Mark O'Brien (actor)

Mark O'Brien (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian actor and director best known for his roles as Des Courtney in Republic of Doyle and Tom Rendon in Halt and Catch Fire. He won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards for his performance as Terry Sawchuk in the biographical drama film Goalie.

At the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 he received two nominations for his film The Righteous, for both Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay. The film, which he wrote and directed himself, also won Best Screenplay at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal and Manchester’s Grimmfest, as well as Best Cinematography at Grimmfest and the Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival.

Personal life
He is an English major with a Bachelor of Arts from Memorial University of Newfoundland. His mother was a nurse and his father a truck driver. Mark also has three older sisters.

O'Brien married actress Georgina Reilly on January 6, 2013, after having met on the set of Republic of Doyle in 2011. He is friends with fellow Newfoundlander Jonny Harris who was also guest at his wedding. In November 2017, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter.