Brendan O'Brien (voice actor)
Brendan James O'Brien (born May 9, 1962)[1] is an American voice and television actor, 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 O'Brien May 9, 1962 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1973–2004, 2020–present |
| Spouse(s) | Ingrid K. Behrens (m. 2000) |
| Parent(s) | Edmond O'Brien (father) Olga San Juan (mother) |
| Website | www |
Early life
Brendan O'Brien was born in Hollywood, California on May 9, 1962. He is the son of actor Edmond O'Brien (1915–1985) and actress Olga San Juan (1927–2009).[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.
He got the role of Crash Bandicoot after Joe Pearson suggested that he call Jason Rubin.[4] The recordings that O'Brien did for Crash Bandicoot were done in an intimate setting at the Alfred Hitchcock Theater.[4]
He also performed additional voices for the animated series adaptation of Spawn and Ralph Bakshi's Spicy City. He has acted in several live action television shows such as Candid Camera and The Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys.
O'Brien appeared on The BAM!Box in 2021 and on Mark and Nina. He was interviewed for Polygon's oral history of Crash Bandicoot.
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 | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Candid Camera | Pincushion/Self | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | The Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys | Milkman / Award Presenter | 2 episodes |
| 1996–1999 | Rugrats | Additional voices | 18 episodes |
| 1997 | Spicy City | Additional voices | Episode: "Love Is a Download" |
| 1997–1999 | Todd MacFarlane's Spawn | Additional voices | 6 episodes |
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 3: Warped | Crash Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger, Doctor N. Gin | [6] |
| 1999 | Crash Team Racing | 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 | Archive footage |
| 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 |
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 Alec 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. 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.