Barry O'Brien | |
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Born | 1957 (age 67–68) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Screenwriter, producer |
Education | Terra Linda High School, Santa Clara University |
Genre | Children's books, suspense, crime fiction, action, adventure, humour |
Notable works | Hannah Montana |
Spouse | Rachael O'Brien |
Children | 2 |
Barry O'Brien (born 1957) is an American television writer and producer best known as the co-creator of Disney Channel Original Series Hannah Montana . His credits include Happy Days , Perfect Strangers , Hangin' with Mr. Cooper , Judging Amy , and CSI: Miami .
Barry O'Brien was born in San Francisco, California, to a large Irish Catholic family. He attended Terra Linda High School, before joining Santa Clara University on a football scholarship, studying business and finance. [1]
O'Brien's biggest hit is Disney's Hannah Montana , a concept he successfully pitched based on the premise of an incredibly famous teenager-with-a-double-life, an idea conceived during a tenure on Nickelodeon's television series All That , where the (then) teenage American pop singer Britney Spears featured as a guest. [2]
Aside from writing for television, O'Brien co-wrote Jerry Bruckheimer’s Kangaroo Jack , [3] and two junior novels. He currently resides in Los Angeles, with his wife and two children.
Nominated for an Edgar Award for (the) Best Television Episode Teleplay of 2008. (CSI: Miami, You May Now Kill the Bride) [4]