Liam O'Brien

Liam O'Brien
Born	Liam Christopher O'Brien May 28, 1976[1][2] Weehawken, New Jersey[2]
Residence	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University Tisch School of the Arts[3][2]
Occupation	Voice actor, ADR writer and director
Years active	2001–present
Notable credit(s)	Naruto as Gaara
Spouse(s)	Amy Kincaid
Children	2[4][3]

Liam Christopher O'Brien (born May 28, 1976) is an American voice actor and voice director in the Los Angeles area. He has been involved in many English-language adaptations of Japanese anime, and is also a regular in numerous video games and cartoons. His major anime roles include Gaara in Naruto, Captain Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach, Lloyd in Code Geass, and Kenzo Tenma in Monster. In cartoons, he voices in shows such as Star Wars Rebels, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Avengers Assemble, Wolverine and the X-Men, and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.. In video games, he voiced Gollum in Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Caius Ballad in Final Fantasy XIII-2, War in Darksiders, and Asura in Asura's Wrath. He has directed on Naruto, The Last of Us, Evolve, Resident Evil 5, and Resident Evil 6.^[5]

Biography

O'Brien grew up in Weehawken, New Jersey. His mother Lois Wiltse O'Brien worked as an educator and as a quality assurance trainer and consultant.^[6] He started getting into acting in high school. After attending New York University Tisch School of the Arts, he worked in theater on various productions around the country.^[2][7][8] While working on a production of Romeo & Juliet in Cincinnati, he met Crispin Freeman, who helped him get into voice-over in cartoons and anime back in New York City.^[3]

O'Brien's characters have varied in terms of styles. He affirms that he plays characters that are typically insane or evil geniuses, although he has also voiced comedic characters such as Fukuyama in Girls Bravo where he said he would "break out in a sweat matching his level of nuttiness". He describes Cumoire from Tales of Vesperia as "slightly unhinged". In Darksiders, he voices the lead character War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He describes his voicing as deeper than his usual voice, and that he portrayed him as a fairly old soul who isn't surprised at the events around him. In the video game-based film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children he voiced Red XIII.^[3]

In addition to voice acting, O'Brien has worked as a voice director and writer on various video games and anime shows.^[3] He also participates in a web series called Critical Role, where various actors band together to play Dungeons & Dragons.^[5][9]

Personal life

O'Brien married fellow voice actress Amy Kincaid in 2002. They have two children.^[10] O'Brien also has a sister named Cara.^[6]

Filmography

Anime

List of voice performances in anime

Year	Title	Role	Crew role, Notes	Source
2001	Boogiepop Phantom	Yoji Suganuma, others
2001	Gokudo	Tei
2002	His and Her Circumstances	Hideki Asaba, Fukada Kohei
2002	Revolutionary Girl Utena	Mamiya Chida
2003	Figure 17	Toru
2003	DNA²	Junta Momonari
2003	K.O. Beast	Bud Mint
2004	Yukikaze	Various characters
2004	Texhnolyze	Man C
2004	.hack//Legend of the Twilight	Tom
2004	Gad Guard	Truck Driver
2004	R.O.D.	Various characters	Also as William Markham	[11]
2004	Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex	Various characters
2004	Paranoia Agent	Mitsuhiro Maniwa, Man on Phone 2
2004	Wolf's Rain	Lord Orkham Soldier
2004	Comic Party	Taishi Kuhonbutsu
2004	Gungrave	Executive A, Researcher, Sam
2004	Marmalade Boy	Akira Mizutani, Alex
2005	Girls Bravo	Kazuharu Fukuyama		[3][12]
2005	Rumiko Takahashi Anthology	Ryuichi, Mover, Odagiri, Zashiki Warashi, Gorgeous
2005	Samurai Champloo	Young Yamane, Eel Shop Owner, others
2005	Daphne in the Brilliant Blue	Various characters
2005	Koi Kaze	Kei Odagiri, Man, Friend A
2005	Duel Masters: Season 2	Shobu
2005	Tenjho Tenge	Shin Natsume
2005	The Melody of Oblivion	Horu, Person of the Cape
2005	Mermaid Forest	Yuta, others
2005	DearS	Various characters
2005	Ghost Talker's Daydream	Various characters
2005	Naruto	Gaara, Kotetsu Hagane
2005	Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG	Gino, others
2005	Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo	Andrea Cavalcanti
2005	Saiyuki Reload	Various characters
2005	Scrapped Princess	Furet
2005	Leave it to Piyoko!	Thin Blob	OVA
2006	Haré+Guu	Clive
2006	Boys Be...	Makoto Kurumizawa	Voice director and script writer	[13]
2006	Kannazuki no Miko	Tsubasa
2006	Saiyuki Reload Gunlock	Rin's Captor, Subordinate
2006	Gun Sword	Ray Lundgren, Wild Bunch C
2006	Kamichu!	Shika, Inu Osho, Konoha Kamaitachi, others
2006	The Prince of Tennis	Various characters
2006	Fate/stay night	Archer
2006	Ergo Proxy	Vincent Law
2006	Paradise Kiss	Various characters
2007	Blue Dragon	Dolsk
2007	To Heart	Various characters
2007	Cutie Honey	Seiji's Contact	live-action dub
2007	The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya	Baseball Team Captain
2007	The Third: The Girl With the Blue Eye	Various characters		[14]
2007	Phoenix	Ohtomo
2008	Code Geass series	Lloyd Asplund
2008	Buso Renkin	Gota Nakamura, Hideki Okakura
2009–10	Monster	Kenzo Tenma
2010	Slayers series	Rezo	Revolution and Evolution-R	[15][16]
2010	Durarara!!	Morita
2013–15	Digimon Fusion	Deckergreymon, Neptunmon, Mercurymon, others		[11]
2013	Fate/Zero	Kariya Matou		[11]
2014–15	Sailor Moon	Nephrite	Viz dub	[17]
2015	Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin	Gihren Zabi		[18][19][20]
2015	Sailor Moon Crystal	Nephrite		[21]

Animation

List of voice performances in animation

Year	Title	Role	Crew role, Notes	Source[22]
2008–09	Wolverine and the X-Men	Angel, Nightcrawler, Nitro		[3]
2010	G.I. Joe: Renegades	Captain Anatoly Krimov / Red Star, others	Ep. "Union of the Snake"	[11]
2013–16	Avengers Assemble	Red Skull, Blood Brother #2, Doctor Strange, others		[11][23]
2013	Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel	Red Skull		[11]
2014–15	Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.	Arkon, Red Skull, others		[11][24]
2014	Regular Show	Tango	Ep. "Gold Watch"	[11]
2014–16	Star Wars Rebels	Supply Master Yogar Lyste, Morad Sumar, others		[11][25]
2015	Transformers: Robots in Disguise	Underbite, Kickback, others		[11]
2016	Ultimate Spider-Man	Doctor Strange	Ep. "Miles from Home"	[11][26]
2016	Pickle and Peanut	Head Mannequin	Ep. "Bats/Movie Camp Out"	[27]

Film

List of voice performances in direct-to-video and television films

Year	Title	Role	Crew role, Notes	Source
2005	Aquarian Age the Movie	Lancelot Army Commander
2006	Patlabor: The Movie	Det. Kataoka	Bandai Visual dub
2006	Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children	Red XIII		[11]
2009	Afro Samurai: Resurrection	Shichigoro		[11]
2010	Planet Hulk	Hiroim		[11]
2012	Sengoku Basara: The Last Party	Ieyasu Tokugawa		[11]
2014	JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time	Aquaman, Batwing Computer		[11]
2014	Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United	Red Skull		[11]
2015	Tiger & Bunny: The Rising	Lunatic / Yuri Petrov		[28]
2015	The Last: Naruto the Movie	Gaara, Kotetsu Hagane		[11]
2016	Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell	Doctor Strange		[29]

Other dubbing

List of voice performances in other dubbing

Year	Title	Role	Crew role, Notes	Source
2005	One Missed Call	Hiroshi Yamashita

Video games

List of voice performances in video games

Year	Title	Role	Crew role, Notes	Source[22]
2006–07	.hack//G.U. series	Endrance	Rebirth, Reminisce, Redemption	[11]
2006	Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria	Lezard Valeth		[11]
2007	Jeanne d'Arc	Luther		[11]
2007	World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade	Illidan Stormrage		[11]
2007	Persona 3	Akihiko Sanada		[11]
2007	Eternal Sonata	Waltz		[11]
2008	Devil May Cry 4	Sanctus		[11]
2008	Tales of Vesperia	Cumore		[3]
2008	Final Fantasy IV	Kain Highwind	3D remake
2009	Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight	Wrath, Trash Mob B		[11]
2009	Magna Carta II	Huaren Jass		[11]
2009	Resident Evil 5	Reynard Fisher, others		[3][11]
2010	Darksiders	War		[11]
2010	Fallout: New Vegas	Various characters		[30]
2010	NIER	Grimoire Weiss	uncredited in endgame credits	[31]
2010	Mafia II	Brian O'Neill		[11]
2010	Valkyria Chronicles II	Baldren Gassenarl		[11]
2011	Captain America: Super Soldier	Howard Stark, Allied, Hydra		[11]
2011	Catherine	Orlando Haddick		[11]
2011	Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy	Kain Highwind		[11]
2011	Killzone 3	Voice Talent ISA		[11]
2011	Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception	Hired Thugs		[11]
2011	White Knight Chronicles 2	Madoras		[11]
2011–16	Naruto video games	Gaara, Kotetsu Hagane		[11]
2012	Asura's Wrath	Asura		[11]
2012	Final Fantasy XIII-2	Caius Ballad		[11]
2012	NeverDead	Alex		[11]
2012	Darksiders II	War		[11]
2012	Skullgirls	Leviathan		[11]
2012	Spec Ops: The Line	Marines, Exile Officer		[11]
2013	Fire Emblem: Awakening	Inigo		[11]
2013	League of Legends	Yasuo		[32]
2013	Fuse	Guards		[11]
2013	Killer Is Dead	David		[33]
2013	Marvel Heroes	Electro, Nightcrawler, Havok		[11]
2013	Republique	Station 14	Episode 3: "Ones and Zeroes"	[11]
2013	Sonic Lost World	English Character Voices	reprises on Sonic Dash	[34]
2014	D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die	Phillip Cheney		[11]
2014	Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII	Caius Ballad		[11]
2014	Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor	Gollum		[35]
2014	The Evil Within	Valerio Jimenez, also Male Villager, Obese Zombie		[11]
2014	Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark	Autobot Flyer, Decepticon Soldier 02		[11]
2015	Lego Dimensions	Voiceover Talent		[36][37]
2015	Final Fantasy Type-0 HD	Enkidu		[11]
2015	Saints Row: Gat out of Hell	William Shakespeare, Vlad the Impaler, Demons, Husks		[11]
2015	The Order: 1886	Finley		[11]
2015	Transformers: Devastation	Motormaster, Seeker #3		[11]
2016	The Witness		Voice director	[38]
2016	Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games	Sega Character Voices		[39]
2016	Lego Marvel's Avengers		Voice director	[38]
2016	Street Fighter V	Gill	Appears in later revision of closing credits.	[40]

References

1. "Liam O'Brien on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
2. Hague, Jim (May 13, 2000). "Catch a rising star; Weehawken native O'Brien enjoying meteoric climb as an actor; stars in Tennessee Williams play in New York - Liam O'Brien doesn't know exactly when the acting bug bit him - it was probably some time during his high school days...". The Hudson Reporter. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
3. Dave Ward. "Liam O'Brien Interview". rpgsite.net. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
4. Liam O'Brien and Sam Riegel (December 1, 2012). "All Work No Play" (Podcast). Event occurs at 3:17. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
5. http://www.sacanime.com/?page_id=4445
6. "Lois Wiltse O'Brien's Obituary on The Jersey Journal". nj.com. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
7. "In the Void of the Damned, a Desire to Hold On". The New York Times. 1 July 1999. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
8. Sommer, CurtainUp,Elyse. "Small Craft Warnings, a CurtainUp review". curtainup.com. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
9. "Critical Role's Liam O'Brien Talks His Love of Dungeons & Dragons". Geek and Sundry. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
10. Liam O'Brien Interview - AfterBuzz TV's The Voice Of. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2016 – via YouTube.
11. "Behind The Voice Actors – Liam O'Brien". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2014-11-30. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources
12. Santos, Carlo (October 12, 2005). "Girls Bravo". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 26, 2015. Liam O'Brien is a riot and a half as Fukuyama in this volume, and his character ought to go terrorize more girls just so we can hear that smarmy delivery.
13. "Cherry Blossoms". Boys Be... Episode 1. Manga Entertainment. 2006. Event occurs at 22:40 director and writer credit, 22:45 character credit. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
14. "Sword Dancer". The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye. Event occurs at Closing credits, English Cast – via YouTube.
15. Slayers Evolution-R. Episode 1. Funimation.
16. Slayers Evolution-R. Episode 9-13. Funimation.
17. "New Sailor Moon Dub Cast Revealed at Anime Expo". Anime News Network. July 5, 2014.
18. "Gundam the Origin I's 1st 7 Minutes English-Dubbed & Subtitled". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
19. "'Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin – Sorrowful Artesia' Anime Episode Gets English Language Trailer". The Fandom Post. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
20. "Second 'Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin' Anime Episode Titled". The Fandom Post. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
21. "Viz Media Reveals More English Dub Cast for Sailor Moon R Anime". April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
22. "Liam O'Brien - SBV Talent". sbvtalent.com. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
23. "Into the Dark Dimension". Avengers Assemble. Season 3. Episode 7. April 24, 2016. Disney XD.
24. "Days of Future Smash: Year of the Hydra: Part 4". Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Season 2. Episode 48. May 31, 2015. Disney XD.
25. "Spark of Rebellion". Star Wars Rebels. October 3, 2014. Event occurs at 43:07. Disney Channel.
26. "Miles From Home". Ultimate Spider-Man. Season 4. Episode 3. February 28, 2016. Disney XD.
27. "Bats/Movie Camp Out". Pickle and Peanut. Season 1. Episode 17. June 20–27, 2016. Disney XD.
28. "Tiger & Bunny The Movie: The Rising 'New Driver' English Dub Clip Streamed". February 22, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
29. "First Clip From Marvel's Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell". October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
30. "The voice of Yasuo and many more: Interview with Liam O'Brien - Articles - Team Dignitas". team-dignitas.net. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
31. "The voice of Yasuo and many more: Interview with Liam O'Brien - Articles - Team Dignitas". team-dignitas.net. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
32. "We're the Yasuo team. AMA! • /r/leagueoflegends". reddit.com. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
33. "Killer is Dead To Have Dual Audio Voice Tracks". Siliconera. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
34. Sonic Team. Sonic Lost World. Sega. Scene: Closing credits, 1:08 in, English Character Voices.
35. Dealzon. "Voice cast for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor revealed". Destructoid. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
36. Traveller's Tales. Lego Dimensions. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Scene: Closing credits, 4:45 in, Voiceover Talent.
37. "Credits - DIMENSIONS LEGO.com". lego.com. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
38. Liam O'Brien [VoiceOfOBrien] (January 26, 2016). "Best thing about my job is the variety. The Witness & LEGO Marvel's Avengers out today, and I was fortunate to direct VO on both. Go play." (Tweet). Retrieved May 12, 2016 – via Twitter.
39. Sonic Team. Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Wii. Sega. Scene: Closing credits, 3:10 in, English Character Voices.
40. Capcom. Street Fighter V. Capcom. Scene: Closing credits, Voice Actors.

Further reading

• Jeng, Way (18 July 2006). "Being a Brief Discussion with Liam O'Brien About Koi Kaze". Mania. Demand Media. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014.
• Bertschy, Zac; Sevakis, Justin (28 January 2010). "The Liam King – ANNCast". Anime News Network.
• "Kana's Korner" Interview With Liam O'Brien on 91.8 The Fan

External links

• Liam O'Brien on Twitter
  
• Liam O'Brien at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Liam O'Brien at Crystal Acids Voice Actor Database
• Liam O'Brien at the Internet Movie Database