but the makers of the show were impressed with his performance and the character was made into an on-going lead regular in the serial.
Oliver became one of the Number 96s most popular cast members. During his run in the show he married fellow Number 96 actor Lynn Rainbow
Lynn Rainbow
Lynn Rainbow is an Australian-based theatre and television actor who was educated at Ascham School, The Sorbonne and Dante Alighieri in Italy. Lynn was the daughter of Judge Alfred Rainbow and the granddaughter of Sir Benjamin Fuller a theatrical entrepreneur....
, and opened a wine bar in Kensington
Kensington, New South Wales
Kensington is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kensington is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick, in the Eastern Suburbs region...
, Sydney cunningly named Jack's Cellar. In late 1973, along with much of the show's regular cast including Lynn Rainbow, he reprised his television role in a feature film spinoff of the serial. Oliver stayed in the role in the series for more than two years, finally electing to leave the series in mid 1974. After leaving the serial he quickly returned to television guest starring roles and roles of varying size in feature films. He briefly returned to Number 96 in the role of Jack Sellars in September 1975.
Oliver's film roles included ABBA: The Movie
ABBA: The Movie
ABBA: The Movie is a 1977 film about the pop group ABBA's Australian tour. It was directed by Lasse Hallström, who directed most of the group's videos. The film has become a cult film among ABBA fans...
. His primary role in the film is as ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
's gruff bodyguard; however, he additionally appears in the film as a barman and as a chatty moustached taxi driver shown mainly from behind. Through the late 1970s and the 1980s, Oliver appeared in guest and regular roles in many Australian drama series and serials, including Prisoner
Prisoner (TV series)
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
, Holiday Island
Holiday Island (TV series)
Holiday Island is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for Network Ten. The show aired twice weekly from 1981 to 1982, with the first episode going to air on 17 June 1981....
and Sons and Daughters
Sons and Daughters (Australian TV series)
Sons and Daughters was a Logie Award winning Australian soap opera created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation between 1981 and 1987. The first episode aired in December 1981, during the Christmas/New Year non-ratings period, and the official broadcast date of the final...
.
He had a notable role in 1979 alongside character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
David Brogan in the critically panned series The Man in the Brown Suede Jacket. He also appeared in the acclaimed miniseries The Dismissal portraying Reg Withers
Reg Withers
Reginald Greive 'Reg' Withers is a former long-serving member of the Australian Senate, a former government minister, and former Lord Mayor of Perth....
. With actor Steven Grives he started a film production company which produced the film The Right Hand Man in 1987. Oliver has been nominated for the Australian Film and Television Awards for Best Supporting Actor
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. It has been awarded annually since 1974.-Previous winners:*1974: Barry Humphries – The Great McCarthy...
three times. Oliver also acted on the stage, appearing in such plays as The Knack, Cactus Flower, How the Other Half Loves and The Club
The Club (play)
The Club is a satirical play by Australian playwright David Williamson, that follows the fortunes of a football club over the course of a season. It explores the clashes between "human loyalty versus materialistic gain". It was inspired by the backroom dealings and antics of the Victorian Football...
.
Today Oliver is most known for his long-running role of Lou Carpenter
Lou Carpenter
Louis "Lou" Carpenter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Tom Oliver. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 March 1988. Lou appeared for a brief time, before leaving and later returning in January 1992 as a regular cast member. He is the longest...
in Neighbours. He first appeared for a handful of episodes as lovable rogue used-car salesman Lou, Madge Ramsay's former flame, in 1988. In early 1992 the character was reintroduced to the series and has been a key character ever since. In 1996, Oliver was written out of the show but producers relented after numerous petitions from fans and he was quickly reintroduced.
By 2009 he was the show's longest serving character, both in continuous and overall duration. From the 2009 season Oliver has reduced his role on the show to a part-time regular member of the cast.