| Oscar Henry | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shortland Street character | |||||
 | |||||
| Portrayed by | Christopher Brown | ||||
| Duration | 1998–1999 | ||||
| First appearance | 14 August 1998 | ||||
| Last appearance | 7 June 1999 | ||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||
| Introduced by | Simon Bennett | ||||
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Oscar Henry is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street played 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 were popular. Oscar proved empowering to the characterisation of Minnie and furthered the character's long-running track record of bad love interests.