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Brendan James O'Brien[1] (May 9, 1962 – March 23, 2023)[1] was an American actor. He served as the original voice of Crash Bandicoot and various other character voices for the Crash Bandicoot video games during the Naughty Dog years.[2]
Brendan O'Brien | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Brendan James O'Brien May 9, 1962 Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Died | March 23, 2023 (aged 60) California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Loyola Marymount University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active |
|
| Spouse |
Ingrid K. Behrens (m. 2000) |
| Parents | |
| Website | brendanobrien |
Brendan James O'Brien was born in Hollywood, California, on May 9, 1962.[1] He was the son of actor Edmond O'Brien (1915–1985) and actress Olga San Juan (1927–2009).[3][4] His two sisters are television producer Bridget O'Brien Adelman and actress Maria O'Brien.[4]
He attended Loyola High School in East Los Angeles where he played guitar in various high school bands throughout his early years.[1] He was also a graduate of the Loyola Marymount University.[1]
O'Brien began his acting career in 1972 at ten years old, he was discovered by director Bernard L. Kowalski who cast him in his first acting role in the first episode of the television series The Streets of San Francisco, along with his father.[1] His other live Acton credits was in the television film Honor Thy Father. He also acted in 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain, P.U.N.K.S., Race to Space, and Grindhouse.[citation needed]
He 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. The recordings that O'Brien did for Crash Bandicoot were done in an intimate setting at the Alfred Hitchcock Theater.[2]
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.[citation needed]
He went on a hiatus from acting in 2003; he returned to acting sixteen years later and appear in an episode of Riverdale as a math teacher and also had a small part in the TV mini-series The Slowest Show as a Male Millionaire.[citation needed] He was also in talks to have a role in Antonblast, a video game partly inspired by Crash Bandicoot; however, O'Brien passed away before this could occur.[5]
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Brendan O'Brien met his wife Ingrid K. Behrens in 1995; they married five years later in 2000 and remained married until his death.
He died on March 23, 2023, at his home in California at the age of 60.[1][6]
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[7] |
| 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 | [8] |
| 2003 | Grindhouse | Father Holloway | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | The Streets of San Francisco | Kid | Episode: "The Thirty-Year Pin" |
| 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" |
| 2021 | The Slowest Show | Male Millionaire | TV Mini-series Episode: "Bowling Alley"; Final role |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Crash Bandicoot | Crash Bandicoot, Doctor Neo Cortex, Doctor Nitrus Brio | [9][7] |
| 1997 | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back | Crash Bandicoot, Doctor Nitrus Brio, Doctor N. Gin, Komodo Moe, Tiny Tiger | [9] |
| 1998 | Crash Bandicoot: Warped | Crash Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger, Doctor N. Gin | [9] |
| 1999 | Crash Team Racing | Tiny Tiger, N. Gin, Pinstripe Potoroo | [9] |
| 2000 | Crash Bash | Crash Bandicoot, Tiny Tiger, Doctor Nitrus Brio, Komodo Moe, Papu Papu | [9] |
| 2001 | Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex | Crash Bandicoot | Archive recordings (uncredited) |
| 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 |
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| 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 |
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