Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North (born October 7, 1943) is a former United States Marine, White House aide, and radio talk show host. He is most famous for his role in the Iran-Contra Affair.

North was born in San Antonio, Texas and attended the State University of New York Brockport before attending the U.S. Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1968.

North was a U.S. Vietnam veteran and was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, three Navy Commendation Medals and two Purple Hearts. In 1981 North became a Cold War insider in the cabinet of Ronald Reagan, where he served as an aide to National Security Advisor Admiral John Poindexter. North was an integral player in the Iran-Contra Affair whereby the U.S. government secretly and illegally sold weapons to Iran and used the profits to fund the Contra rebel group in Central America. He is a devout Christian, and a regular conservative pundit on FOX News, CNN, and other networks.

Oliver North became famous when he was summoned to testify before a joint Congressional committee formed to investigate Iran-Contra related matters. Some saw him as the public scapegoat for many other people in the Reagan administration who were involved in the Iran-Contra affair.

North was indicted March 16, 1988, on 16 felony counts. After standing trial on 12, North was convicted May 4, 1989 of three charges: accepting an illegal gratuity, aiding and abetting in the obstruction of a congressional inquiry, and destruction of documents. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell on July 5, 1989, to a three-year suspended prison term, two years probation, $150,000 in fines and 1,200 hours community service.

A three-judge appeals panel on July 20, 1990, vacated North's conviction for further proceedings to determine whether his immunized testimony influenced witnesses in the trial. The Supreme Court declined to review the case. Judge Gesell dismissed the case September 16, 1991, after hearings on the immunity issue, on the motion of the independent counsel.

In 1994 North again stirred controversy this time as a candidate for the United States Senate from Virginia. Although North had the backing of the state Republican Party and many prominent Republican politicians, he failed to gain an endorsement from Virginia's senior senator, John Warner, also a Republican. Warner gave his support to a Republican who campaigned as an independent, J. Marshall Coleman. North lost the election to Charles Robb, one of the few significant Republican defeats in the "Republican Revolution" of 1994. A documentary film (A Perfect Candidate [1 ]) was made about his campaign.

North wrote an autobiography,

Under Fire: An American Story, and has authored many military thriller novels, some of which are based on his own adventures.

North is the host of "Common Sense," a conservative radio talk show on many American stations. He has also hosted "War Stories with Oliver North" on Fox News television, and has had a small recurring role on the CBS series JAG.

North also participated as an "embedded" reporter for Fox News during the Iraq war. He was embedded with a Marine unit.

One of the most northern points on the west coast of Costa Rica, "Ollie's Point," was the favorite place for North's shipments to arrive on their way to Nicaragua. It is also considered by some to be a world-class surfing spot.