Bill O'Brien (actor)

Bill O'Brien is a television series actor and the Senior Advisor for Program Innovation at the National Endowment for the Arts.

Political career
O'Brien was appointed to serve as Deputy Chairman of Grants and Awards for the National Endowment for the Arts shortly after the election of President Barack Obama in 2008.

O'Brien held the position as the agency's lead on the Walter Reed/NEA Healing Arts Partnership (including Operation Homecoming) investigating the role of the arts in helping to heal military service members recovering from traumatic brain injuries and psychological health issues, and the State Department's Declaration of Learning initiative.

Theatre
O'Brien graduated with a degree in Musical Theater from the University of Northern Iowa in 1985. O'Brien was named the NEA's Director of Theater and Musical Theater in July 2006. In 2007, he designed and initiated the NEA National New Play Development program—administered by Arena Stage, which featured the NEA Outstanding New American Play and Distinguished New Play Development selections.

Before joining the NEA, he served for seven years as producing director and managing director for Deaf West Theater (DWT) where he received a Tony and a Drama Desk nomination for producing the Broadway sign language production of Big River and received three Ovation Award nominations for his work on the production of Big River at Deaf West (as producer, sound designer, and lead actor). That production went on to win three Best Musical awards (Ovation, LADCC and Back Stage Garland Awards) and the cast of Big River was awarded the 2004 Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre. Other productions he produced for Deaf West include A Streetcar Named Desire (Ovation Award for Best Play) and Oliver! (Ovation Award for Best Musical).

His advocacy efforts on behalf of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act of the United States Department of Education helped garner Deaf West Theater the Secretary of Health and Human Services Highest Recognition Award.

In addition, O'Brien has served as executive vice president on the executive board of the National Alliance for Music Theater and as a task force member, conference speaker, and grant panelist with Theater Communications Group, both national service organization for the theater and musical theater fields. O'Brien has also performed onstage in 48 states in numerous national touring and regional productions, was an American College Theater Festival Irene Ryan Acting Competition National Finalist and has recurred in all seven seasons as Kenny, Marlee Matlin's interpreter, on The West Wing.

Filmography

 * Gideon's Crossing (2001)
 * Two episodes, as Conor McGrath


 * Providence (2002)
 * Great Expectations' episode, as Brian McCulley


 * The West Wing (2000–2005)
 * 22 episodes, as Kenny Thurman (sign language interpreter for Joey Lucas, the role performed by Marlee Matlin).


 * Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2007)
 * Silencer episode, as Detective Peter Lyons

Additional credits
Additional Actor/Singer/Composer/Songwriter Credits


 * Composed the score for the independent film Church.
 * 7 year ensemble member of NBC's The West Wing (as Kenny, Marlee Matlin's sign language interpreter)
 * Over 700 performances in 48 states playing Will Rogers in The Will Rogers Follies.
 * Performed roles on national tours and in regional theater productions including Buddy in The Buddy Holly Story, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, Mark Twain/voice of Huck in Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
 * Composed music for national tours of The Grapes of Wrath and Hand-made Stories (National Technical Institute for the Deaf)