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Birthday:
01-23-1973
(52 years)
Birthplace:
Oldham, Greater Manchester, UK
Biography
O'Brien grew up in nearby Royton and was educated at the Bishop Henshaw Roman Catholic Memorial High School in Rochdale. He began acting at an early age and was the star of a 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 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, playing Mark, the son of central character Robbie Coltrane. In 1999 he made his cinema debut with the film Virtual Sexuality and began a reunited with Cracker director Michael Winterbottom for 24 Hour Party People in 2002 and, in '04, for the controversial 9 Songs, which included scenes of genuine sexual intercourse between O'Brien and his leading lady Margo Stilley. His role had earned him the credit of being the only mainstream British actor who has been shown ejaculating in a mainstream UK-produced feature. Since 9 Songs, O'Brien has made two further films with Winterbottom; A Cock and Bull Story and The Look of Love. Recent regular TV roles include Holby Blue and The Syndicate.
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Their works
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9 Songs
Act like Matt
event2004 star_border 5.6
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Matt, a young glaciologist, soars across the vast, silent, icebound immensities of the South Pole as he recalls his love affair with Lisa. They meet at a mobbed rock concert in a vast music hall - London's Brixton Academy. They are in bed at night's end. Together, over a period of several months, they pursue a mutual sexual passion whose inevitable stages unfold in counterpoint to nine live-concert songs.
Virtual Sexuality
Act like Alex Thorne
event1999 star_border 5.2
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A frustrated teenage girl creates her perfect man in a virtual reality machine and in a freak accident, gives him life.
Elizabeth David: A Life in Recipes
Act like Charles Gibson Cowan
event2006 star_border 2
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Elizabeth David is the most important cookery writer of the 20th century. David's public image was of an elegant, respectable and somewhat austere figure. In reality she was a deeply unconventional person with a profound passion for food, life and men.
Goal!
Act like Hughie McGowan
event2005 star_border 6.8
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Like millions of kids around the world, Santiago harbors the dream of being a professional footballer... However, living in the Barrios section of Los Angeles, he thinks it is only that—a dream. Until one day an extraordinary turn of events has him trying out for Premiership club Newcastle United.
Goal II: Living the Dream
Act like Hughie McGowan
event2007 star_border 6
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Tempted away from Newcastle United to join Real Madrid, rising star Santiago Munez finds this latest change of fortune the greatest challenge yet - personally as well as professionally. He is reunited with Gavin Harris, though they must compete to be on the team, and estranged from fiancee Roz, whose nursing career keeps her back home.
The Shock Doctrine
Act like Narrator (Voice)
event2009 star_border 7.1
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An investigation of "disaster capitalism", based on Naomi Klein's proposition that neo-liberal capitalism feeds on natural disasters, war and terror to establish its dominance.
Bellman and True
Act like The Boy
event1987 star_border 6.5
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Hiller, a computer expert, was bribed by group of bank robbers to obtain details of the security system at a newly-built bank. Having obtained the information, he thought he'd seen the last of the robbers. But now they've traced him and his son to London. They hold the son hostage and force Hiller to decode the information about the alarm and then to take part in the robbery.
The Look of Love
Act like Jimmy Humphries
event2013 star_border 5.6
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Paul Raymond builds a porn, entertainment and real estate empire that makes him the wealthiest man in Britain, but drugs doom his beloved daughter, Debbie.
Monster Maker
Act like Matt Banting
event1989 star_border 6.4
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A young boy wants to work with a famous creature/fx man but gets more than he bargained when one of the creatures, The Ultra-Gorgon, takes him under his wing. Literally.
A Cock and Bull Story
Act like Gary
event2005 star_border 6.2
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Steve Coogan, an arrogant actor with low self-esteem and a complicated love life, is playing the eponymous role in an adaptation of "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" being filmed at a stately home. He constantly spars with actor Rob Brydon, who is playing Uncle Toby and believes his role to be of equal importance to Coogan's.
24 Hour Party People
Act like Nathan
event2002 star_border 6.9
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Manchester, 1976. Tony Wilson is an ambitious but frustrated local TV news reporter looking for a way to make his mark. After witnessing a life-changing concert by a band known as the Sex Pistols, he persuades his station to televise one of their performances, and soon Manchester's punk groups are clamoring for him to manage them. Riding the wave of a musical revolution, Wilson and his friends create the legendary Factory Records label and The Hacienda club.
The Watchman
Act like Lee Simpson
event2016 star_border 6
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CCTV operator Carl becomes frustrated when the police refuse to tackle a gang of drug dealers. He takes the law into his own hands with devastating repercussions.
Peterloo
Act like Peter Wilkes, a Farrier
event2018 star_border 6.8
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An epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reforms and protest against rising levels of poverty.
Spike Island
Act like Poster Vendor
event2012 star_border 6.5
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Teenage musicians travel to England's Spike Island in the hope of attending an outdoor performance by their favorite band, the Stone Roses.
Holmes & Watson
Act like PC Smalls
event2018 star_border 4.3
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Detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson join forces to investigate a mysterious murder at Buckingham Palace. It seems like an open-and-shut case as all signs point to Professor James Moriarty, the criminal mastermind and longtime nemesis of the crime-solving duo. When new twists and clues begin to emerge, the world's greatest sleuth and his trusted assistant must now use their legendary wits and ingenious methods to catch the killer as they only have four days before the queen becomes the next victim.
Cracker: Nine Eleven
Act like Mark Fitzgerald
event2006 star_border 7
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After living in Australia for the past decade, Fitz and Judith return to Manchester in 2004 for their daughter Katie's wedding. Drinking too much at the reception, Fitz stumbles through a rambling toast, which only embarrasses the bride. Instead of spending time with his grandson, son of his married son Mark, Fitz opts to join in the investigation of a serial killer who has an apparent dislike of Americans in the wake of the U.S. Invasion of Iraq.
The Following Year
Act like Ben
event2021 star_border 5.5
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The near future. The day of his anniversary a widower receives the clone of the woman he lost years ago under tragic circumstances.
Cracker
event1993 star_border 6.5
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The wise-cracking Fitz is a brilliant but flawed criminal psychologist with a remarkable insight into the criminal mind.
Dramarama
(1 ep.)
event1983 star_border 6.7
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Dramarama is the name of a British children's anthology series broadcast on ITV between 1983 and 1989. It tended to feature drama of a science fiction or supernatural bent. The series was created by Anna Home, then head of children's and youth programming at TVS, however production responsibilities were divided amongst most of the regional ITV franchise holders. Thus, each episode was in practice a one-off production with its own cast and crew, up to and including the executive producer.
Dramarama was largely a place for new talent to prove themselves and was a launching pad for the likes of Anthony Horowitz, Paul Abbott, Kay Mellor, Janice Hally, Tony Kearney, David Tennant and Ann Marie Di Mambro. It was one of Dennis Spooner's last credits.
One of Dramarama's episodes, "Dodger, Bonzo And The Rest", gained so much popularity that it was turned in to its own series the following year. It starred Lee Ross and was based around a large foster home. The episode "Blackbird Singing In The Dead of Night" was developed by Granada into the TV series Children's Ward. It was also repeated for the first time since its original broadcast on 5 January 2013, during CITV's 30th anniversary Old Skool Weekend. The Series 7 episode "Back To Front" – notable for featuring a mirror image of the Yorkshire Television logo card at the end – was repeated on 6 January 2013, again as part of CITV's 30th anniversary Old Skool Weekend.
The Terry and Gaby Show
(1 ep.)
event2003 star_border 5
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The Terry and Gaby Show was a daytime television show broadcast on Five on weekday mornings between June 2003 and April 2004, produced by Chris Evans' company UMTV. It was hosted by Terry Wogan and Gaby Roslin.
The opening titles featured Gaby dressed up like a movie star driven to the studio in a limo and walking on red carpet to the door. Meanwhile Terry, carrying a briefcase, rode a rickety old bicycle across London and parked it outside the back door before quietly entering the building through said back door.
The show was not well known for the guests who appeared on it, but rather for its many bloopers or double entendres
Heartbeat
Act like Neil (1 ep.)
event1992 star_border 7
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Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.
Dalziel & Pascoe
(1 ep.)
event1996 star_border 6.4
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British crime drama based on the "Dalziel and Pascoe" series of books by Reginald Hill, set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Wetherton. The unlikely duo of politically incorrect elephant-in-a-china-shop-copper Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel (pronounced Dee-ell) and his more sensitive and university educated sidekick Detective Sargent, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe is always on hand to solve the classic murder mystery, while maintaining a down to earth wit and humour.
Holby Blue
Act like Constable Robert Clifton (20 ep.)
event2007 star_border 7.1
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The police force at Holby South is tasked with the toughest job yet. Not only are they fighting the usual crime with drug offenders and gang members, but today they are faced with the threat of terrorism on their own soil. A Spin off from Holby City and Casualty.
Band of Brothers
Act like Allen Vest (1 ep.)
event2001 star_border 8.6
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Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as their journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men from paratrooper training in Georgia through the end of the war. As an elite rifle company parachuting into Normandy early on D-Day morning, participants in the Battle of the Bulge, and witness to the horrors of war, the men of Easy knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear - and became the stuff of legend. Based on Stephen E. Ambrose's acclaimed book of the same name.
The Last Enemy
Act like Wafa (5 ep.)
event2008 star_border 6.8
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Stephen Ezard's search for the truth about the death of his brother Michael catapults him into an international conspiracy and a passionate love affair.
Life on Mars
Act like Davie Mackay (1 ep.)
event2006 star_border 7.8
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A detective chief inspector from 2006 is investigating a serial killer when he is knocked over by a speeding car. Waking up, he finds himself mysteriously transported back in time to 1973. Initially struggling to come to terms with his situation, he has to come to terms with the old-fashioned technology and attitude of the day, while figuring out how he came to be trapped in the past.
Love Life
Act like Dez (3 ep.)
event2012 star_border 6
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A story set in a blue collar world, about love, romance, family, and babies. When a man returns from his travels abroad he is shocked to discover that his ex-girlfriend and love of his life is carrying another man's baby.
Messiah
Act like Eric Metcalfe (4 ep.)
event2001 star_border 7.2
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Crime drama series following the investigations of DCI Red Metcalfe.
New Tricks
Act like Michael Jacobs (1 ep.)
event2004 star_border 7.4
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New Tricks is a British comedy-drama that follows the work of the fictional Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad of the Metropolitan Police Service. Originally led by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, it is made up of retired police officers who have been recruited to reinvestigate unsolved crimes.
Burn It
Act like Andy Grimshaw (21 ep.)
event2003 star_border 6.3
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Carl, Jon and Andy have been mates forever. They are Generation X-hardened party animals but their party train is grinding to a halt. Andy is getting married. They never thought it would come to this. They have spent 10 years running away from responsibility but now they've reached 30 it has suddenly hit them between the eyes.
Cuckoo
Act like Goran (1 ep.)
event2012 star_border 6.7
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Cuckoo is every parent's worst nightmare - a slacker full of outlandish, New Age ideas. Ken is the over-protective father of a girl who's impulsively married an American hippie on her gap year.
Vera
Act like Bobby Salter (1 ep.)
event2011 star_border 7.4
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A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.
Blue Murder
Act like Terry Camerton (2 ep.)
event2003 star_border 6.6
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Blue Murder is a British crime drama television series based in Manchester. Shown on ITV from 2003 until 2009 when it was cancelled by the network, it starred Caroline Quentin as DCI Janine Lewis.
Moving On
Act like Shane (1 ep.)
event2009 star_border 7.1
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Moving On is a British television series set in contemporary Britain consisting of standalone dramas all sharing the theme of someone going through some kind of change in their life and moving on.
Prey
Act like Phil Prentice (3 ep.)
event2014 star_border 6.7
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Three-part crime thriller. When detective Marcus Farrow looks into a seemingly forgotten case, he has no idea of the chaos and heartache that will soon follow. He is found at the scene of a murder, and with all the evidence pointing towards him, he is arrested and charged.
Secret Diary of a Call Girl
Act like Al (1 ep.)
event2007 star_border 6.9
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It's her business doing pleasure with you. A witty and provocative series based on the real-life adventures of a high-class escort. Juggling her own reality with her clients' fantasies can be difficult, but this savvy sweetheart knows every trick in the book, and she's doing it in style.
Bluestone 42
Act like Nutsack (2 ep.)
event2013 star_border 7.7
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Bluestone 42 is a comedy drama about a British bomb disposal detachment in Afghanistan. So what’s the average working day for a hero? Make your keen young colleague deal with the boring paperwork? Wind up your fellow employees? Flirt with the new girl on the team? Or deal with an unseen enemy who’s trying to blow you up? Bluestone 42 is a comedy drama about a bunch of soldiers who just happen to be risking their lives diffusing hidden bombs. But who says they can’t have some fun alongside the serious professional stuff? This hilarious and often surprising series follows the adventures of a bunch of diverse characters living and working together at an army base in Afghanistan. This is a show about something easily forgotten; soldiers really enjoy being soldiers, but it’s not just a show for soldiers and it’s not just about the Army: it’s also a show for anybody who has ever fallen in love, experienced status battles at work or had a fear of failure. It is packed with the lively workmate banter and relationship minefields that most people will recognise. Even if they don’t face danger on a daily basis...
Casualty
Act like Chris Miller (1 ep.)
event1986 star_border 6
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Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.
Children's Ward
Act like Lee Jones (13 ep.)
event1989 star_border 3.5
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Children's Ward is a British children's television drama series produced by Granada Television and broadcast on the ITV network as part of its Children's ITV strand on weekday afternoons. The programme was set – as the title suggests – in Ward B1, the children's ward of the fictitious South Park Hospital, and told the stories of the young patients and the staff present there. Aimed at older children and teenagers, Children's Ward was a long-lived series for a children's drama, starting life in 1988 as a contribution to the Dramarama anthology strand, "Blackbird Singing In The Dead of Night", then first broadcast as a series 1989 and running from then until 2000.
The series was conceived by Granada staff writers Paul Abbott and Kay Mellor, both of whom went on to enjoy successful careers as award-winning writers of adult television drama. At the time, they were both working on the soap opera Coronation Street, and had recently collaborated on a script for Dramarama.
Abbott, who had been through a troubled childhood himself, had initially wanted to set the series in a children's care home rather than a hospital, but this was vetoed by Granada executives. During the course of its run, however, Children's Ward won many plaudits for covering difficult issues such as cancer, alcoholism, drug addiction and child abuse in a sensitive manner. The programme won many awards, including in 1996 a BAFTA Children's Award for Best Drama, won by an episode in which a serial killer lures children to him via the internet and is – highly unusually for children's television – not eventually caught.
The Afternoon Play
Act like Sean Tyler (1 ep.)
event2003
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The Afternoon Play is a series of individual plays which sometimes appear on BBC One during weekday afternoons. The first series began on 27 January 2003, and as of 2008 there have been five series. Each play has a separate story and cast.
In the Dark
Act like DS Gary Kenny (4 ep.)
event2017 star_border 6.4
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DI Helen Weeks grapples with pregnancy as she undertakes a very personal abduction case.
Glue
Act like Thomas Bray (8 ep.)
event2014 star_border 6.1
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Overton is a small, countryside village where farming is its bread and butter and race horses are its beating heart. When the body of a local resident is found under a tractor, destructive forces are unleashed and the entire community is forced to watch their secrets exposed... chilling secrets that will change their particular way of life forever.
Jason and the Argonauts
Act like Actor (2 ep.)
event2000 star_border 6
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At a young age, Jason witnesses the brutal deposement and murder of his father at the hands of his uncle Pelias. Twenty years later, Jason returns home to claim his rightful place as king, but Pelias orders him to be executed, and in order to save himself Jason is forced to go on a dangerous quest to find the legendary Golden Fleece. So Jason gathers a motley crew of men and sets sail on the Argos.
Indie Sex
Act like Self (1 ep.)
event2007 star_border 5.2
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Indie Sex is a 2007 American television documentary film directed by Lesli Klainberg.
The Cars That Made the World
Act like Self - Narrator (4 ep.)
event2020 star_border 8
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Telling the story of a group of rival engineers who created the most transformative invention of the 20th century, this docuseries explores over a century of innovation from Honda, Toyota, Mercedes, Ford, Porsche, Rolls Royce and more.
Star Wars: Andor
Act like Pegla (3 ep.)
event2022 star_border 8.2
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In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian Andor will discover the difference he can make in the struggle against the tyrannical Galactic Empire. He embarks on a path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.
Years and Years
Act like Woody (2 ep.)
event2019 star_border 7.6
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As Britain is rocked by unstable political, economic and technological advances, members of the Lyons family converge on one crucial night in 2019. Over the next 15 years, the twists and turns of their everyday lives are explored as we find out if this ordinary family could change the world.
Chernobyl
Act like Khodemchuck (1 ep.)
event2019 star_border 8.7
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The true story of one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history: the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl. A tale of the brave men and women who sacrificed to save Europe from unimaginable disaster.
The Family Pile
Act like Stuart (6 ep.)
event2023
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A comedic exploration of one of life's big milestones, four sisters who have lost their parents and are packing up the family home to sell. But even in grief their messy lives go on.
Trucking Hell
(129 ep.)
event2018 star_border 6
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Super-sized transport jobs require even bigger trucks to perform them. Lifting the lid on the heavy recovery business, featuring industrial strength trucks capable of towing and lifting the biggest and heaviest machines on the nation's roads.
Death in Paradise
Act like Danny (1 ep.)
event2011 star_border 7.5
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A brilliant but idiosyncratic British detective and his resourceful local team solve baffling murder mysteries on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint-Marie.
Bloodlines
Act like Mark Hopkin (2 ep.)
event2005 star_border 7
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When a young serving police officer's father is released from jail after serving a sentence for murder, her investigations into his crime take her on a dark voyage of discovery.
Ted Lasso
Act like James Tartt (5 ep.)
event2020 star_border 8.4
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Ted Lasso, an American football coach, moves to England when he’s hired to manage a soccer team—despite having no experience. With cynical players and a doubtful town, will he get them to see the Ted Lasso Way?
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