Kieran O'Brien
Born1973 (age 5051)
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.

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.

In 1993, he played the role of Joe Egerton and then Craig Lee in Coronation Street and then the role of Lee Jones in Children's Ward. In 1993 he also 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 and Totally Frank 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

Year Title Role Notes
1987Bellman and TrueThe Boy
1999Virtual SexualityAlex Thorne
2001My KingdomPhotographer
200224 Hour Party PeopleNathan
20049 SongsMatt
2005A Cock and Bull StoryGary
2005Goal!Hughie McGowan
2006The Road to GuantánamoVoice Over
2007Goal II: Living the DreamHughie McGowan
2008GenovaReading SonnetVoice
2012Spike IslandPoster Vendor
2013The Look of LoveJimmy Humphries
2018PeterlooFarrier
2018Holmes & WatsonLestrade's P.C. Smalls

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1986Jossy's GiantsCheeky Boy2 uncredited episodes
1987One by OneNeville2 episodes
1987BulmanPeter MalinEpisode: "W.C. Fields Was Right"
1988The Return of the AntelopeNewsboyEpisode: "Emily"
1988-1989GrueyGrueyMain role
1989DramaramaTrotterEpisode: "Ghost Story"
1989The Jim Henson HourMatt BantingEpisode: "Monster Maker"
1990-1993Coronation StreetCraig Lee / Joe Egerton15 episodes
1990-1991Children's WardLee JonesMain role
1991; 1998The BillGary Lee / Paul Mears2 episodes
1991-1993CasualtyBilly/Chris Miller2 episodes
1992KappatooTau 47 episodes
1993MedicsDavidEpisode #3.2
1993The LodgeGiblet4 episodes
1993-1995CrackerMark FitzgeraldMain role
1993HeartbeatNeilEpisode: "Speed Kills"
1997Born to RunRyan Flitch6 episodes
1998Harry Enfield & ChumsEpisode: "Harry Enfield's Yule Log Chums"
2000Jason and the ArgonautsActor2 episodes
2000Hearts and BonesRobbie Rose6 episodes
2001MessiahEric Metcalfe2 episodes
2001Band of BrothersAllen E. Vest3 episodes
2002Stig of the DumpDamianEpisode: "Undercover"
2002; 2008Holby CityNeil Stevenson / PC Robert Clifton2 episodes
2002Always and EveryoneMichael2 episodes
2003Messiah 2: Vengeance Is MineEric Metcalfe2 episodes
2003Burn ItAndy GrimshawEpisode #1.6
2004Dalziel and PascoeChris MattisEpisode: "Soft Touch"
2005BloodlinesMark HopkinTV movie
2005New TricksMichael JacobsEpisode: "Eyes Down for a Full House"
2005-2006Totally FrankJoe15 episodes
2006Elizabeth David: A Life in RecipesCharles Gibson CowanTV movie
2006The Afternoon PlaySean TylerEpisode: "Tea with Betty"
2006Cracker: Nine ElevenMark FitzgeraldTV movie
2007Life on MarsDavie MackayEpisode #2.7
2007-2008HolbyBluePC Robert CliftonMain role
2008The Last EnemyWafa2 episodes
2008SurvivorsJohnEpisode #1.5
2009Blue MurderTerry Camerton2 episodes
2010Secret Diary of a Call GirlAlEpisode #3.5
2010Moving OnShaneEpisode: "Trust"
2011VeraBobby SalterEpisode: "Little Lazarus"
2011Death in ParadiseDanny FernandezEpisode: "An Unhelpful Aid"
2012Love LifeDez3 episodes
2014The AssetsRandyEpisode: "Jewel in the Crown"
2014Bluestone 42Nutsack2 episodes
2014SilkSean3 episodes
2014GrantchesterArthur EvansEpisode #1.3
2014GlueThomas Bray2 episodes
2014The Passing BellsFrankEpisode #1.2
2015The SyndicateAndy StevensonRecurring role
2015PreyPhil Prentice2 episodes
2016Shield 5DoyleShort film-exclusive to Instagram
2016The WatchmanLeeTV movie
2017No OffenceDI StoneEpisode #2.3
2017In the DarkDS Gary Kenny2 episodes
2018CuckooGoranEpisode: "Ivy Nanny"
2019ChernobylValery KhodemchukEpisode: "Vichnaya Pamyat"
2019Years and YearsWoody2 episodes
2020Isolation StoriesStranger's HusbandEpisode: "Mel"; Voice
2020CursedReith2 episodes
2020-2023Ted LassoJames Tartt5 episodes
2020The Cars That Made the WorldNarratorVoice
2022AndorPegla3 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.
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