Richard Oliver Postgate (12 April 1925 – 8 December 2008) was an English animator, puppeteer, and writer.
Born in Hendon, Middlesex, Oliver was the younger son of journalist and writer Raymond Postgate. After the Second World War, he attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, but drifted through several different jobs as he never really found anything that is his niche. Oliver got his break in 1957 after being hired as a stage manager for ITV he wanted to do children's programming as he felt that he could do better. He first wrote "Alexander the Mouse", a story about a mouse born to be king. After the success of the film, Postgate agreed on a deal to make the next series on film, which led to him creating Smallfilms alongside Peter Firmin, a friend Postgate met in art class.
He passed away on December 8, 2008.
It should be noted that Oliver is a distant cousin to the late Angela Lansbury as his mother is from the Lansbury side of the family.
His works include:
- Ivor the Engine
- The Saga of Noggin the Nog
- The Clangers
- Series/Bagpuss(Series)
