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Alison Oliver

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alison Oliver
Born (1997-06-03) 3 June 1997 (age 29)[1]
Ballintemple, Cork, Ireland
EducationThe Lir Academy, Trinity College Dublin (BA)
OccupationActress
Years active2022–present
External image
image icon Alison Oliver IMDb photo

Alison Oliver (born 3 June 1997) is an Irish actress. She is best known for her roles in the BBC Three and Hulu miniseries Conversations with Friends (2022)[2][3], the 2023 film Saltburn and the HBO series Task (2025). She was named a 2023 actor to watch by Variety.[4]

Early life and education

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Oliver was born in Cork, the third largest city in Ireland, on 3 June 1997.[1][2] She was initially raised in Ballintemple in Cork before moving with her family to Blackrock, also in Cork, when she was young. Her mother is a social worker and her father worked in the motor trade.[2][5] She is the youngest of three daughters.[6] 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,[2][5] going on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in acting in 2020.[7]

Career

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Oliver landed her debut television role playing the lead character of Frances Flynn in Conversations with Friends, a 2022 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.[8] In 2023, she starred in the BBC One drama miniseries Best Interests alongside Sharon Horgan and Michael Sheen.[9][10] She made her London stage debut in Women, Beware the Devil at the Almeida Theatre in February 2023,[11] and in April 2023 starred in Dancing at Lughnasa at the National Theatre.[10] She appeared on Variety's '10 actors to watch' list in 2023.[12]

In 2023, Oliver made her feature film debut in Saltburn, written and directed by Emerald Fennell, where she played Venetia Catton.[13][14] The film premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival and went on to be nominated for two Golden Globes and five BAFTA Film Awards.[citation needed] In 2024, Oliver played a supporting role in Justin Kurzel's film The Order, which premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.[12][15] She appeared in the 2025 HBO miniseries Task alongside Mark Ruffalo.[14] For this role, she won best supporting actress in a drama at the 22nd Irish Film & Television Awards.[16] In 2026, she played Isabella Linton in Emerald Fennell's film of Wuthering Heights, an adaptation of the novel of the same name.[14][17]

Personal life

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Oliver is a vegetarian.[18] In 2022, she was in a relationship with Irish actor Éanna Hardwicke.[19] As of 2025, she is dating English actor Josh O'Connor.[20][21] Since 2022, Oliver has mostly resided in London.[18][21]

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."[22]

Acting credits

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Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
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
TBA To Make Ends Meat † TBA Post-production [23]
TBA Dennis † TBA Post-production [24]
TBA Bad Bridgets † TBA Pre-production [25]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2022 Conversations with Friends Frances Flynn Main role
2023 Best Interests Katie Main role
2025 Task Trooper Lizzie Stover 6 episodes [26]

Theatre

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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

Accolades

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List of awards and nominations received by Oliver
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2023 IFTA Film & Drama Awards Best Actress in a Lead Role Conversations with Friends Nominated [27]
2024 Best Supporting Actress – Film Saltburn Won [28]
Rising Star Award — Nominated [29]
2026 Best Supporting Actress – Drama Task Won [16]
2026 Astra Midseason Movie Awards Best Supporting Actress Wuthering Heights Nominated [30]

References

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  1. 1 2 Cremona, Patrick (16 November 2023). "Who is Alison Oliver? Venetia Catton actor in Saltburn". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 O'Keeffe, Donal (19 February 2021). "Who is Alison Oliver, the Cork star of Sally Rooney's Conversations With Friends?". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  3. ↑ Otterson, Joe (17 February 2021). "'Conversations With Friends' Series at Hulu, BBC Three Casts Alison Oliver, Sasha Lane, Joe Alwyn, Jemima Kirke". Variety.
  4. ↑ "Rising Irish star among Variety's '10 actors to watch'". RTÉ.ie. 8 September 2023.
  5. 1 2 Manning, Charlotte (7 May 2022). "Who is Conversations With Friends actress Alison Oliver?". Metro. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  6. ↑ Pike, Naomi (17 May 2022). "Meet Sally Rooney's New Leading Lady". The Cut. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Alison Oliver". Lir Academy. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  8. ↑ Maitland, Hailey (16 May 2022). "Conversations With Friends Star Alison Oliver Shares A Few Of Her Favourite Things With Vogue". Vogue.co.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  9. ↑ "Michael Sheen, Sharon Horgan Lead Jack Thorne's Disability-Focused BBC Drama 'Best Interests'". Variety.
  10. 1 2 "All You Need To Know About Wuthering Heights And Saltburn Star Alison Oliver". Grazia. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Thomas, Sophie (6 December 2022). "Alison Oliver to star in 'Women, Beware the Devil' at the Almeida Theatre". London Theatre. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  12. 1 2 Dillon, Brian (8 September 2023). "Irish actress Alison Oliver included on Variety's '10 actors to watch' list". Irish Star. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  13. ↑ Grobar, Matt (25 August 2022). "Richard E. Grant, Archie Madekwe & Alison Oliver Board Emerald Fennell's Film 'Saltburn' For Prime Video". Deadline. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 "'You'll Never Be Bored By An Emerald Fennell Film': Alison Oliver On Starring In 'Wuthering Heights'". ELLE. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Ritman, Alex (31 August 2024). "Jude Law Is Officially Back After 7-Minute Standing Ovation at Venice for Fighting White Supremacy in 'The Order'". Variety. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  16. 1 2 Clarke, Donald (20 February 2026). "IFTAs 2026: Jessie Buckley, Ciarán Hinds and Cork drama 'Christy' take prizes". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  17. ↑ Grobar, Matt (20 November 2024). "Hong Chau, Alison Oliver & Shazad Latif Join Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' At Warner Bros". Deadline. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  18. 1 2 Lynch, Donal (17 May 2022). "'I was completely shocked. I sat on my bed and stared at my wall' – Alison Oliver on Conversations with Friends role". Independent.ie. Archived from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  19. ↑ Specter, Francesca (23 June 2022). "Conversations With Friends star Alison Oliver on joining the 'Sally Rooney-verse', polyamory, and the heartache of online romance". Glamour. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  20. ↑ Moore, Julia (30 May 2025). "The Crown's Josh O'Connor Holds Hands and Shares a Kiss with Girlfriend Alison Oliver During PDA-Filled Stroll". People. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  21. 1 2 Pullman, Laura (6 September 2025). "How the Saltburn star Alison Oliver is taking Hollywood by storm". The Times. Archived from the original on 7 September 2025. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  22. ↑ "Film Workers Pledge to End Complicity". Film Workers For Palestine. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  23. ↑ "Naomi Ackie, Alison Oliver and Éanna Hardwicke to Star in Luna Carmoon’s ‘To Make Ends Meat’", Variety, April 21, 2026. Accessed August 9, 2026.
  24. ↑ "‘Wuthering Heights’ Breakout Alison Oliver to Star in Irish Period Thriller ‘Bad Bridgets’", The Hollywood Reporter, March 26, 2026. Accessed August 9, 2026.
  25. ↑ "‘Wuthering Heights’ Breakout Alison Oliver to Star in Irish Period Thriller ‘Bad Bridgets’", The Hollywood Reporter, March 26, 2026. Accessed August 9, 2026.
  26. ↑ Hailu, Selome (20 December 2023). "Fabien Frankel and Alison Oliver Added to HBO's Untitled Task Force Project From Brad Ingelsby". Variety. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  27. ↑ "2023 IFTA Nominations Announced". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  28. ↑ "2024 IFTA Winners Announced". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  29. ↑ "2024 IFTA Rising Star Nominees Announced". Irish Film & Television Academy. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  30. ↑ "Hollywood Creative Alliance Announces the 2026 Astra Midseason Movie Awards Nominees" (Press release). The Astras. 15 July 2026. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
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