Oliver Hardy in north Georgia in the 1905 fall semester when he was 13. He had little interest in formal education, although he acquired an early interest in music and theater. He joined a theatrical group and later ran away from a boarding school near Atlanta to sing with the group. His mother recognized his talent for singing and sent him to Atlanta to study music and voice with singing teacher Adolf Dahm-Petersen. He skipped some of his lessons to sing in the Alcazar Theater for $3.50 a week. Hardy began styling himself "Oliver Norvell Hardy", adding the first name "Oliver" as
Tom Oliver was made into an ongoing lead regular in the serial. Oliver became one of the "Number 96"'s most popular cast members. During his run in the show he married fellow "Number 96" actor Lynn Rainbow, who played Sonia Lansgard and opened a wine bar in Kensington, Sydney cunningly named "Jack's Cellar". In late 1973, along with much of the show's regular cast including Lynn Rainbow, he reprised his television role in a feature film spinoff of the serial. Oliver stayed in the role in the series for more than two years, finally electing to leave the series in mid 1974.