Brendan O'Brien (actor)

Brendan James O'Brien (May 9, 1962 – March 23, 2023) was an American actor. He served as the original voice of Crash Bandicoot and various other character voices for the Crash Bandicoot video games during the Naughty Dog years.

Early life
Brendan James O'Brien was born in Hollywood, California, on May 9, 1962. He was the son of actor Edmond O'Brien (1915–1985) and actress Olga San Juan (1927–2009). His two sisters are television producer Bridget O'Brien Adelman and actress Maria O'Brien.

He attended Loyola High School in East Los Angeles were he played guitar in various high school bands throughout his early years. He was also a graduate of the Loyola Marymount University.

Career
O'Brien began his acting career in 1973 at nine years old; his first role was in the television film Honor Thy Father. He acted in 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain, P.U.N.K.S., Race to Space, and Grindhouse.

He got the role of Crash Bandicoot after Joe Pearson suggested that he call Jason Rubin (who was looking for a voice artist). After going to the studio for the call (where his parents used to work), he got the role. The recordings that O'Brien did for Crash Bandicoot were done in an intimate setting at the Alfred Hitchcock Theater.

O'Brien also performed additional voices for the animated series adaptation of Spawn and Ralph Bakshi's Spicy City. He has also acted in several live action television shows such as Candid Camera and The Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys.

He went on a hiatus from acting in 2003; he returned to acting sixteen years later and appear in an episode of Riverdale as a math teacher and also had a small part in the TV mini-series The Slowest Show as a Male Millionaire.

Personal life
Brendan O'Brien met his wife Ingrid K. Behrens in 1995; they married five years later in 2000 and remained married until his death.

Death
He died on March 23, 2023, at his home in California at the age of 60.