Oliver Samuels, Jamaica’s King of Comedy, has had a lot to smile about in recent weeks. On November 4, he received Doctor of Letters degree from The University of the West Indies and two days later, he accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from Jamaica’s Consul General to Miami Oliver Mair.

The latter event took place during the Oliver Samuels Birthday Roast, held at The Garden in Fort Lauderdale.

The event attracted a full house of fans and colleagues including Audrey Reid, Christopher “Johnny” Daley and Owen “Blakka” Ellis who all paid tribute to the evergreen Samuels, whose genial antics have made him a star attraction in Jamaican theatre for over 50 years.

Mair described Samuels as “a living legend” who has “continued the work of people like Louise Bennett”.

He added that, “I emphasise that we need to celebrate our legends. We have had Garvey, Bob Marley, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Oliver is right up there.”

Samuels, 73, has covered every sphere of Jamaican acting. He has appeared in pantomimes, drama and roots plays, television and film.

He was established as the face of Jamaican theatre in the early 1990s when he starred in Oliver At Large, a hit comedy series that ran on the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation. It elevated his profile and won him fans among a new generation of fans.

Samuels made his movie debut in Smile Orange, the 1976 comedy written and directed by Trevor Rhone. He also appeared in Countryman and The Mighty Quinn, which starred Denzel Washington.