Nina Oyama (born 18 August 1993) is an Australian comedian, writer, actress and director. She is well known for her roles in Utopia, Deadloch and her participation as contestant in Taskmaster Australia.
Early life and education Oyama was born on 18 August 1993 to an Australian mother from Sydney's Northern Beaches and a Japanese father. Her parents met at a hostel in Nagoya.
She attended North Sydney Girls High School, and went on to study communications and theatre media at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, New South Wales.
Career Oyama began performing stand-up comedy at 17 years old. In 2012, she was a state finalist in the Class Clowns competition. That year she also performed at The Sydney Fringe as part of "Barely Legal - Australia's Best Young Comedians" alongside Neel Kolhatkar and Aaron Chen, and performed on Dan Ilic's FBi Radio show. Oyama became a writer for the children's sketch comedy show You're Skitting Me, and made her television debut performing stand-up comedy on SBS 2 in 2014.
In 2017, Oyama was cast as executive assistant/receptionist Courtney Kano in the third, fourth, and fifth seasons of Utopia. In the same year, she joined the cast of ABC Comedy's topical entertainment show Tonightly with Tom Ballard as a writer; she also starred in the second and final series of the show in 2018.
Oyama directed, co-wrote, and co-starred in The Angus Project, a web series and television pilot that aired on ABC iview in 2018. Based on real events in Bathurst, the series co-stars Angus Thompson as a sports journalist with cerebral palsy, for whom Oyama becomes a friend and caregiver. The show received praise for its earnest depictions of disability and regional Australia.
Oyama was regularly performing stand-up comedy.
In 2020, she starred on the Network 10 sketch comedy series Kinne Tonight, and served as a scriptwriter for Michael Cusack's Adult Swim series YOLO: Crystal Fantasy. She co-directed the film Diving In, which starred an amputee swimmer and was featured in the 2020 Sydney Film Festival. Also in that year, Oyama received media attention for making "#CatPoop" a trending topic on Twitter in Australia.
On 9 July 2024, Deadloch was renewed for a second season and it was announced that Oyama would reprise the role of Abby Matsuda. On 28 October, Oyama was named for the animated film The Pout Pout Fish.
On 4 June 2025, Oyama was announced as part of the cast for the series Gnomes.
Personal life Oyama is bisexual and bipolar.
Filmography
Television appearances +YearTitleRoleNotes2026Class ClownsSelf6 episodes2026Gnomes2025Claire Hooper's House Of GamesSelf5 episodes2025The Role of a LifetimeDr. Jesse2 episodes2023–presentDeadlochAbby Matsuda14 episodes2023Home and AwaySlyvie Grey2 episodesWe Interrupt This BroadcastMelissa Leong7 episodesKoala ManLittle Nina1 episode2021Mikki vs The WorldVariousSeries 12020The Chasers War on 2020Various Moments of Clarity Nat5 episodesDom and Adrian DebbieTV Special2019–2020Kinne TonightVarious13 episodes2017–2019, 2023UtopiaCourtney16 episodes2018Fresh Blood Pilot SeasonNina1 episode
Film appearances +Year TitleRoleNotes2020 Soulless Danni Short The Complex Megan Short 2026 The Pout-Pout Fish Pip Film
Other appearances +YearTitleNotes2019Spicks and Specks1 episode2021Question Everything1 episode2023Have You Been Paying Attention?1 episode, as guest quiz masterTaskmaster AustraliaSeason 1 contestant10 episodesWould I Lie to You?1 episode2024Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee (NZ)2 episodes2024Thank God You’re Here1 episode2025Claire Hooper’s House of Games5 episodes2025Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee (AU)1 episode +WriterYearTitleRoleNotes2023MonologueWriter2 episodesClass of '07Developer8 episodesKoala ManWriter1 episode2022LatecomersCreator/Writer6 episodes2020Diving InWriterShortThe Chaser's War on 2020WriterYOLO: Crystal FantasyWriter 1 episode2019SquintersAdditional Material6 episodes2018Fresh Blood Pilot SeasonWriter1 episode2017–2018Tonightly with Tom BallardWriter161 episodes2013–2016You're Skitting MeAdditional Material39 episodes2016The Chaser's Election DeskAdditional Material5 episodes
Awards and nominations
2018: Pilot of The Angus Project nominated for an Australian Directors' Guild award 2019: Nominated, Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
References
External links