Edgar Oliver
Edgar Oliver (born 1956?[1]) is an American stage and film actor, poet, performance artist and playwright. Born in Savannah, Georgia, he has lived and worked in New York City since 1977.[1] He is considered a "legend" of the downtown New York theatre scene and is known for his distinctive accent and diction.[2][3][4]
Career
Oliver first started performing in New York City at the Pyramid Club in the mid-1980s. Notable New York City productions include his roles in Edward II with Cliplight Theater and numerous productions at the Axis Theatre Company including A Glance at New York (which played at the Edinburgh Festival) and his autobiographical one-man show East 10th Street: Self Portrait With Empty House which enjoyed an extended run with Axis.
His film credits include the Independent Spirit Award-winning The Jimmy Show and the multi-award-winning Henry May Long. He appeared in the latest Jared Hess film Gentlemen Broncos and also stars in the futurist thriller That's Beautiful Frank. He is also a frequent performer/storyteller with The Moth.
As a playwright Oliver has frequently been produced at La MaMa ETC, most notably the 2000 production of his play The Drowning Pages starred Deborah Harry (of Blondie fame).[5]
Oliver has published three poetry collections: A Portrait of New York by a Wanderer There, Summer, and The Man Who Loved Plants.
Oliver has also gained cult fame appearing on the Discovery Channel series Oddities and was notable for his line "Is that a straitjacket?",[6] which was featured in the show's promos.
On November 26, 2011, Third Man Records released a tri-color 45 of his "In The Park". Only 150 copies were produced: 50 were sold at Third Man Records in Nashville, Tennessee and 50 at Obscura in New York. 50 copies were randomly mailed out to those who ordered the unlimited black vinyl version.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b Brantley, Ben. "So Inviting, That Dark at the Top of the Stairs", The New York Times, February 16, 2009.
- ^ Edgar Oliver Interview at Papermag.com
- ^ Axis Theatre Company presents: East 10th Street - Self Portrait with Empty House
- ^ Jackson, Sharyn. "Positively 10th Street: Edgar Oliver's East Village", Village Voice, February 4, 2009.
- ^ Ehren, Christine. "Deborah Harry Reads Oliver's Gloomy Drowning Pages May 6-14 At La MaMa", Playbill, May 6, 2000.
- ^ Oddities: Is That a Straightjacket?, dsc.discovery.com, Nov 3, 2010.
External links
- Edgar Oliver at IMDb
- A Moment with Oliver, directed by Matt Mascaro
- Edgar Oliver starring in That's Beautiful Frank
- Broadway World: New Edgar Oliver Play Opens For A Limited Encore Run
- The Moth’s Artistic Director, Catherine Burns, interviews Edgar Oliver about his voice, his creative process, and his childhood home