Mike O'Brien (actor)

Michael Patrick O'Brien[1] (born June 22, 1976)[2] is an American comedian, actor, and writer. O'Brien is best known for his tenure as a writer and featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2009 to 2015. He is also the creator of the 2018 NBC comedy series A.P. Bio.

Mike O'Brien
Birth nameMichael Patrick O'Brien[1]
Born (1976-06-22) June 22, 1976[2]
Blissfield, Michigan, United States
MediumTelevision, film, acting, writing
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
GenresImprovisational comedy, sketch comedy
Notable works and roles

Career

O'Brien was born in Blissfield, Michigan to Connie and James O’Brien. He attended the University of Michigan, where he majored in film-video and was the founder and editor of a monthly comedy newspaper named The Anti-Daily.[3]

O'Brien moved to Chicago and began taking improv and sketch classes. At iO Chicago he performed with a group called The Reckoning (2001–present). He trained at the Second City in Chicago, eventually joining the company's mainstage, where he performed for one year as a part of "America: All Better".[4]

Saturday Night Live

O'Brien worked as a staff writer on Saturday Night Live for seven seasons, joining the show in 2009, and also appeared as a featured player for the 2013–14 season.[5][6][7] After his sole season as a featured player, he left the cast but continued to write for the show in his final season from 2014 to 2015.[8] Some of O'Brien's sketches include "Monster Pals" starring James Franco as well as "Puppet Class" starring Bill Hader. His short films "Grow a Guy" and "The Jay-Z Story" were each given the title card, "A Mike O'Brien Picture" in season 40.[9] After leaving the writing staff in season 41, O'Brien has continued to contribute short films under the title, A Mike O'Brien Picture.

7 Minutes in Heaven with Mike O'Brien

In 2011, O'Brien introduced 7 Minutes in Heaven with Mike O'Brien, a comedy routine in which he interviews celebrities in a closet and closes by trying to kiss the celebrity.[10][11][12]

Tasty Radio

In 2015, O'Brien released a sketch comedy album entitled Tasty Radio, which features Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, Vanessa Bayer, Seth Meyers, John Mulaney, Jorma Taccone, John Lutz and Scarlett Johansson.[13]

A.P. Bio

In 2018, he created the comedy series A.P. Bio, starring Glenn Howerton and Patton Oswalt. O'Brien's former SNL colleagues Lorne Michaels and Seth Meyers are also executive producers on the show. The series premiered on February 1, 2018. The series was canceled after two seasons on May 24, 2019. On July 17, 2019, it was announced that A.P. Bio would return for a third season on NBCU's streaming platform Peacock in 2020,[14] and the show was renewed for a fourth season which ran in 2021 before the show was canceled again.[15]

Bibliography
  • O'Brien, Mike (December 7, 2015). "How to live an alternative–comedy lifestyle". Shouts & Murmurs. The New Yorker. Vol. 91, no. 39. p. 37.

References
  1. Evans, Bradford (August 23, 2013). "'SNL' Writer Michael Patrick O'Brien Is Also Joining the Cast as a Featured Player". Splitsider. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  2. "Mike O'Brien Bio | Featured Player | Saturday Night Live". NBC. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  3. "'Alumni Profile: SNL's Mike O'Brien'". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  4. "IO Profile".
  5. Bryan, Claire (December 5, 2013). "Alumni Profile: SNL Featured Player Mike O'Brien". The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013.
  6. "Mike O'Brien, Featured Player". NBC Universal. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  7. Gus Wezerek (December 14, 2019). "The 'S.N.L.' Stars Who Lasted, and the Ones Who Flamed Out". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019. Some of the names here will be familiar only to die-hard fans; others, like Murphy, defined what was funny for generations of viewers.
  8. "Mike O'Brien Will Not Return As SNL Player". Entertainment Weekly.
  9. "Breakding Down Each Cast Member's Contribution to SNL Season 39".
  10. Matheson, Whitney (August 1, 2011). "Watch stars talk (not make out) on '7 Minutes in Heaven'". USA Today.
  11. Borrelli, Christopher (April 4, 2012). "'Seven Minutes in Heaven': The not-so-fine art of the awkward kiss". Chicago Tribune.
  12. "SNL Writer Mike O'Brien Talks Getting Trapped in the Closet with Kristen Wiig on New Show". Huffington Post. July 31, 2011.
  13. Wright, Megh (October 30, 2015). "Mike O'Brien's Sketch Comedy Album "Tasty Radio" Is Out Today". Splitsider.com.
  14. Goldberg, Lesley (July 17, 2019). "'A.P. Bio' Revived for Season 3 on NBCUniversal's Streaming Service (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  15. Otterson, Joe (December 6, 2021). "'AP Bio' Canceled After Four Seasons at Peacock". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
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