Kieran O'Brien

Last updated

Kieran O'Brien
Born1973 (age 5152)
Oldham, Lancashire, England
OccupationActor
Years active1986–present

Kieran O'Brien (born 1973) [1] is an English actor.

Early life and education

Born in Oldham, Lancashire, O'Brien grew up in nearby Royton, [2] and was educated at the Bishop Henshaw Roman Catholic Memorial High School in Rochdale.

Contents

Career

O'Brien began acting at an early age and was the star of BBC TV series Gruey by the time he was 15. He also featured in several other series at the time in one-off or recurring roles including several episodes of Jossy's Giants .

He played two roles in Coronation Street , Joe Egerton in 1990 and Craig Lee in 1993. In 1993 he also played the role of Lee Jones in Children's Ward , and became a regular in the detective series Cracker , as the titular character's son.

In 1999, O'Brien appeared in his first feature film, Virtual Sexuality . In 2001, he played the role of Private Allen Vest in HBO's acclaimed series Band of Brothers where he played a prominent part in the episode "The Last Patrol". He also appeared in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People . In 2003, he appeared in the Cooper Temple Clause music video "Promises, Promises" and can be seen saying he got 'laid' in the Millennium Dome in the making of the video.

In 2004, O'Brien appeared in the controversial film 9 Songs . According to The Guardian , 9 Songs was the most sexually explicit mainstream-film to date, largely because it includes several scenes of real, sexual acts between the two lead actors. His role is highly unusual in that he had unsimulated and very graphic sex with his co-star Margo Stilley, including genital fondling, female masturbation with and without a vibrator, penetrative vaginal sex, cunnilingus, footjob, and fellatio. During a scene in which Stilley stimulates his penis with her hand after performing fellatio on him, he became the only mainstream British actor who has been shown ejaculating in a mainstream UK-produced feature.

O'Brien strongly defended the film during the controversy that followed, saying that he saw no problem with having sex for a film. [2] He said:

"People who say they find it offensive are liars. If they say they find it shocking, I don't believe them. It's only sex. To me they were just scenes we were shooting, to be honest, and I was surprised how ordinary and how natural it was. But it's a different thing for a girl than it is for a lad. I didn't fancy her—I felt protective towards her. On set she was the only woman with a crew of four lads. I know how difficult it was for her. You can't get away from the fact she's a young girl." [3]

To date, O'Brien continues both his television and film acting careers. Recent appearances have been made in The Road to Guantánamo (2006) and Totally Frank (2005–06), as well as a reprise of his role in Cracker.

O'Brien was also one of the stars of the BBC's police drama HolbyBlue , appearing from the first episode until the third episode of the second series.

In 2013, O'Brien toured the UK in a stage production of Simon Beaufoy's 1997 comedy-drama film The Full Monty , in which he plays the "absurdly over-endowed" guy. [4]

Personal life

O'Brien was in a relationship with Brookside actress Nicola Stephenson for eight years until 1999. [5]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1987 Bellman and True The Boy
1999 Virtual Sexuality Alex Thorne
2001 My Kingdom Photographer
2002 24 Hour Party People Nathan
2004 9 Songs Matt
2005 A Cock and Bull Story Gary
Goal! Hughie McGowan
2006 The Road to Guantánamo Voice Over
2007 Goal II: Living the Dream Hughie McGowan
2008 Genova Reading SonnetVoice
2012 Spike Island Poster Vendor
2013 The Look of Love Jimmy Humphries
2018 Peterloo Farrier
Holmes & Watson Lestrade's P.C. Smalls

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1986 Jossy's Giants Cheeky Boy2 uncredited episodes
1987 One by One Neville2 episodes
Bulman Peter MalinEpisode: "W.C. Fields Was Right"
1988 The Return of the Antelope NewsboyEpisode: "Emily"
1988–1989GrueyGrueyMain role
1989 Dramarama TrotterEpisode: "Ghost Story"
The Jim Henson Hour Matt BantingEpisode: "Monster Maker"
1990–1991 Children's Ward Lee JonesMain role
1990–1993 Coronation Street Craig Lee / Joe Egerton15 episodes
1991–1993 Casualty Billy/Chris Miller2 episodes
1991, 1998 The Bill Gary Lee / Paul Mears2 episodes
1992 Kappatoo Tau 47 episodes
1993 Medics DavidEpisode #3.2
The Lodge Giblet4 episodes
Heartbeat NeilEpisode: "Speed Kills"
1993–1995 Cracker Mark FitzgeraldMain role
1997 Born to Run Ryan Flitch6 episodes
1998 Harry Enfield & Chums Episode: "Harry Enfield's Yule Log Chums"
2000 Jason and the Argonauts Actor2 episodes
Hearts and Bones Robbie Rose6 episodes
2001 Messiah Eric Metcalfe2 episodes
Band of Brothers Allen E. Vest3 episodes
2002Stig of the DumpDamianEpisode: "Undercover"
Always and Everyone Michael2 episodes
2002, 2008 Holby City Neil Stevenson / PC Robert Clifton2 episodes
2003Messiah 2: Vengeance Is MineEric Metcalfe2 episodes
Burn ItAndy GrimshawEpisode #1.6
2004 Dalziel and Pascoe Chris MattisEpisode: "Soft Touch"
2005 Bloodlines Mark HopkinTV film
New Tricks Michael JacobsEpisode: "Eyes Down for a Full House"
2005–2006 Totally Frank Joe15 episodes
2006 Elizabeth David: A Life in Recipes Charles Gibson CowanTV film
The Afternoon Play Sean TylerEpisode: "Tea with Betty"
Cracker: Nine Eleven Mark FitzgeraldTV film
2007 Life on Mars Davie MackayEpisode #2.7
2007–2008 HolbyBlue PC Robert CliftonMain role
2008 The Last Enemy Wafa2 episodes
Survivors JohnEpisode #1.5
2009 Blue Murder Terry Camerton2 episodes
2010 Secret Diary of a Call Girl AlEpisode #3.5
Moving On ShaneEpisode: "Trust"
2011 Vera Bobby SalterEpisode: "Little Lazarus"
Death in Paradise Danny FernandezEpisode: "An Unhelpful Aid"
2012 Love Life Dez3 episodes
2014 The Assets RandyEpisode: "Jewel in the Crown"
Bluestone 42 Nutsack2 episodes
Silk Sean3 episodes
Grantchester Arthur EvansEpisode #1.3
Glue Thomas Bray2 episodes
The Passing Bells FrankEpisode #1.2
2015 The Syndicate Andy StevensonRecurring role
Prey Phil Prentice2 episodes
2016Shield 5DoyleShort film-exclusive to Instagram
The WatchmanLeeTV film
2017 No Offence DI StoneEpisode #2.3
In the Dark DS Gary Kenny2 episodes
2018 Cuckoo GoranEpisode: "Ivy Nanny"
2019 Chernobyl Valery Khodemchuk Episode: "Vichnaya Pamyat"
Years and Years Woody2 episodes
2020 Isolation Stories Stranger's HusbandEpisode: "Mel"; Voice
Cursed Reith2 episodes
The Cars That Made the WorldNarratorVoice
2020–2023 Ted Lasso James Tartt5 episodes
2022 Andor Pegla3 episodes
2023The Family PileStuart6 episodes

References

  1. Griffin, Cheryl (13 January 2010). "Kieran O'Brien". holby.tv.
  2. 1 2 Whitehouse, Jamie (26 May 2004). "Royton actor defends role in explicit movie". oldhamadvertiser.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 4 July 2008.
  3. Davies, Hugh (18 May 2004). "People who say this sex film is offensive are liars". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  4. Cavendish, Dominic (19 February 2013). "The Full Monty, Sheffield Lyceum / Bull, Sheffield Crucible, review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  5. "Me, cool and calm?; Nicola Stephenson says she's so clumsy she nearly killed someone while filming Clocking Off. She talks to Janie Lawrence about that, her ideal men (yes men) and life after that Brookside lesbian snog". The Free Library. 13 January 2002. Retrieved 15 April 2014.