Oliver Samuels

Oliver Samuels
Birth name	Oliver Adolphus Samuels
Born	(1948-11-04) 4 November 1948 Saint Mary, Jamaica
Nationality	Jamaican
Notable works and roles	Oliver At Large

Oliver Samuels (born 4 November 1948) is a Jamaican comedian and actor. He is often described as the Jamaican "King of Comedy", performing both stand-up and comic theatre.

Career

Samuels found fame on the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation's television series Oliver At Large, which was created by producer Calvin Butler and playwright Aston Cooke. Nine of the thirteen episodes of the original series, including the pilot episode, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, were written by prolific Jamaican playwright, Patrick Brown. In this series, Samuels played his alter ego Olivius Adams, aka Oliver. The series featured sketches from Oliver's exploits, often with his sidekick, Maffi--a character created by Patrick Brown. Oliver has subsequently appeared in several Patrick Brown plays, including, including Large Abroad, Oliver's Posse (1999), Oliver and Pinocchio (2001), and Oliver and the Genie (2002).

Samuels, known by most through his vastly popular television series Oliver at Large, has combined a career in marketing with life on stage, touring every year between spring and summer before returning home for his executive offices at Mack D's—the Kingston-based company where he is a director and head of marketing and public relations.

Abroad, he is known as Jamaica's Bill Cosby, and is a brand name that is synonymous with Jamaica and laughter. Samuels is widely regarded as one of the funniest talents to emerge from the Caribbean.

In addition to his work with the local car company, Oliver Samuels was recently selected by the wire transfer service Unitransfer to star in a series of advertisements that will market their products to Florida's Caribbean community.

Samuels also, in recent times, piloted the launch of "Oliver's Yaad Cyaad", which features Samuels giving instructions in Patois and standard English. The unique feature of Patois prompts is a first for the international calling-card industry. Oliver Samuels is known to speak perfect patois!

As well as having a large following in Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, Samuels frequently tours Britain and North America, playing to the Caribbean ex-pat community.

Filmography

• Out the Gate (2011)
• The Mighty Quinn - as Officer Rupert (1984)
• Countryman - as pillion rider (1982)
• Oliver At Large - (1993)

TV

• Chef! as Gareth Henry's father (2 episodes, 1993 & 1996)

Plays

Common Law as Winston 6 November (2009) Midnight At Puss Creek (2011)

External links

• Jamaican Gleaner
• Jamaican Gleaner
• "Jamaicans in the UK Pay Tribute to Oliver Samuels", Jamaica Information Service, 12 November 2005.