Liam O'Brien
American voice actor (born 1976) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Liam Christopher O'Brien (born May 28, 1976) is an American voice actor, writer, and director. He is a regular cast member of the Dungeons & Dragons actual play series Critical Role, playing Vax'ildan ("Vax"), Caleb Widogast, and Orym.[1] He has been involved in many video games, cartoons, and English-language adaptations of Japanese anime. His major anime roles include Gaara in Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto, Vincent Law in Ergo Proxy, Captain Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach, Lloyd in Code Geass, Kenzo Tenma in Monster, Akihiko Sanada in Persona 3, and Nephrite in the Viz Media dub of Sailor Moon.
Liam O'Brien | |
|---|---|
.jpg) O'Brien at WonderCon in 2017 | |
| Born | May 28, 1976 Weehawken, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Voice actor, writer, director |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Spouse |
Amy Kincaid (m. 2002) |
| Children | 2 |
In cartoons, O'Brien has voiced characters in shows such as Star Wars Rebels, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Avengers Assemble, Wolverine and the X-Men, and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.. In video games, he voiced Gollum in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, Caius Ballad in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, War in Darksiders, Asura in Asura's Wrath, Ieyasu Tokugawa in Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes, Illidan Stormrage in World of Warcraft and Heroes of the Storm, Yasuo in League of Legends, Grimoire Weiss in Nier and Nier: Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., the Warden in For Honor, and Barker in Titanfall 2.
He is an automated dialog replacement writer for anime and has provided voice direction for over 300 episodes of anime such as Naruto. He has also voice directed for video games such as The Last of Us, Evolve, Resident Evil 5, and Resident Evil 6.[2]
Early life
Liam Christopher O'Brien was born in Weehawken, New Jersey,[3] on May 28, 1976.[4] He's of Irish ancestry[5] His mother, Lois Wiltse O'Brien, worked as an educator as well as a quality assurance trainer and consultant.[6] He has a sister named Cara.[6] His family were Reformed Christians,[7] and he was "raised by a Christian mother and attended 15 years of Christian schooling", but would later describe himself as agnostic.[8] He began acting in high school at St. Peter's Preparatory School, resolving to "just be a starving artist" as he knew the chances of success in the field were low.[9] O'Brien moved to New York City to attend the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.[10]
Career
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Perspective
In his early career, O'Brien worked in theater on various productions around the country.[3][11][12] He met Crispin Freeman while working on a production of Shakespeare's R&J in Cincinnati, Ohio, which helped him get voice-over work back in New York.[10] He and his partner decided to leave the city in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and pursued a voice acting career. While he enjoyed theater, he gave up on it as the voice work would better allow him to support and spend time with his family.[13]
O'Brien affirms that he often plays characters that are insane or evil geniuses, although he has also voiced comedic characters such as Fukuyama in Girls Bravo. He describes Cumore from Tales of Vesperia as "extremely unhinged". In Darksiders, he voices the lead character War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He describes his voicing as deeper than his usual voice, and that he portrayed War as a fairly old soul who isn't surprised at the events around him. In the video game-based film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, he voiced Red XIII.[10] In addition to voice acting, he has worked as a voice director and writer on various video games and anime shows.[10]
He is also a cast member of the popular web series Critical Role, in which he and other voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons.[2][14] Critical Role was both the Webby Winner and the People's Voice Winner in the "Games (Video Series & Channels)" category at the 2019 Webby Awards;[15] the show was also both a Finalist and the Audience Honor Winner at the 2019 Shorty Awards.[16] After becoming hugely successful, the Critical Role cast left the Geek & Sundry network in early 2019 and set up their own production company, Critical Role Productions.[17][18][19][20] Soon after, they aimed to raise $750,000 on Kickstarter to create an animated series of their first campaign, but ended up raising over $11 million.[21] In November 2019, Amazon Prime Video announced that they had acquired the streaming rights to this animated series, now titled The Legend of Vox Machina,[22] O'Brien reprised his role as Vax'ildan.[23] In June 2021, O'Brien was added to the cast of Exandria Unlimited, a spinoff of Critical Role.[24][25][26] O'Brien is also one of the narrators for the audiobook edition of the novel Critical Role: Vox Machina – Kith & Kin (2021).[27][28]
Personal life
O'Brien married voice actress Amy Kincaid in 2002.[10][29][30] The couple have two children: a daughter and a son. They live in Los Angeles.[31]
He suffers from hyperacusis, a hearing disorder that makes him unusually sensitive to everyday noises.[32]
Filmography
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Anime
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Boogiepop Phantom | Yoji Suganuma, others | CA | |
| Gokudo | Tei | |||
| 2002 | His and Her Circumstances | Hideki Asaba, Fukada Kohei | ||
| Revolutionary Girl Utena | Mamiya Chida | |||
| 2003 | Figure 17 | Toru | ||
| Wolf's Rain | Soldier | [33] | ||
| DNA² | Junta Momonari | CA | ||
| K.O. Beast | Bud Mint | |||
| 2004 | Yukikaze | Various characters | ||
| Texhnolyze | Man C | |||
| .hack//Legend of the Twilight | Tom | |||
| Gad Guard | Truck Driver | |||
| R.O.D. | Various characters | Also as William Markham | ||
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex | ||||
| Paranoia Agent | Mitsuhiro Maniwa, Man on Phone 2 | |||
| Comic Party | Taishi Kuhonbutsu | |||
| Gungrave | Executive A, Researcher, Sam | |||
| Marmalade Boy | Akira Mizutani, Alex | |||
| 2005 | Girls Bravo | Kazuharu Fukuyama | [10][34] | |
| Rumiko Takahashi Anthology | Ryuichi, Mover, Odagiri, Zashiki Warashi, Gorgeous | CA | ||
| Mermaid Forest | Yuta | |||
| Samurai Champloo | Young Yamane, Eel Shop Owner, others | |||
| Daphne in the Brilliant Blue | Various characters | |||
| Koi Kaze | Kei Odagiri, Man, Friend A | |||
| Duel Masters: Season 2 | Shobu Kirifuda | |||
| Tenjho Tenge | Shin Natsume | |||
| The Melody of Oblivion | Horu, Person of the Cape | |||
| Mermaid Forest | Yuta, others | |||
| DearS | Various characters | |||
| Ghost Talker's Daydream | ||||
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG | Gino, others | |||
| Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo | Andrea Cavalcanti | |||
| Saiyuki Reload | Various characters | |||
| Scrapped Princess | Furet | |||
| Leave it to Piyoko! | Thin Blob | OVA | ||
| 2006 | Boys Be... | Makoto Kurumizawa | Voice director and script writer | [35] |
| Kannazuki no Miko | Tsubasa | CA | ||
| Saiyuki Reload Gunlock | Rin's Captor, Subordinate | |||
| Gun Sword | Ray Lundgren, Wild Bunch C | |||
| Kamichu! | Shika, Inu Osho, Konoha Kamaitachi, others | |||
| The Prince of Tennis | Nanjiro Echizen, Arai | |||
| Fate/stay night | Archer | |||
| Ergo Proxy | Vincent Law | |||
| Paradise Kiss | Seiji Kisaragi | |||
| 2006–07 | Haré+Guu | Dr. Clive | [35][36] | |
| 2006–09 | Naruto | Gaara, Kotetsu Hagane | CA | |
| 2007 | Blue Dragon | Dolsk | ||
| To Heart | Various characters | |||
| Cutie Honey | Seiji's Contact | Live-action dub | ||
| The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya | Baseball Team Captain | |||
| The Third: The Girl With the Blue Eye | Various characters | |||
| Phoenix | Ohtomo | |||
| 2007–14 | Bleach | Jushiro Ukitake, Sora Inoue | ||
| 2008 | Code Geass series | Lloyd Asplund | ||
| Buso Renkin | Gota Nakamura, Hideki Okakura | |||
| Descendants of Darkness | Hisoka Kurosaki | |||
| 2009–10 | Monster | Kenzo Tenma | ||
| 2009–19 | Naruto: Shippuden | Gaara | ||
| 2010 | Slayers series | Rezo | Revolution and Evolution-R | [36][37] |
| 2012–22 | Tiger & Bunny | Lunatic / Yuri Petrov | [38] | |
| 2013 | Fate/Zero | Kariya Matou | [38] | |
| Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan | Hidemoto Keikain & Shōei | [39] | ||
| 2013–14 | Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic | Jamil, Markkio and Issac | ||
| 2013–15 | Digimon Fusion | Deckergreymon, Neptunmon, Mercurymon, others | [38] | |
| 2014–15 | Sailor Moon | Nephrite | Viz dub | [40] |
| 2015 | Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin | Gihren Zabi | [41][42][43] | |
| Sailor Moon Crystal | Nephrite | [44] | ||
| 2016 | Sengoku Basara: End of Judgement | Ieyasu Tokugawa | [45] | |
| 2018–19 | Baki | Atsushi Suedou, Valentin Sokolov | Netflix ONA | [38][46][47] |
| 2019 | Ultraman | Dan Moroboshi | [38][48] | |
| 2019–23 | Boruto: Naruto Next Generations | Gaara | [49] | |
| 2020 | Marvel Future Avengers | Red Skull, Doctor Strange | [38] | |
| 2023 | Baki Hanma | Atsushi Suedou | [38] |
Animation
| † | Denotes series that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Crew role, notes | Source[50] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Wolverine and the X-Men | Warren Worthington III / Angel / Archangel, Nightcrawler, Nitro | [10] | |
| 2010 | G.I. Joe: Renegades | Captain Anatoly Krimov / Red Star, others | Episode: "Union of the Snake" | [38] |
| 2012–14 | NFL Rush Zone | RZ6.0/Richard Zimmer, Zich, others | ||
| 2012–18 | Sofia the First | Additional voices | 2 episodes | |
| 2013 | Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel | Red Skull | [38] | |
| 2013–17 | Avengers Assemble | Red Skull / Iron Skull, Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange, Blood Brother #2, additional voices | ||
| 2014 | Regular Show | Tango | Episode: "Gold Watch" | |
| 2014–15 | Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. | Arkon, Red Skull, others | ||
| 2014–17 | Star Wars Rebels | Supply Master Yogar Lyste, Morad Sumar, others | [38][51] | |
| 2015 | Transformers: Robots in Disguise | Underbite, Kickback, others | [38] | |
| 2016 | Ultimate Spider-Man | Doctor Strange | Episode: "Miles from Home" | [38][52] |
| Pickle and Peanut | Head Mannequin | Episode: "Bats/Movie Camp Out" | [53] | |
| 2019 | Amphibia | Additional voices | 3 episodes | |
| Carmen Sandiego | Professor Gunnar Maelstrom, Vlad, Boris, ACME Agent. | [54] | ||
| DC Super Hero Girls | General Zod | 3 episodes | [38] | |
| 2020 | Spider-Man | Doctor Strange | 2 episodes | |
| 2021 | Dota: Dragon's Blood | Nikdo, Bandit #1, Bandit #4 | Episode: "Princess of Nothing" | [38] |
| Star Wars: The Bad Batch | Bolo, Raney, Captured Falleen, Tactical Droid, Scrapper | 3 episodes | ||
| 2022–present | The Legend of Vox Machina | Vax'ildan "Vax" Vessar, Vorugal | Executive producer and writer | [55][56] |
| 2023–2024 | Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures | Estala Maru, Onderrs, Galjaero Pirate | 3 episodes | [38] |
| TBA | Mighty Nein † | Caleb Widogast | In production | [57] |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Crew role, notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Aquarian Age the Movie | Lancelot Army Commander | CA | |
| 2006 | Patlabor: The Movie | Det. Kataoka | Bandai Visual dub | |
| Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children | Red XIII | [38] | ||
| 2009 | Redline | Frisbee | [58] | |
| Afro Samurai: Resurrection | Shichigoro | [38] | ||
| 2010 | Planet Hulk | Hiroim | ||
| 2012 | Sengoku Basara: The Last Party | Ieyasu Tokugawa | ||
| 2014 | JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time | Aquaman, Batwing Computer | ||
| Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United | Red Skull | |||
| 2015 | Tiger & Bunny: The Rising | Lunatic / Yuri Petrov | [59] | |
| The Last: Naruto the Movie | Gaara, Kotetsu Hagane | [38] | ||
| 2016 | Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell | Doctor Strange | [60] | |
| 2023 | Lego Marvel Avengers: Code Red | Red Skull, Hydra Goons | Disney+ special | [38] |
| 2024 | Ghost Cat Anzu | Policeman 1 | English dub | [61] |
Other dubbing
| Year | Title | Role | Crew role, notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | One Missed Call | Hiroshi Yamashita | CA | |
Video games
Live action
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source[50] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Phoenix Incident | Jacob Reynolds | [92][93][94] | |
| Web series | ||||
| 2015–present | Critical Role |
| Cast member; Dungeons & Dragons web series | [95][96] |
| 2018–2020 | All Work No Play | Himself | A web series where O'Brien and Sam Riegel catch up over a drink and try a new activity each episode. The show was developed from their original AWNP podcast (2012–2017). | [97][98][99] |
| 2020 | AWNP: Unplugged | Himself | A spinoff web series during the COVID-19 pandemic where Riegel and O'Brien caught-up via video chat. | [100][101] |
| 2021 | Exandria Unlimited | Orym of the Air Ashari | Main role; 8 episodes. An anthology spinoff series of Critical Role. | [24][25][26] |
| 2023–2024 | Candela Obscura: The Circle of Tide & Bone | Cosmo Grimm | Main role; 3 episodes. An anthology limited series. | [102][103] |
| 2024 | Candela Obscura: The Circle of the Crimson Mirror | Game Master | Main role; 3 episodes. An anthology limited series. | [104][105] |
| Moonward | Walden Orlock | Main role; a spinoff limited series of Midst. | [106][107] | |
| 2025 | Exandria Unlimited: Divergence | Erro Moradaurum | 4 episodes | [108][109] |
Audio books
| Year | Title | Role | Crew role, notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin | Vax'ildan "Vax" Vessar | [110] | |
| 2022 | Critical Role: The Mighty Nein – The Nine Eyes of Lucien | Caleb Widogast | [111] | |
| 2025 | Critical Role: Vox Machina - Stories Untold | Narrator | Co-Author | [112] |
References
Further reading
External links
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