Oscar Henry (Shortland Street)
| Oscar Henry | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Shortland Street character | |
| Portrayed by | Christopher Brown |
| Duration | 1998–99 |
| First appearance | 14 August 1998 |
| Last appearance | 7 June 1999 |
| Introduced by | Simon Bennett |
| Classification | Former; regular |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Business manager |
Oscar Henry is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Christopher Brown from 1998 to 1999.
Oscar debuted in mid-1998 as a love interest for Minnie Crozier (Katrina Devine). He was at first liked by the clinic staff but he was soon revealed to be possessive and overpowering. When Minnie broke up with him, he blackmailed her and raped her. The character starred in a hugely high-profile storyline that saw him steal $1,000,000 from the clinic and end up in a coma after an attempt on his life. The storyline ended the 1998 season with a whodunit that led into 1999 with the revelation that Mackenzie Choat (Ingrid Park) was the assailant. The character then participated in a dramatic conclusion that saw his coma revealed as fake and Mackenzie finally end his life by exploding the clinic.
The character, his rape storyline and his death have gone down as iconic. Oscar proved empowering to the characterisation of Minnie and furthered the character's long-running track record of bad love interests.
Oscar arrived to the clinic in mid-1998 as a replacement for the departed Jenny Harrison (Maggie Harper). He started to date Minnie Crozier (Katrina Devine) but clashed with both Fergus Kearney (Paul Ellis) and Mackenzie Choat (Ingrid Park). Oscar started to control Minnie's lifestyle choices and appearance, leading her to decide to break up with him. Oscar was infuriated and blackmailed her with nude pictures they had taken together. Mackenzie helped Minnie break up with him and a furious Oscar forced himself into Minnie's house and raped her. He framed Mackenzie for theft and had her fired, before he embezzled $1,000,000 from the clinic with the intention of running away. However, in December 1998, Minnie discovered Oscar unconscious after being bludgeoned in her mother, Ellen's (Robyn Malcolm) living room. In 1999 Oscar remained in a coma and suspicion fell on many, mainly Minnie, Fergus and Mackenzie. Lionel Skeggins (John Leigh) discovered it was Mackenzie who had attempted to murder Oscar for his cash and she soon speculated that Oscar was faking his coma. When Mackenzie confronted Oscar about the false coma, he attacked her only for Mackenzie to knock him out and set his hospital room on fire. He died instantly in the explosion.
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