Brendan O'Brien (voice actor)
Brendan James O'Brien (born May 9, 1962)[1] is an American actor, voice actor and writer, who is best known for his role as the original voice of Crash Bandicoot and for providing various other character voices for the Crash Bandicoot video games during the Naughty Dog years.
Brendan O'Brien | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brendan James O'Brien May 9, 1962 |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor, writer |
| Years active | 1973–2003, 2018–present |
| Spouse(s) | Ingrid K. Behrens (m. 2000) |
| Parents |
|
| Website | www |
Early life
O'Brien is the son of actors Edmond O'Brien and Olga San Juan.[2][3] He also has two sisters, television producer Bridget O’Brien Adelman and actress Maria O’Brien.[3]
Career
O'Brien began his acting career in 1973, his first role was in the television film Honor Thy Father. He would later appear in 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain, P.U.N.K.S., Race to Space and Grindhouse.
O'Brien got the role of Crash Bandicoot after Joe Pearson suggested that he call Jason Rubin (who was looking for a voice artist). After going to the studio for the call (where his parents used to work), he got the role.[4] The recordings that O'Brien did for Crash Bandicoot were done in an intimate setting at the Alfred Hitchcock Theater.[4]
O'Brien also performed additional voices for the animated series adaptation of Spawn and Ralph Bakshi's Spicy City. He has also acted in several live action television shows such as Candid Camera and The Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys .
O'Brien went on a hiatus from acting in 2003, but would later make his return to acting once again in the 2018 television film No One Would Tell as Mr. Tennison and has recent made an appearance in an episode of Riverdale as a Math Teacher.
Personal life
O'Brien has been married to filmmaker Ingrid K. Behrens since September 9, 2000.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Honor Thy Father | Child | TV movie |
| 1989 | Hollywood Chaos | Guido Luini | Indie film |
| 1995 | Get Street Smart: A Kid's Guide to Stranger Dangers | Capricorn's Dad (voice) | Short film[1] |
| 1996 | The Legend of Galgameth | Heretic | |
| 1997 | Casper: A Spirited Beginning | Terrified Worker | Direct-to-video |
| 1998 | 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain | Zed | |
| 1999 | P.U.N.K.S. | Repo Supervisor | |
| 2000 | The Trial of Old Drum | Brendan | TV movie |
| Wild Grizzly | Earl | TV movie | |
| 2001 | Race to Space | Centrifuge Technician | [5] |
| 2003 | Grindhouse | Father Holloway | |
| 2018 | No One Would Tell | Mr. Tennison | TV movie |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Candid Camera | Pincushion/Self | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | The Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys | Milkman / Award Presenter | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Spicy City | Additional voices | Episode: "Love Is a Download" |
| 1997–1999 | Todd MacFarlane's Spawn | Additional voices | 6 episodes |
| 2020 | Riverdale | Math Teacher | Episode: "Chapter Seventy-Four: Wicked Little Town" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Crash Bandicoot | Crash Bandicoot, Pinstripe Potoroo, Doctor Neo Cortex, Doctor Nitrus Brio | [6][1] |
| 1997 | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back | Crash Bandicoot, Doctor Nitrus Brio, Doctor N. Gin, Komodo Moe, Tiny Tiger | [6] |
| 1998 | Crash Bandicoot: Warped | Crash Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger, Doctor N. Gin | [6] |
| 1999 | Crash Team Racing | Crash Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger, N. Gin, Pinstripe Potoroo | [6][7] |
| 2000 | Crash Bash | Crash Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger, Doctor Nitrus Brio, Komodo Moe, Papu Papu | [6] |
| 2001 | Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex | Crash Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger | |
| 2002 | Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure | Crash Bandicoot | |
| 2003 | Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced | Crash Bandicoot, Fake Crash | |
| 2004 | Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage | Crash Bandicoot | |
| 2016 | Uncharted 4: A Thief's End | Crash Bandicoot | Archive footage |
Crew work
| Year | Title | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Keep on Crusin' | Writer | TV series Contributing writer |
| 1990 | Guys Next-Door | Writer | TV series short Contributing writer |
| 1994 | The Secret World of Alex Mack | Drama coach, dialogue coach | 4 episodes |
| 1997 | In Cold Sweat | Writer | Video As Alex Smart |
| 2000 | Wild Grizzly | Composer | Television film |
References
- "Brendan O'Brien - 19 Character Images". Behind The Voice Actors.
- "Edmond O'Brien, Actor, Dies at 69". The New York Times. May 10, 1985. p. D22. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- "Olga San Juan dies at 81; actress sang and danced with Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire". LA Times. LA Times. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- "Crash Bandicoot an Oral History". Polygon. Polygon. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- Willis, John; Monush, Barry (February 2004). Screen World 2003. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 447. ISBN 1557835284.
- "Brendan O'Brien". Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- Though Chip Chinery provided most of the lines for Crash Bandicoot in Crash Team Racing, one of Crash's "woah" lines was a stock sound effect recorded by Brendan O'Brien that was recycled from the first game.