OLIVER LABRA DORMAN

April 1, 1994 - May 24, 2009

FEATURED DOG IN SHORT FILM 'BEGLEITER" PASSES AWAY

San Diego - Oliver Dorman was born on April 1, 1994. He is believed to be a Labrador-Australian Shepherd mix. He was named "Oliver" when he was found on Oliver Street in Pacific Beach by Special Education teacher Delynn Dorman, who, ironically, was in the area answering an ad for a different puppy up for adoption. Delynn raised Oliver in her spacious La Jolla Shores home for three years.

In 1997, Oliver was adopted by Delynn's long-time friend and aspiring filmmaker Dan Margules. Oliver actually moved into Margules' new Talmadge home six weeks earlier than his new master, as Margules was unexpectedly sent on an out-of-town assignment in Jacksonville, Florida. Oliver's twice-daily walks made him a fixture in his new neighborhood. Everyone who knew him described him as mellow and laid-back. His closest friends in town were Maxi and Moritz. Maxi (a white dog) regularly allowed Moritz (a brown dog) and Oliver (a black dog) to gang up on him in a game they called "Get Whitey."

Oliver enjoyed hiking at Blue Sky in Poway, Mission Trails in San Diego, and sometimes Runyon Canyon in Hollywood with Riley and KC while visiting Dan's sister, TV producer Lori Margules. Oliver also loved frolicking in the Pacific Ocean at Dog Beach in Ocean Beach where he often played with Chaos, a pit-bull boxer belonging to his first owner's daughter, Hether Henderson.

Shortly after moving into his home in Talmadge, Oliver became the inspiration for a short story called "Happy The Dog That Shits Gold." Seven years later, parts of that story became Margules' first short film, "Begleiter." While the lead role went to a dog with more acting experience, Oliver managed to land a role as a pound puppy. A method actor, Oliver dirtied himself up for the role weeks in advance of the shoot. One of the few actors allowed to ad-lib, Oliver's unscripted line, "Woof," is remembered as a classic. He also assisted the director on location scouts during pre-production.

His performance in "Begleiter" next led Oliver to a more substantial role in the feature film "Pushing 30." His role as Taco (a bitch) is pivotal in the romantic comedy's "meet cute" scene with leading lady Sara Jane Nash, who also appeared in "Begleiter." Oliver officially retired from acting in August 2006, enjoying three more years of love and affection before suffering from a stroke at the age of 15.

Additional Information:
"Begleiter" - happy-the-dog.com