RAY O’LEARY
BIOGRAPHY
Comedian / Writer
The Kiwi comic known for his deadpan delivery and iconic grey suit, Ray O’Leary has been charming audiences around the globe with sold out runs in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, where he has performed alongside top comedic talent including Flight of the Conchords and Rhys Darby.
Ray has won two New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards: Best Joke (2022) & Best TV Comedy Performance (2022) and is a three time nominee for Best Male Comedian. His podcast, Socrates Walks Into A Bar, won Best Comedy Podcast at the NZ Podcast Awards in 2022. Additionally he has been twice nominated for New Zealand Comedy Festival’s prestigious Billy T Award (2017 & 2020) and Best Newcomer (2023) & Most Outstanding Show (2024) at The Melbourne International Comedy Festival - the biggest comedy festival in the world.
Ray has become a household name in Australia and New Zealand and welcomed into the homes of millions with regular appearances on Have You Been Paying Attention? (AU & NZ), Thank God You’re Here, Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee, The Cheap Seats and 7 Days. Ray also keeps the TV audiences laughing with his written contributions on these shows.
Coming up in 2026, Ray will star as the lead of Ed Kavalee’s highly anticipated telemovie, Cop This, alongside acting powerhouses Gary Sweet, Rob Carlton & Josh Lawson and comedy legends Tony Martin, Mick Molloy and Tom Gleisner.
Following hugely successful runs in Australia & New Zealand and sold out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Ray will be touring his new show, I Can See O'Leary Now The Ray Has Gone, across the UK in early 2027.
REVIEWS
“…a series of brilliantly crafted and very funny jokes, one after another.” **** -The Scotsman
“A funny man. He’s got comic timing… Great, perfect timing”
– Matt Heath & Jeremy Wells, Radio Hauraki
“Showed a supreme mastery of using repetition to its absolute perfection” – The Ruminator
'“He just lets his unique observations, gloriously off-kilter logic and beautifully crafted joke structures do the talking.”
- RollingStone.co.uk