Bill O'Brien (actor)

Last updated
Bill O'Brien
Alma mater University of Northern Iowa
OccupationActor

Bill O'Brien is an American television series actor and the Senior Advisor for Program Innovation at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

Contents

Political career

O'Brien was appointed by the Deputy Chairman of Grants & Awards of the National Endowment for the Arts [1] shortly after the election of President Barack Obama in 2008. [1] At the NEA, O'Brien led the Walter Reed/NEA Healing Arts Partnership, which included Operation Homecoming, the repatriation of US POW's returned at the end of the Viet Nam War in 1975. This initiative explored the role of the arts in assisting military service members recovering from traumatic brain injuries and psychological health issues. He also led the State Department's Declaration of Learning initiative.[ citation needed ]

Theatre

O'Brien graduated with a degree in Musical Theater from the University of Northern Iowa in 1985. [2] [3] He was nominated as the NEA's Director of Theater and Musical Theater [3] in July 2006. In 2007, he designed and launched the NEA National New Play Development Program, administered by Arena Stage, which included the NEA Outstanding New American Play and the Distinguished New Play Development selections. [4]

Before joining the NEA, he served for seven years as producing director and managing director for Deaf West Theater (DWT). [3] While there, he received a Tony and a Drama Desk nomination for producing the Broadway sign language production of Big River. He also received three Ovation Award nominations for his work on the Deaf West production of Big River as producer, sound designer, and lead actor. The production won three Best Musical awards (Ovation, LADCC, and Back Stage Garland Awards), and the cast of Big River was awarded the 2004 Tony for Excellence in Theatre. Other productions he produced for Deaf West include A Streetcar Named Desire (Ovation Award for Best Play) and Oliver! (Ovation Award for Best Musical). [5]

O'Brien has also served as executive vice president on the executive board of the National Alliance for Music Theater and as a task force member, conference speaker, and grant panelist with Theater Communications Group, both national service organizations for the theater and musical theater fields.[ citation needed ] O'Brien has performed onstage in 48 states in numerous national touring and regional productions and was an American College Theater Festival Irene Ryan Acting Competition National Finalist.[ citation needed ]

Television history

O'Brien appeared in all seven seasons as Kenny, the ASL interpreter for Joey Lucas (played by Marlee Matlin), on The West Wing .[ citation needed ] He learned ASL while working at the National Technical Institute of the Deaf.

Filmography

Two episodes, as Conor McGrath
Great Expectations episode, as Brian McCulley
22 episodes, as Kenny Thurman (sign language interpreter for Joey Lucas, role performed by Marlee Matlin).
Silencer episode, as Detective Peter Lyons

Additional credits

Additional Actor/Singer/Composer/Songwriter Credits

References

  1. 1 2 "Participant Bios - National Endowment for the Arts" (PDF). National Endowment for the Arts .
  2. "Representative Alumni". theater.uni.edu. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bill O'Brien Like says he likes being put in the". Backstage.com. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  4. "NEA Announces Participants for Inaugural New Play Development Program". Playbill. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  5. "'Oliver!' Nabs 10 Ovation Nominations". Los Angeles Timesl. 26 September 2002. Retrieved 8 July 2025.