Brian O'Halloran

Last updated

Brian O'Halloran
Brian O'Halloran (52800146189).jpg
Brian O'Halloran at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2023
Born
Brian Christopher O'Halloran

(1969-12-20) December 20, 1969 (age 54)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, producer, podcaster
Years active1991–present

Brian Christopher O'Halloran (born December 20, 1969) is an American actor, producer, and podcaster best known for playing Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's debut 1994 film Clerks and its 2006 and 2022 sequels Clerks II and Clerks III . He has also made appearances in most of Smith's View Askewniverse films, either as Dante Hicks or one of Dante's cousins.

Contents

Career

O'Halloran's first role was as main character Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's film Clerks, in 1994. [1] He has returned many times as Dante or another of the Hicks family in films by Smith.

O'Halloran is the lead actor in the 2000 film Vulgar , about a small town clown who is traumatised after he is attacked during one of his performances. Writer/director Bryan Johnson wrote the lead specifically with O'Halloran in mind.

He has worked on theatre productions since high school. He has said on the subject of doing theatre: Oh, yeah. It's the best training you can do, as an actor. To be in front of a live audience. There's no 'Stop, wait, oh geez, what was that line again?' It just sharpens your reflexes. It sharpens your interaction. And it definitely sharpens your memory because you have to know an entire show from beginning to end. [2]

Since Clerks (1994), O'Halloran has primarily been a stage actor, working with The Boomerang Theatre Company, The New Jersey Repertory Company and The Tri-State Actors Theatre, among others.[ citation needed ] In 2020, O'Halloran began presenting his own pop culture podcast, The O'HalloRant, on YouTube. [3]

Personal life

A second-generation Irish-American, O'Halloran was born in Manhattan, New York City, and lived in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey from the age of 13. [4] His father died when O'Halloran was 15 years old. [5] He graduated from Cedar Ridge High School. [6] He has two older brothers. [7]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1994 Clerks Dante Hicks
1995 Mallrats Gill Hicks
1997 Chasing Amy Executive Jim Hicks
1999 Dogma Grant HicksAs Brian Christopher O'Halloran
2000 Clerks: The Animated Series Dante HicksVoice
Vulgar Will Carlson/Flappy/VulgarAs Brian Christopher O'Halloran
2001 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Dante HicksAs Brian Christopher O'Halloran
Drop Dead RosesShawnAs Brian C. O'Halloran
2002 The Flying Car Dante Hicks
2003 Moby Presents: Alien Sex Party Clerk
2006 Clerks II Dante Hicks
2007 Brutal Massacre Jay
The Junior Defenders Mitch StoneOriginally titled Groupies; its principal photography occurred in February–March 1997 [2]
2008 The Happening Jeep Driver
Hooking UpDr. Jordan
2011 Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions Stadium Announcer
2011 Pokémon: Black & White Mr. GarrisonEpisode: "Gotta Catch a Roggenrola!"
2012Cry for RevengeTBA
2017Right Before Your EyesJohn McCann
2019 Madness in the Method Self
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Dante Hicks, Grant Hicks
2021 The Retaliators Obnoxious Guy at XMas Tree Place
2022 Clerks III Dante HicksAlso executive producer
2024Delco: The MoviePastor Joel PowersIn-production
TBAFleaScavengerPost production
Shooting Clerks Elis HeimermannAlso associate producer and special thanks

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Smith</span> American filmmaker (born 1970)

Kevin Patrick Smith is an American director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, characters who also appeared in Smith's later films Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and Clerks III (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the "View Askewniverse", named after Smith's production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.

<i>Dogma</i> (film) 1999 fantasy comedy film by Kevin Smith

Dogma is a 1999 American fantasy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also stars with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, George Carlin, Linda Fiorentino, Janeane Garofalo, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Salma Hayek, Bud Cort, Alan Rickman, Alanis Morissette in her feature film debut, and Jason Mewes. It is the fourth film in Smith's View Askewniverse series. Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson, stars of the first Askewniverse film Clerks, appear in the film, as do Smith regulars Scott Mosier, Dwight Ewell, Walt Flanagan, and Bryan Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay and Silent Bob</span> Fictional characters

Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by American actors Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively. They appear in the View Askewniverse, a fictional universe used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and produced by Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonardo, New Jersey</span> Populated place in Monmouth County, New Jersey, US

Leonardo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Jersey Shore region of the state. As of the 2010 United States census, the CDP's population was 2,757. The ZIP Code for Leonardo is 07737.

<i>Clerks</i> (film) 1994 film by Kevin Smith

Clerks is a 1994 American black-and-white comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith in his feature directorial debut. Starring Smith along with Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonauer, Jason Mewes, and Scott Mosier, it presents a day in the lives of store clerks Dante Hicks (O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Anderson) as well as their acquaintances. It is the first of Smith's View Askewniverse films, and introduces several recurring characters, notably Jay and Silent Bob.

View Askew Productions is an American film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier in 1994. Actors Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran and Ethan Suplee are people that frequently appear in projects under the View Askew banner.

<i>Clerks II</i> 2006 American comedy film directed by Kevin Smith

Clerks II is a 2006 American black comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film Clerks, and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Trevor Fehrman, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Jason Mewes, and Smith, and picks up with the original characters from Clerks: Dante Hicks, Randal Graves and Jay and Silent Bob ten years after the events of the first film. Unlike the first film, which was shot in black and white, this film was shot mostly in color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">View Askewniverse</span> Fictional universe and media franchise by Kevin Smith

The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media, and characters from one story often reappear or are referred to in others. Smith often casts the same actors for multiple characters in the universe, sometimes even in the same film; Smith himself portrays the character of Silent Bob.

<i>Clerks: The Animated Series</i> American animated sitcom

Clerks is an American adult animated sitcom created by Kevin Smith for ABC. Based on Smith's 1994 comedy film of the same name, it was developed for television by Smith, Smith's producing partner Scott Mosier and former Seinfeld writer David Mandel with character designs by Stephen Silver, known for character designs in Disney Channel's Kim Possible and Nickelodeon's Danny Phantom. It is the first television show to be set in Smith's View Askewniverse. It is Disney’s second adult animated television series after The PJs.

The Flying Car is a 2002 short film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It stars Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson as the View Askewniverse characters Dante Hicks and Randal Graves, who were introduced in Clerks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Schwalbach Smith</span> American actress

Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, sometimes credited as Jennifer Schwalbach, is an American actress, podcaster and former reporter for USA Today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Anderson</span> American film actor, film director, and screenwriter

Jeffrey Allan Anderson is an American film and television actor, director, and screenwriter best known for starring as Randal Graves in Clerks,Clerks II, and Clerks III. In between, he has appeared in other Kevin Smith-directed films and has written, directed, and starred in Now You Know.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Bridge High School</span> High school in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States

Old Bridge High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Old Bridge Township Public Schools. The school is located on County Route 516 in Old Bridge Township, however, it is assigned a Matawan mailing address. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1970.

Ernest O'Donnell is an American actor who is known for his roles in various Kevin Smith films, most notably Clerks.

<i>My Boring Ass Life</i>

My Boring Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith is the second book composed of writings by filmmaker Kevin Smith, the first being Silent Bob Speaks.

<i>Shooting Clerks</i> 2023 film directed by Christopher Downie

Shooting Clerks is a British-American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Christopher Downie and starring Brian O'Halloran, Mark Frost, Jason Mewes, Scott Schiaffo, Matthew Postlethwaite and Kevin Smith. It was produced by Auld Reekie Media. It had a preview screening in Orlando, Florida on October 22, 2016. The film had a special screening in Kevin Smith's home town of Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey on November 11, 2016.

Cedar Ridge High School is a defunct public high school in Old Bridge Township, in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that opened in 1968 and closed in June 1994.

<i>Jay and Silent Bob Reboot</i> 2019 film by Kevin Smith

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is a 2019 American satirical buddy stoner comedy film written, directed, edited by, and starring Kevin Smith. A sequel to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, it is the eighth film in the View Askewniverse. The film also stars Jason Mewes, and features cameos from Brian O'Halloran, Jason Lee, Justin Long, Shannon Elizabeth, Rosario Dawson, Val Kilmer, Melissa Benoist, Craig Robinson, Tommy Chong, Chris Hemsworth, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck.

<i>Clerks III</i> 2022 comedy film by Kevin Smith

Clerks III is a 2022 American dark comedy-drama film written, produced, directed, and edited by Kevin Smith and starring Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson and Smith. It serves as a sequel to the 1994 and 2006 Clerks films, and is the ninth overall feature film set in the View Askewniverse. In the film, Randal Graves, after surviving a massive heart attack, enlists his friends and fellow clerks Dante Hicks, Elias Grover, and Jay and Silent Bob to make a movie about their lives at the Quick Stop Convenience store that started it all.

References

  1. Hoad, Phil (May 7, 2019). "Kevin Smith: how we made Clerks". The Guardian. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Interview with Brian O'Halloran". View Askew. February 2, 1998. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  3. "The OHalloRANT - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  4. Cahillane, Kevin. "For the Stars of 'Clerks,' It's Take Two" Archived November 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine . The New York Times . July 16, 2006. Accessed February 15, 2011. "Mr. O'Halloran, a resident of Old Bridge since age 13, has not had to go the McJob route."
  5. Filichia, Peter. "Brian O'Halloran goes from 'Clerks' to 'The Crucible'", The Star-Ledger , July 23, 2010. Accessed March 26, 2011.
  6. O'Donnell, Chuck. "O'Halloran revisits Central Jersey theater roots", Courier News , August 3, 2015. Accessed October 6, 2019. "Playing Dante Hicks in Clerks has made Brian O'Halloran a working-class hero to generations of register jockeys.... Funny thing is, it all almost never happened. The skinny kid with glasses who once played the titular role of Snoopy at Cedar Ridge High School in the late 1980s had given up acting."
  7. Brian O'Halloran [@BrianCOHalloran] (May 13, 2018). "Happy Mother's Day to my mom Evelyn. Putting up with my nonsense and raising me & my two older brothers was not the easiest. Thank you for everything you did and have taught me about being a loving and caring person. I love you❣️ #HappyMothersDay https://t.co/p0DsPSbIX3" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022 via Twitter.