{{Short description|Irish actress (born 1997)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox person | image = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1997|6|3|df=yes}}{{r|radiotimes16nov23}} | birth_place = Ballintemple, Cork, Ireland | alma_mater = The Lir Academy, Trinity College Dublin (BA) | occupation = Actress | years_active = 2022–present }}
{{external media|image1=[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2519720/mediaviewer/rm3015108353/?ref_=nm_ov_ph Alison Oliver IMDb photo]}}
'''Alison Oliver''' (born 3 June 1997<ref name=radiotimes16nov23>{{cite web |last1=Cremona |first1=Patrick |title=Who is Alison Oliver? Venetia Catton actor in Saltburn |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/alison-oliver-venetia-catton-saltburn/ |website=Radio Times |access-date=13 August 2025 |date=16 November 2023}}</ref>) is an Irish actress. She is best known for her roles in the BBC Three and Hulu miniseries ''Conversations with Friends'' (2022)<ref name="Irish Examiner">{{Cite news |last=O'Keeffe |first=Donal |date=19 February 2021 |title=Who is Alison Oliver, the Cork star of Sally Rooney's Conversations With Friends? |work=Irish Examiner |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-40230242.html |access-date=9 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/conversations-with-friends-series-hulu-cast-alison-oliver-sasha-lane-joe-alwyn-jemima-kirke-1234909056/|title='Conversations With Friends' Series at Hulu, BBC Three Casts Alison Oliver, Sasha Lane, Joe Alwyn, Jemima Kirke|journal=Variety|first=Joe|last=Otterson|date=17 February 2021}}</ref>, the 2023 film ''Saltburn'' and the HBO series ''Task'' (2025). She was named a 2023 actor to watch by ''Variety''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2023/0908/1404104-rising-irish-star-among-varietys-10-actors-to-watch/|title=Rising Irish star among Variety's '10 actors to watch'|date=September 8, 2023|website=RTÉ.ie}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Alison Oliver was born in Ballintemple, Cork before moving to Blackrock when she was young. Her mother is a social worker and her father worked in the motor trade. She attended Scoil Mhuire, a private school in Cork, and took drama, singing and dancing lessons at The Performer's Academy and the Cork School of Dance. She applied to Trinity College Dublin's drama school The Lir Academy, but was invited to take a year-long foundation course in Acting and Theatre first. She auditioned again after completing the course,<ref name="Irish Examiner" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Manning |first=Charlotte |date=7 May 2022 |title=Who is Conversations With Friends actress Alison Oliver? |work=Metro |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/07/who-is-conversations-with-friends-actress-alison-oliver-16604133/ |access-date=9 May 2022}}</ref> going on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in acting in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelir.ie/students/alison-oliver|title=Alison Oliver|website=Lir Academy|accessdate=23 May 2022}}</ref>
==Career== Oliver landed her debut television role as Frances Flynn in ''Conversations with Friends'', a miniseries adaptation of Sally Rooney's 2017 debut novel of the same name developed by Element Pictures for BBC Three and Hulu. She received the news that she had been cast in ''Conversations with Friends'' the morning after graduating from drama school.<ref name="vogue">{{cite news |last1=Maitland |first1=Hailey |title=Conversations With Friends Star Alison Oliver Shares A Few Of Her Favourite Things With Vogue |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/alison-oliver-interview |access-date=22 May 2022 |work=Vogue.co.uk |date=16 May 2022}}</ref> In 2023, she appeared in the BBC One drama miniseries ''Best Interests''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/michael-sheen-sharon-horgan-jack-thorne-disability-bbc-1235206305/ |title=Michael Sheen, Sharon Horgan Lead Jack Thorne's Disability-Focused BBC Drama 'Best Interests'|website=Variety}}</ref>
She made her London stage debut in ''Women, Beware the Devil'' at the Almeida Theatre in February 2023,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/alison-oliver-to-star-in-women-beware-the-devil-almeida-theatre|title=Alison Oliver to star in 'Women, Beware the Devil' at the Almeida Theatre|website=London Theatre|first=Sophie|last=Thomas|date=6 December 2022|accessdate=16 December 2022}}</ref> and in April 2023 starred in ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' at the National Theatre.
Oliver made her feature film debut in ''Saltburn'', written and directed by Emerald Fennell.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/saltburn-adds-richard-e-grant-archie-madekwe-alison-oliver-1235099657/|title=Richard E. Grant, Archie Madekwe & Alison Oliver Board Emerald Fennell's Film 'Saltburn' For Prime Video|website=Deadline|first=Matt|last=Grobar|date=25 August 2022|accessdate=16 October 2022}}</ref> The film premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival and went on to be nominated for two Golden Globes and five BAFTA Film Awards. In 2024, she played a supporting role in Justin Kurzel's film ''The Order'', which premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. In November 2024, it was announced that she had been cast as Isabella Linton in Emerald Fennell's next film, ''Wuthering Heights'', an adaptation of the novel of the same name.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/11/wuthering-heights-movie-adds-alison-oliver-hong-chau-shazad-latif-1236182855/ |title= Hong Chau, Alison Oliver & Shazad Latif Join Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' At Warner Bros|first=Matt|last=Grobar|date=November 20, 2024|access-date=December 5, 2024|website=Deadline}}</ref>
== Personal life == Oliver is a vegetarian.<ref name="ind">{{cite news |title='I was completely shocked. I sat on my bed and stared at my wall' – Alison Oliver on Conversations with Friends role |url= https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/i-was-completely-shocked-i-sat-on-my-bed-and-stared-at-my-wall-alison-oliver-on-conversations-with-friends-role-41597533.html| website=Independent.ie |first=Donal| last= Lynch |access-date=22 May 2022 |date=17 May 2022|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221115213854/https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/i-was-completely-shocked-i-sat-on-my-bed-and-stared-at-my-wall-alison-oliver-on-conversations-with-friends-role-41597533.html|archive-date=15 November 2022}}</ref> In 2022, she was in a relationship with Irish actor Éanna Hardwicke.<ref name=glamour23june2022>{{Cite web |title=Conversations With Friends star Alison Oliver on joining the 'Sally Rooney-verse', polyamory, and the heartache of online romance |url=https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/conversations-with-friends-alison-oliver-interview| website=Glamour |first=Francesca| last=Specter |access-date=2 June 2025|date=23 June 2022}}</ref> As of 2025, she is dating English actor Josh O'Connor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Crown's Josh O'Connor Holds Hands and Shares a Kiss with Girlfriend Alison Oliver During PDA-Filled Stroll |url= https://people.com/the-crown-josh-oconnor-shows-pda-walk-girlfriend-alison-oliver-11744473| website=People |first=Julia| last= Moore |access-date=June 2, 2025 |date=May 30, 2025}}</ref><ref name=thetimes6sep25>{{cite web |last1=Pullman |first1=Laura |title=How the Saltburn star Alison Oliver is taking Hollywood by storm |url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/celebrity/article/alison-oliver-interview-task-saltburn-conversations-with-friends-kqfj385qn |website=The Times |access-date=13 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250907000625/https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/celebrity/article/alison-oliver-interview-task-saltburn-conversations-with-friends-kqfj385qn |archive-date=7 September 2025 |date=6 September 2025 |url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Since 2022, Oliver has mostly resided in London.<ref name="ind" /><ref name=thetimes6sep25 />
In September 2025, Oliver signed an open pledge with Film Workers for Palestine pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions "that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Film Workers Pledge to End Complicity |url=https://filmworkersforpalestine.org/#endingcomplicity |access-date=2025-09-09 |website=Film Workers For Palestine |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Acting credits== ===Film=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | rowspan="2"| 2023 | ''Five and a Half Love Stories in a Vilnius Apartment'' | Avril | |- | ''Saltburn'' | Venetia Catton | |- | 2024 | ''The Order'' | Debbie Mathews | |- | 2025 | ''Christy'' | Chloe | |- | 2026 | ''Wuthering Heights'' | Isabella Linton | |}
===Television=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 2022 | ''Conversations with Friends'' | Frances Flynn | Main role |- | 2023 | ''Best Interests'' | Katie | Main role |- | 2025 | ''Task'' | Trooper Lizzie Stover | 6 episodes<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/fabien-frankel-alison-oliver-hbo-brad-ingelsby-1235846970/|title=Fabien Frankel and Alison Oliver Added to HBO's Untitled Task Force Project From Brad Ingelsby|website=Variety|first=Selome|last=Hailu|date=December 20, 2023|access-date=March 12, 2024}}</ref> |}
===Theatre=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Director ! Playwright ! Theatre |- | 2023 | ''Women, Beware the Devil'' | Agnes | Rupert Goold | Lulu Raczka | Almeida Theatre, London |- | 2023 | ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' | Chris | Josie Rourke | Brian Friel | National Theatre, London |- | 2023 | ''Portia Coughlan'' | Portia Coughlan | Carrie Cracknell | Marina Carr | Almeida Theatre, London |- |2024 |''The Other Place'' |Issy |Alexander Zeldin |Alexander Zeldin |Lyttelton Theatre, London |- |}
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name}}
{{Navboxes |title = Awards for Alison Oliver |list = {{IFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Film}} {{IFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress – TV Drama}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Alison}} Category:1997 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century Irish actresses Category:Actresses from Cork (city) Category:Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Category:People educated at Scoil Mhuire, Cork Category:Irish stage actresses Category:Irish television actresses Category:Irish film actresses