John Oliver

Did you know?!

1. Big break

   John Oliver got his job as senior British correspondent on The Daily Show after Ricky Gervais recommended him for an interview, even though the two had never met.

2. A role that slipped away

   In 2010 Oliver was cast as Neil Clarke in Terry Jones's film Absolutely Anything, but the debut of Last Week Tonight in 2014 caused scheduling conflicts, so Simon Pegg took the role.

3. Early training

   At Christ's College, Cambridge, Oliver belonged to the Cambridge Footlights, whose members at the time included comedians David Mitchell and Richard Ayoade. In 1997 he took the role of the club's vice president.

4. A role that slipped away

   Oliver declined an offer to become a regular cast member on Community because of his work at The Daily Show, though he later returned for seven episodes of season five.

5. First role

   Oliver made his first major stand-up appearance in 2001 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in the late-night showcase The Comedy Zone, playing an "oleaginous journalist".