Olivia Tennet (b. January 4, 1991) is an actress and dancer from Auckland, New Zealand. In the world of Power Rangers, she is known for playing the role of Dr. K, the mentor and technical advisor from the series' seventeenth season, Power Rangers RPM.
Olivia Tennet. Headshot from 2010. Copyright, Karen Kay Management Ltd.
Career
Olivia made her first television appearance on Xena: Warrior Princess as a little runaway princess named Alesia in one episode of the series' fourth season (1999). She also starred Kids World as Nicole Mitchell. She won the Best Juvenile Performer Award at the 2000 Nokia New Zealand Film Awards for her role in the movie. She would gain her biggest international exposure playing a small part in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, as a young Rohan girl named Freda. She can be seen fleeing a burning village on a horse along with her onscreen brother Éothain.
Following this, Olivia had a minor part in the movie Ozzie, which featured RPM co-star Rose McIver (Summer Landsdown, Ranger Operator Series Yellow). She also had a leading role in the short film Watermark, which competed in major film festivals such as the French Cannes Film Festival. The film received many awards, including one for Best Actress (Olivia), at the 2003 New Zealand Drifting Clouds Film Festival in Wellington.
Olivia returned to the small screen in a guest appearance on P. E. T. Detectives (2003), a show starring RPM co-star Milo Cawthorne (Ziggy Grover, Ranger Operator Series Green). A few years later, she would play the role of Lilith in the show Maddigan's Quest (2006), starring Rose McIver as the lead role of Garland. Following this, Olivia would gain her biggest television role prior to RPM as Tuesday Warner on the long-running nightly medical drama Shortland Street (2007, 2008).
Olivia's most recent on-screen work has been on Power Rangers RPM as Dr. K, the season's brilliant, yet socially awkward, genius who designed the Ranger Series technology, and serves as a leader of sorts to the Ranger Series Operators, along as a technical advisor for Colonel Mason Truman and Corinth's defense forces.
Other Works
Olivia is also an accomplished stage actress in New Zealand, having participated in school productions as well as various theatrical performances in shows like 360 (co-starring Milo Cawthorne), Waiting for Jim, and Stepping Out.
Aside from her acting talents, Olivia is also an accomplished dancer. She has competed and won awards in several dancing competitions in New Zealand. She also has a YouTube channel featuring her performing jazz, tap, and hip hop dance choreography.
Trivia
- In the movie Kids World, Olivia co-starred with Blake Foster, known to fans of Power Rangers as Justin Stewart, the Blue Ranger from Power Rangers Turbo. He played a character named Ryan Mitchell, a name shared with the Titanium Ranger from Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue.
- In addition to dancing and acting, Olivia also has various musical talents. She can sing as well as play the violin and piano--instruments which her character used in the episode "Doctor K" on Power Rangers RPM.
- Olivia was only 17 years old when she portrayed the role of Dr. K on RPM, making her the youngest of the season's core cast.