John Oliver is a popular comedian, political commentator and a talk show host. The man who started his career as a stand-up comedian, has turned a year older on April 23. Happy Birthday, John Oliver! He shot to fame for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as its senior British correspondent. Oliver has worked in numerous shows and it ranges from solo to double act. It was in 2002 when he performed his debut solo show. In 2004 and 2005, Oliver collaborated with Andy Zaltzman and co-hosted the Political Animal, which was a radio show in which various stand-up comedians perform political material. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver: Hotstar Retains Episode Criticising Disney, Arnab Goswami; but the PM Narendra Modi Segment Is Still Missing.

John Oliver has used his British culture as a primary subject of his jokes. Oliver describes his accent as ‘mongrel’ of Brummie, Scouse and Bedford influences. The Daily Show, The Bugle, John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show and Last Week Tonight are some of the shows through which he made a huge impact. He says, he has been highly influenced by Armando Iannucci, David Letterman, Monty Python, Peter Cook, Richard Pryor and Jon Stewart. And the ones who are been influenced by Oliver are been dubbed as ‘The John Oliver Effect’.

Now besides being known for his works as a talk show host, comedian and political commentator, John Oliver is also known for his works in films for which he was roped in to do voicing for some of the popular characters. On his birthday, let’s take a look at those animated films, for which John Oliver did voicing for and entertained us as a voice-over artist. ‘John Oliver’ Trends on Twitter After New Episode of Last Week Tonight Show Covers US President Donald Trump’s India Visit (Watch Video).

The Smurfs

John Oliver voiced for the character Vanity Smurf in the 2011 released film The Smurfs. The character Vanity Smurf is the one who is totally obsessed with his looks. This Smurf often holds a mirror and always kisses his reflection. In The Smurfs 2, Vanity becomes Commando Smurf, for which Oliver did the voicing.

Wonder Park

Directed by Dylan Brown, Wonder Park, which released last year, is another entertaining animated adventure film. In this movie, John Oliver voiced for the character Steve that is a porcupine. This porcupine is the safety officer of Wonderland, a magical amusement park run by a group of animals.

The Lion King

Jon Favreau’s film, The Lion King, was praised for its visual effects, music and vocal performances. John Oliver did voicing for Zazu (a red-billed hornbill) in this Disney’s remake of the 1994 film of the same name. Zazu was seen as the advisor to King Mufasa and later to his son Simba.

So these are the popular films for which John Oliver did voicing and left us all enthralled. Here’s wishing Oliver a great birthday and a great year ahead!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2020 09:51 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).